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Texas Direct Auto review: Fraud and scam 57

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8:27 am EDT
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I purchased a car on Ebay, but actually not thru Ebay. I found the car on Ebay, and called Texas Direct Auto for details. After the salesman was extremely curious and helpful, I decided to give them a deposit and they took $800.00 off the price to do the transaction outside of Ebay. Mistake! I was emailed the paperwork and everything from the bankdraft on my end went smooth. Can't say the same for the other end. Car was supposed to ship on [protected], but didn't ship until 3-6-2009. the car was delivered yesterday and it is not the car pictured. Or something terrible happened to it after the pictures where taken. The transit company showed us the paperwork that stated the condition the car was in when picked up, so it wasn't their fault, I called Texas Direct Auto, and was told that the car was shipped in the condition sold, and the pictures where of the car in the condition I received it in. They will take no responsibility! I looked more closely at the pictures that were saved in my history and they didn't take pictures showing the damages, they left that out and out of the description. Which stated save thousands with one call, buy it now! There are no disappointments with this one! I tried to have Ebay deal with this, but since I purchased it outside of Ebay, They will do nothing. I took it to a local dealer this morning who offered me $9000.00 less than I paid and stated that the car needed around $5000.00 in repairs, just to get it to fair shape. I just wish there where more honest people in the world!

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57 comments
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rvmack
, US
Jan 18, 2017 10:02 pm EST

I got ripped off for just under $5-K by trusting the sales person's at VROOM/TEXAS DIRECT AUTO. I was provided a clean Carfax Report and trusted that the car was in 100% great shape. I did not find out that the car needed over $1000.00 until I had the car in service and they washed the car and the paint bubbled up on the front bumper. Please see attachments for yourself and see for yourself that VROOM/TEXAS DIRECT AUTO has been ripping off customers for years. I believe that they have been very UNGODLY IN BUSINESS TO MANY. If you would like to be one of many that would like to file a CLASS ACTION. Please contact me at [protected] and leave a message.

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cyber007
, US
Apr 17, 2016 9:33 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I wanted to purchase a Lexus GS 350. we already settled on a price and my financing. i took the car to a lexus dealer to inspect it, they told me i had some belts, filter and alignment issues that would cost me about $1000 to fix. While i was there they showed me a certified exact replica of the car i was trying to get at TDA that had 10K less miles for $4000 more with dealer warranty with an Interest rate much much lower. I already paid the 500 deposit but now im thinking of backing out and getting the dealers deal. reading the comments here it sounds like it would be impossible to get back the deposit. i paid with a CC, has anyone tried calling the CC company to see if they would reverse the charge?

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2003 Mercedes
, US
Aug 10, 2011 11:47 pm EDT

When I brought my 2003 Mercedes E320 in to get appraised, the appraiser gave me an insulting offer stating that my windows does not roll. I offered to show him how to roll windows since he locked the window rolling device. But instead, he stated rudely "anybody knows how to roll windows - doesn't take a genius." Well it comes to show that he is pretty incompetent at his job and very unprofessional.

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texas direct equals scam
Dallas, US
Jan 06, 2015 4:52 pm EST

DO NOT USE TEXAS DIRECT AUTO - IT'S A COMPLETE SCAM.

Purchased a 2010 F250 from this place. The price was a good deal and well . . . . now I know why! I flew into Houston to pick up the truck and on my drive home was the first time the truck BROKE DOWN. This story could go on and on . . I don't have the time. A month and 1/2 later, 4 trips to the Ford dealership and $16, 000 + in repairs . . I contact Texas Direct Auto to work out a new deal and get another car. To say the least, they are freaking CROOKS . . don't care about people what so ever, they only car about screwing people over. I ended up trading out of this truck into a lux car (because I was stuck with them, if I had my choice I wanted a refund so I could run away and never speak to these people again) and rolling a $3, 000 negative balance to the new vehicle. I begged and prayed they would meet me in the middle, they should have took the truck back and got me into a new car without a penny out of pocket, but that wasn't the case what so ever. The lux car ended up in the shop within a month. I had to change out the rotors because they were warped. The brakes were bad and discs had to be replaced. There was a leak in the radiator and duct tape over the hole. DO NOT BUY FROM THEM . . . IT'S NOTHING BUT A MONEY PIT. I WISH NOTHING BUT FAILURE TO THIS COMPANY BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY DESERVE.

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Anderson Cheung
Atlanta, US
Dec 14, 2013 8:50 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Whao...! I was about to make deal with TDA to purchase the Lexus LS460...after reading all these complaints, I think I will pass. Thank you guys.

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Anderson Cheung
Atlanta, US
Dec 14, 2013 8:36 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Hmmm...I am thinking to get the LS460 from TDA...but after reading all these complaints...I think I will pass.

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princessbuttercup
Dickinson, US
Dec 27, 2012 11:17 pm EST

Not a complaint, just my experience…. I am local and was able to inspect the car in person before putting money down. The car I wanted was really hard to find and TDA had one in stock at a rocking price. The customer service was pretty horrible. Really sad, because I had a much different experience when they were a smaller company. The sales floor was a mad house. I understand why they suck, they are just too busy. I almost left before taking my test drive because I was so irritated, I only stayed because the car I wanted was so hard to find. The pictures were accurate and I bought the car. If you are a perfectionist, small imperfections will not show in the photo. A warning light came on during the drive home. Fortunately the car was still under manufacturer’s warranty and I haven’t had any issues since. Moral is they are a high volume dealership. You go there to save thousands off the price. They really do have great prices; higher volume lets them sell for lower price. If you want a warm fuzzy customer experience, go somewhere else. You are dealing with used cars, so make sure you get it inspected by a 3rd party, you should do that with any used car at any dealership. Unless it is a lease, everyone I know gets rid of their car when they think major repairs are in the near future.

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TerenceC
Thousand Oaks, US
Mar 23, 2012 8:32 am EDT

Purchased a car from out of state. They tried to sneak in this BS Gap insurance. I declined it and they said they will take it off the agreement. After three months of fighting with them, it still has not been credited. They are very unresponsive.

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John wad
Huntsville, US
Mar 02, 2012 4:30 am EST

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE PERIOD ! Bought 2011 Cadillac Escalade pictures looked perfect, great talked to my salesman Lindsey asked him about if there were any chips in the paint dents etc, nothing wrong but a small door ding in the driver door but there professional dent removal people were removing the dent as we spoke no big deal, ran carfax everything went as planned, shipping would be a little delayed because of Christmas that was ok so waited patiently and the shipping department guy called and the unit was being shipped, great! Truck driver called and met me in our local walmart parking lot, the first I noticed was how dirty the caddy was and had black tar all over the running boards when I pulled up! WTF in the pictures the rig looked spotless? Driver got out and asked me about some people he knew with my last same name, he wound up being good friends with my late cousin they used to rodeo together as he was handing me a paper to sign with all the damaged places in the vehicle, I was like man what happened? It was like this when it got picked up in Houston? Now what? the delivery guy just shook his head, I give them a call if it was mine, I said ok thanks. I got on the phone as fast as I could pull it out of the parking lot, Lindsey dude this rig is beat all to hell, he told me it must of been the transport people? (ok let's see the transport people know my family I'm sure they were thinking we know him or his family let's beat the he'll out of his rig) Good one Lindsey, told him how upset I was so he let his supervisor give me a call, she told me about how many dealerships she worked at and how there was no way that they would ever sell a car in that condition blah blah blah, told her that I wanted them to pick up the car and take it back O no, she asked me if I had the car inspected by one of there in house flunky f*** ups for $200 bucks? told her no I didn't how it inspected then she said there was no way to be refunded gave me a a bunch of more lip, said that it was a used vehicle and the things wrong were superficial and are usually on every used vehicle( the rig had 12300 miles on it come on)told me that there salesmen look over every vehicle sold and told me she would send me a $150 dollar refund and a new hitch covert boy that really helped ### (which looked like they had spray bombed) the body guys down there could not even paint for Macco, there awful! I was like what a great $60, 000 Christmas present that is going to have to go to the body shop before I can give it to my wife, I've never wanted to make a drive down from Arkansas and drive a vehicle right thru there showroom front doors >>>TOTAL ###! After taking it to the local cadillac body shop got a bill for $1200 and now it's pulling hard to the right prob been t- totaled the f***ing headrest tv's won't mute (there junk) going to see if I can get it aligned
Wish me luck! So Buyers Beware they are a bunch of cons if I make it down to Houston to visit a buddy or two sometime, I'm thinking about pulling in there and kicking the ### out of a person or two!

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stephnachia
Richmond, US
Dec 15, 2011 6:18 pm EST

I LOVE Texas Direct Auto. We are local though and so did not have to deal with them through Ebay. It is a wonderful, clean facility with lots of friendly people (and nice amenities for little ones). They let us take our first choice to our own mechanic to get it looked at and he recommended us not getting it. We then took our 2nd choice to our mechanic and he said it needed a few things here and there (leaky valve, new tires, etc). They made all the repairs (including new tires!) at TX Direct Auto and detailed it before we bought it. They also gave us a SWEET deal on our trade-in, about $3000 more than what Carmax offered us. I have 3 other friends who have bought vehicles there as well and all had WONDERFUL experiences, but again, they were all local. While I understand all the negative comments are valid, I think buying a vehicle off ebay is a risk. The listing says 'sold as is', the pictures are not going to be able to show every little piece of damage on the unit. As for the lack of communication, sounds like they should definitely work on that. I HIGHLY recommend dealing with Tx Direct Auto if you can be there in person.

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jarjarrey
senoia, US
Jun 17, 2011 12:28 am EDT

This place is a huge scam! After I found the vehicle I wanted, I applied for lending through their finance company. I sent an email to the salesman and waited for several days. He responded and told me that vehicle was sold. I had asked about my financing and he did not respond. I then get a call from financing and they say, since I am self employed, they need all this additional info. I faxed everything over. I get a call the next day stating the bank needed one more document. During all this downtime, I had searched other vehicles and found two I emailed the salesman about...no response on availability or if he knew about my financing. After 4 request with 2 different people, they pass me on to a 3rd person. As I wait for him to call to give me the terms of the loan, I finally get a call from the salesman. He tells me all is approved and the vehicle I want is there and ready...I asked for the stock #. It was not even a car I had EVER been interested in AND this is the car they got approved with the lender. I gave him the # to the car I actually wanted and he said it was available. Later that day, I get an email with an attachment, a form I needed to sign and return. Finance even called and said "it's not for a transcript for your tax returns, It's just to have on file saying that you filed your taxes the last 2 years." That's funny because...I can read. It is clearly an IRS form requesting my transcripts and had already been filled in by TDA on the type return and years requested. I don't like dealing with liars, so I pretty much decided I was not buying from them at this point and of course never sent the form. I sent 2 more emails over 2 days and finally got a call from Brett. He tells me I've been approved at a ridiculously high interest rate (my credit score shows me as low risk), definately NOT the low interest rate they post on their site. They had me putting a large deposit down on the car that I never said I would do and it was not the length of the loan I told them I had to have. He said if I would pick a vehicle with less miles, the bank would go longer and possibly reduce the interest rate. I gave him the other stock # and waited for him to call. I get a call back the following day about closing time. He tells me that the bank will go longer and the interest rate is now 4% higher than what he quoted me the previous day. I said, "okay, so they went up on the interest rate?" He then said "no, they went down a point" as if he had not given me the information just the day before. He clearly wanted me to take responsibility for "hearing him wrong". Between trying to sell me a car I had not even contacted them about, TOTALLY dodging telling me the conditions of the loan, trying to get me to sign a document they assumed I would/could not read and then changing the interest rate for the worse from one day to the next. Praise God I told them to keep it and I'm not stuck with a piece of junk that I pay through the nose for every month!

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blindsay123
Phoenix, US
Jun 14, 2011 11:58 pm EDT

On march 23rd I called Ben Rader from Texas auto direct about a roush 500RC F150 truck they had on ebay. I asked if the truck had aver been hit or had any paint work. Ben Rader tells me that the truck is perfect and has never had paint work. He tells me that they have commissioned people inspect the trucks so that nothing goes over looked. He really wants to sell it to me off ebay, so I save 500.00 and buy it off eBay (Big Mistake). A week or two later i get the truck and see bad paint work. I called Ben the day after I get the truck and tell him about the issue. The truck has been hit in the drivers side bed, the paint work was done without taping the bed off. So the bed has black spray paint, over spray and NO CLEAR COAT. The bed is rough to the touch. I take it to a paint shop by my work and he says "this was spray painted". I get a quote to fix the paint issues at 614.00. The rear bumper has to come off and the tailgate has to be fixed from over spray. I fax the quote to Ben on the april 21st. He tells me Rod Smith, his manager, will call me back that day. I wait a week, no calls. I finally call them on April 30th and Rod Smith has no idea what I'm talking about. I sent him pictures on may 3rd and May 4th I get a response: " After looking at the picture it seems as if the trucks condition is average or better wear and tear for the year and mileage.". So they are willing to pay for no damages. No problem, ill post this on every site I can find and deal with the paint issue my self.

The Short Story: Texas Auto Direct is the same shady car dealership that is on every corner, in every town. They simply have a larger location and sell online and on ebay.

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Chip Haymond
Dripping Springs, US
Jun 14, 2011 2:51 am EDT

What a bunch of whiny babies!
TDA is exactly what they appear to be- a high volume low price take what you get dealership. If you want to be coddled and pampered go to a new car dealership and pay thousands more. Sure you're taking a chance with these guys, which would be true for any used car from anyone. Private sellers offer no warranty, and besides you never know how good any warranty is until you have a problem.
I've purchased 3 cars from these guys and their customer service was adequate, especially for a dealership which moves 400+ cars a month. The cars were exactly as they described. One of the cars I purchased was $7000.00 under loan value. I'll take that deal all day long.
Chip Haymond

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The Low Down
, US
May 06, 2011 9:03 pm EDT

Texas Direct Auto is a rip off scam trust me I have been in the ebay (houston) market since it began one of the first guys out there listing cars for dealers and also sold cars on franchise lots. The sales people dont give a ### cause they only get a 100$ per car so the have to move big numbers just to eat. The whole operation is nothing but a disorganized circus ( one of my best friends worked there for a little while and after coming from real dealerships, he couldn't deal with it so he quit. They lie and lie anything just to get you to buy. The whole operation is based on a lie the pricing is padded far more than you think because of sub standard vehicles and people getting ripped off on thier trades. The average mark-up on a vehicle is between 3000.00 and 4000.00 dollars. and they don't want to budge off of the price. I know a guy who traded in his truck for 29, 500.00 he had a friend that wanted to buy it but his lender would not do private party deals because of a fraud problem they had been expierincing so the sales guy told him that they do $1000.00 turnarounds and his friend could come back the next day and get it for $30, 500 seemed fair enough so when he came to the dealership they told him that the price was $32, 500.00 and that there was nothing they could do about the price and that it was already listed for live auction which it wasn't another lie, also the guy who was trading in the truck had to wait almost two weeks to get the vehicle that he was buying because they had to do repairs to it. BUYER BE VERY AWARE! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The business practices that the sales people exhibit are what is acceptable and practised by the upper management. The sales people will even tell you of horror stories of (TDA) screwing family and friends of thiers. The risk is not worth the reward in some cases and if you get stuck with a lemon that ain't worth the rubber its rollin on you are in for a hard lesson learned. It is always better to pay for piece of mind a little service, common courtesy and a dealership you can trust go along way.

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slayton
Semmes, US
May 05, 2011 10:05 am EDT

thinking about buying a Yukon Denali 2007 with 56k miles, reading these comments makes me nervous, but i've also heard really good things about them too. I want to them to come off the price a 1000 r so, I was wondering if they do that? Has anybody traded in there car there and do they give a reasonable price for the trade?

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Dallas Car Guy
Dallas, US
Apr 15, 2011 1:33 am EDT

Here's my expierience with TDA over the past couple of weeks...
I found the car I'd been searching for in the right color at a reasonable price. I called Boris and he took my $500.00 via CC to hold the car. I already had financing and was expecting a seamless, quick transaction. I wanted all the paperwork Fed Exed to me to examine BEFORE I went to Houston to pick it up. Alan, the finance guy, said he could oblige me and even offered a better finance rate if I went thru him. True to his word, he beat my bank by a couple of points. Great! Sign me up and get me the paperwork. Upon receiving the contract, I see that Alan tacked on a $3000.00 bumper to bumper warranty on a car that was still covered by a factory warranty! When I called to correct this, he told me he discussed it with my wife and she agreed. What? No way. My wife would never agree to a warranty. Why is this guy not telling the truth?! He was now noticibly miffed, had a bad attitude and voiced that he'd "Have to do everything over again" So now...since I wouldn't buy the warranty, I was no longer going to get the special low finance rate. I objected to this as well and Alan basically told me "too bad" and then hung up on me! I couldn't believe it. I was on the verge of spending $39k with this company and he hang's up on me. Amazing.
At this point, the deal is dead but I want someone to know what kind of employee just cost thier company a car sale so I get a hold of a GM and he apologizes profusely and provides a slightly higher rate and still beats my bank and we agree to salvage the deal.
I flew into Houston 9 am two days later from Dallas and was picked up by a scruffy pair of guys and loaded into a van with 4 other guys. Like me, they had flown in to check out / purchase / and drive thier vehicles home. When we arrive at TDA, it's like a hotel. You check in by giving them a copy of your license and insurance. Next, they bring the car you are interested in and let you drive / inspect it at your leisure. And I do. I drove a few miles away to a clean, empty strip center parking lot and start my inspection. Mechanically, the car was perfect for a 40k mile car. Cosmetically, the photos and description on Ebay were not accurate. A few scratches here and there, some chips on the hatch handle, missing hitch cover Nothing to squelch the deal but still a disapointing surprise. The worse part was a 1/2 chuck of rubber was missing out of the side wall of one of the tires! I take it back to my delivery liason, and Chaz was on it. "No problem, we'll fix that now." Great! I go back to the check in counter where they give you a pager and then wait for a finance guy to sign the papers with. 10 minutes later they tell me I'm going to meet with "Alan" Alan? Ummm...no way. That guy's a [censored] and you better get me someone else...which they do. Got the papers signed and I'm ready but my car is not...Chaz is on the ball but "it's lunch and the guys can't find the same make of tire..."blah, blah blah. I sit outside and wait...While doing so I 'm privy to a heated discussion between two employees over "commissions, favoritism, upstairs policies, downstairs policies" and all of it taking place right there on the delivery floor. Classy.
Over an hour later, I'm ready to roll. I was disapointed about the long wait and mention to Chaz that if he could somehow find the missing hitch cover, I'd really appreciate it. He called me 2 hours later when I was halfway home and said he had found it and would mail it to me...and he did. Nice job Chaz. In closing...Boris, the salesguy, took my $500.00 deposit and I never saw him in person or spoke to him more than 4 times on the phone. Alan was a complete horses' [censor] and I can't believe he can keep gainfull employment anywhere. Chaz was the closest thing to a concerned employee I found and should probably move up the ranks quickly in the sea of mediocracy found at TDA.
I like the pricing. I like the selection. I do not like the impersonal service. I do not like the represenation of thier products on line. My advice...Good deals can be had at TDA but do your due diligence on any car, dont expect to receive a "thank you" for your business, and remember...you're a wallet with legs at TDA, not a person.
Alan...I'll see you in Hell.

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ElishaMarie
, US
Apr 10, 2011 3:11 am EDT

We just bought our vehicle last month. We found it online and we called so that we could get them to hold it for us, for $500 ofcourse. This was on a Sat. and we let them know we wanted it Mon. ready by 2:00 p.m. paper work and all. We left our home at 9:00 and got there at 10:40 a.m. We had to wait an hour for someone to get a hold of the guy that we had spoke to on the phone. After finally finding him our self outside he informed us that the front and rear bumpers were being painted because they had some scratches on them. It was aggravating because we hadn't even test drove it yet and wasn't for sure if it was the vehicle we wanted. I had to leave at 1:30 because I had to get my children off the bus so my husband stayed behind. Another reason we were aggravated because the vehicle was for me and I didn't even get to check it out or drive it! He called me on my way home about an hour later and said that it drove real good but it was dirty on the inside. I asked him to get them to clean it up then before he left with it. He asked them to shampoo the seats because they looked filthy so "they did". When I got the vehicle at 7:00 p.m. the seats were still wet and still looked dirty, there was gum dried to the base of the seat belt and food beside the other seat on the side. The seat belt straps looked terrible but I was just happy to finally get my husband home after he'd been up there all day. I looked at the seats the next day and they had water spots all over them. My husband said they weren't like that when he test drove it. I called a car detail and they said that it would cost $75 to shampoo and get the food out. When I called to talk to Rod about it that day, I couldn't get a hold of him. I called and left several messages and talked to other people that said they couldn't help me because they didn't do the paper work! He called me back one day but I was unable to get to the phone and when I called back of course he was unavailable AGAIN! The next week when I finally got to talk to him I explained that I felt like I should be reimbursed for having to get the water stains out and the food and gum. He explained to me that it was too late that I should have contacted him sooner and maybe something could have been done but since it was a week later it was too late. I told him I tried getting a hold of him and left several messages and one guy said they could see what they could do to get me compensated for it but he wasn't trying to hear it. He said that unfortunately there was nothing he could do because it was so late after the sale. He said to look at it as getting a good deal on the vehicle and putting money into it! Even though I spoke to others and left messages it was my fault that he could not be reached! I'll never buy from Texas Direct Auto again! I'll stick with Carmax where you don't have to pay an extra 2, 000 for a warranty and you get a car that looks and SMELLS clean!

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Rayjohn06
Houston, US
Mar 26, 2011 7:27 am EDT

well i heard alot about them, before i went there i found 2 different prices for the same car, on Yahoo and Ebay"Buy it Now" price, and then i went there today to the Texas Direct Auto dealer, they told me to check on the computer what kinda car do you like and let me know, i have found same car that i found on ebay and yahoo and in their dealership the price was higher, i told the guy i want the car but ebay buy it now price, he said " i have to pay $500 ebay fees and shipping fees, that's become around $1000 so its same thing if i see the price in dealership, i said i don't want shipping i am picking up and the car was right front of my eyes, he said we still charge shipping no matter what, and guy keep telling me we sells 2000 cars everyday its like telling me: if you wanna buy just buy it don't ask so many any questions.
ok the other worst part is they show you dirty cars i mean the car was look like it been washed when they took picture and never been washed again, and guy told me i have to buy the car first then they will wash and clean from inside, i said how would i know if the paint job is good or bad, he said same thing again like he's a robot.
customer service is so bad, they don't ask you for anything water or coffee they are all busy in their own world trying to rip off people, and they treat you like you are a homeless
i was trying to buy something nice wanted to spend $28, 000, and expect at least washed and inside clean car.
if some of you guys still want to go there here is a Tip: even if sales person says price is firm you can break them on price for at least $1500-$1800 i have tried it and it worked but i change my mind buying that car

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luxh3
Sioux City, US
Mar 15, 2011 5:04 am EDT

DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY! BUYERS BEWARE!

bought a newer low mileage hummer... looked good, they convinced me to buy the added warranty and i did...B/S warranty that turns out doesnt cover anything at all... called them back after a week of having problems and they said the car is sold as is and its my problem not theirs! spent $25, 000 on a hummer that no one can fix(not even the hummer dealers can diagnose the problem) and that just sits in my garage... when i called they were very arrogant and tried to say i didnt know what i was talking about and they deal with cars everyday... congrats, they were right, i am an idiot for buying this piece of junk from them!

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Nantz
, US
Feb 28, 2011 2:45 am EST

I bought a Cadillac STS from Brian Starnes there about a year ago. That car was a total piece of crap. First, I put down the $500 deposit and said I would come the next day to take a look at the car. When i got there, they said the car wasn't ready yet and that if we could just wait, it would be ready soon. This back and forth went on for hours. Everything we tracked him down, he said it would be ready shortly. Then he made some excuse about they had to paint the bumper. Then they had to let it dry. All lies. 6 hours later, we finally got to see the car. Being so tired and frustrated, I bought the vehicle as it was a great price with low miles and what seemed like a comprehensive warranty. Big mistake. I took it to a Cadillac dealership the next week and they inspected it and said it needed over $3, 000 worth of repairs. The warranty Texas Direct Auto provided didn't cover any of the work. I bit the bullet and had the work performed and then a month later, the entire back end needed to be replaced. The car constantly made noises and was mechanically unsound. Bottom line, the cars they sell are not certified at all, they are pieces of junk. If you think I am exaggerating, I am not. Here's another example, the Air conditioning vents spit out this sticky mystery green foam when the A/C was on. I got rid of this lemon and got me a certified preowned from a reputable local Chevy dealer. BUYER BEWARE. TEXAS DIRECT AUTO SUCKS.

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ShodanCST
San Antonio, US
Feb 21, 2011 2:33 pm EST

Just made a purchase from Texas Direct Auto (TDA) before the weekend. I must be one of the few

that actually had a good experience looking at all the different reviews out there.

I found the low miles in-warranty truck I wanted ('08 Chevy 2500HD diesel crew cab) for $3500-

$4000 less than dealers in my area, I got $2500 MORE for my trade vehicle than a quote from Carmax

(nortorious low-ballers in my opinion).

My advice is do your research, hire an inspector, and... do your research.

The pictures of the truck I bought were represented properly on the online ad. I did buy at the

reserve price offline to save a little money, so no protection by eBay. I saved $500 dollars

doing it this way, I also used some of my new saved money to HIRE AN INSPECTOR. It's worth every

penny of the $120 - $150 you'll pay to get this peace of mind. If you are driving in from out of

town (I'm from San Antonio) or if you are out of state you NEED to do this. I used Lemon Squad,

and they got it done in two full business days. But give yourself some time, from my dicussion

with the inspection company TDA only allows inspections on certain days (probably middle of the

week), don't expect to put a deposit down on Thursday, order an inspection, and pick up the car

Saturday.

An inspector won't get 100% of every little flaw, but they will get the major stuff and most of

the cosmetic stuff and they will test drive the vehicle. Plus, it's one of only two ways you can

get your deposit back - the vehicle has to fail a PROFESSIONAL on-site inspection or the vehicle

has to be mis-represented in the online ad.

TDA sells used cars and some have limited warranties, if your budget is so tight that you can't

afford another $100+ for an inspection on a multi-thousand dollar purchase you shouldn't be

shopping for cars.

You can hire the inspector before you put a deposit down and currently Lemon Squad will give you a

refund if the car is sold before they get out there to inspect it. You of course run the risk of

another buyer purchasing the car, but if you are worried about your $500 deposit then consider

this option.

Also - as I mentioned before, do your research. Yes, it's exciting to see your perfect car and get

caught up in dropping that deposit so no one else buys "your" car, but take a deep breath. I

watched their listing for several days and I talked to my sales rep Bobby a few times and waited

over a full day before I put down that $500 deposit. I actually found a better truck for my needs

by waiting 36 hours. Their inventory changes every 1 - 2 days. And they will let you move your

deposit if you find another of their vehicles before you close the deal.

I was able to work out all the details on paperwork, financing, and trade-in estimate online,

through email, and by phone. It took several days to get through all of this with the normal

hustle and bustle of life. They even Fed Ex'd the paperwork to me since my wife couldn't drive in

with me to sign. Give yourself some time to do the deal right. Shop your bank or credit union for

financing comparisons, let Texas Direct Auto know what the competition is, they want to earn your

business and matched or beat several of my rates on fiancing and extended warranty.

My experience at the lot was as expected. I arrived on a Friday at 3p - it was already moderately

busy - but I was in and out within 2 hours (test drive, trade-in review, signing papers), and that

was including a slight delay due to a little mix-up on what time I was to arrive that day. If

everyone had been on the same page I would have been out of there within 1.5 hours or less. There

are a lot of employees/sales people - it is kind of a mill sales atmosphere, you can't expect

these men and women to be 100% knowledgeable and know the details of all the different cars they

sell, but they have a pretty nice showroom and lot, and a play area for the younger kids. A snack

bar area, tables, and a few TV's helped pass the time. They are a little short on available

seating, I'd expect that to be a problem on Saturday's.

You should expect to wait if you are a walk-in customer, it's an unfortunate fact of life that

businesses will cater to their customer's that have money down or are picking up already purchased

vehicle. Let's be realistic people. They aren't here to make friends or hold your hand, they

want to sell cars.

My trade-in was already listed on their site 2 days later, I checked the vehicle history report

included with their listing and it appears accurate. Only descrepency is my trade was repaired by

insurance for a minor accident that does not show on the history report, but the ad does not

represent the vehicle as a accident free vehicle and as far as I can tell this an independent

history report that has nothing to do with TDA (it says provided by eBay Motors all over it). All

the dealer is doing is cleaning up these vehicles and selling them.

Overall, I am happy with my purchase. This dealer is for consumers that know what they want, have

their finances in order, can spend a little time doing the research on what's best for them, and

are not afraid to spend a little money for an inspection. Will every buyer be happy? No. Will

most buyers be happy? Probably. Don't expect a lot of hand holding here, but expect a good deal

if you do your homework.

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yoyobro
, US
Feb 03, 2011 8:10 pm EST

I have been watching this company for awhile now and I have noticed that ebay erases Texas Direct Auto's negative feedback. I caught this 5 times in one month and I could not even check it every day so I'm sure I missed some. I could understand 1 maybe 2 comments getting erased over a period of time because something was said that was against policy but 5 or more in a few weeks? Makes me think of something my grandfather once said...if it looks too good to be true, it is! Shame on ebay for misleading consumers in this way. Because of my little research project I will never do business through ebay again.

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HDNKR
San Anto, US
Jan 18, 2011 9:09 pm EST

This company is the most unprofessional company in America! They lie about their vehicles and they lie about addressing issues the vehicles have and never follow through with any promises. Their sales people from top to bottom are rude and arrogant and the positive comments that have been left on this board are from Texas Auto Discount employees posing as consumers. I am shocked and amaze the Texas Attorney Generals office hasnt shut this company down by now and for those of you who have been ripped off you should immediately contact the Texas Attorney Generals office so others are ripped off as well. Youve heard of puppy mills well this is nothing more than an "Auto Mill" and EBAY is making too much money so dont expect them to take any action either.
Signed,
"Screw me once"

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omnipotens
Houston, US
Jan 16, 2011 4:52 pm EST

i had a similar experience I went by the other day looking for a truck and spent 8 hours there and 90 percent of the time was waiting for someone to help me the rep I was dealing with kept disappearing every time you I turned my head. One of the trucks I wanted to look at was mislabeled and had the wrong picture and no one could figure it out. They said it was outside well I didn’t find the truck so I started walking around the yard to see if the key would open up any truck I found one it unlocked and about the only thing that was right was the brand of truck. The other truck I was looking at was a 2004 and found that this truck was in so bad of condition that I would have took it to scrap if I owned it. The frame was welded back together, poorly on top of that. There was a ton of rust, the shifter was very hard to put in gear, the smell was a whole another experience I have never smelt anything like that before there was just tons of problems not listed. The only thing the truck had going for it is that it was pretty. I went and took a look at another truck and it would not even start so at that time I knew I was done with this place. One more thing the sales rep keep telling me they where a whole seller and they sale at whole seller rates the prices I checked where well over blue book prices and she got very defensive when I told her that and she presided to start a argument with me.

So to sum it up the worst experience I have ever had to buy a vehicle.

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KateBran2010
Texarkana, US
Jan 15, 2011 3:36 am EST

My husband and I drove over 500 miles to purchase a 2007 tahoe with 23, 000 miles. The photos on ebay showed the tahoe to be in perfect condition. We were told by the salesman Michael that the only thing wrong was the "cigarette lighters" were broken but that they would replace them. My husband asked the salesman several times if anything was wrong witht the vehical and his response was always none. Upon arriving at TDA the salesman called my husband the wrong name and was extremely short and rude with us then the salesman went to get our vehical so we could test drive it. When my husband went to get into the driver's seat the outside door handle was hanging by only one side. When I got into the passesnger side I noticed that all of the letters for TAHOE had been peeled off and were in the compartment on the door. The gas light was also on when we left for our test drive. After noticing several scratches and stains in the inside of the tahoe we decided to end the test drive. The cigarette lighters had also not been replaced 6 days after he said they would. When we got back to the dealership my husband noticed a run in the paint on the front passenger fender, a scratch on the headlight and a scratch on the rear view mirror. This tahoe had ovbiously been in an accident. We went back into the dealership and asked for Michael and told he would be with us shortly. 25 minutes later Michael was still not downstairs so my husback called him on the phone to come down. We told Michael about the issues and he went to get the manager Kevin. Kevin went outside with us to look at the tahoe. His excuse for the missing letters was that the carwash must have knocked them off. And that someone must have scratched the tahoe after they purchased it. He told us that he would pay for us to get the body work done in our hometown, which seemed fishy. We decided not the get the tahoe and asked for our deposit back. We were told that we could not get a refund because the tahoe was not mis represented. After a long debate Kevin refunded the money, however it has still not been put back on our credit card. When we got home we pulled the tahoe back up in ebay and relized that the pictures were not the tahoe we were shown. The tahoe in the pictures had no scratches, has the name tahoe of both sides whick were missing on the one we were shown, and had no stains on the interior. THIS PLACE IS A SCAM. DO NOT BE FOOLED MY THE PICTURES!

Kevin also told us about a car they got in that had b**ch written in each door and it looked like someone put a golfball in a sock and hit the vehical several times and that they fixed it and were able to sell it to someone. I feel quite confident that the now owner of that car has no idea about all the damage.

There was another customer there to buy a buick park avenue. He told us on the internet the car was in perfect condition and the salesman, Jackson, on the phone had told him the same. He drove in that morning to see the car. My husband and I was standing around when they brought his car out. It had sevral dents and was missing a hubcap. Needless to sat that man left without a car also. He was lucky he never put down a depsoit.

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txstar
Houston, US
Jan 12, 2011 2:31 am EST

Texas Auto Direct sucks! Dont go by pictures you see! I found 4 cars on their ebay website when we went in to look at them the pictures were lies! Every single car had been wrecked dents torn leather and jut pieces of crap they are so disorganized and too big of a hassel its very stressful to deal with them you have to just sign in to even see a sales man and then walk the entire parking lot to see 2 cars and then if you want to test drive you have to wait in a long line to even do that! Ridiculous i will never deal with them again!

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TBoud.
, US
Dec 14, 2010 6:28 pm EST

Wow, for the past 2 years, I have planned to purchase my next vehicle from TDA.
After reading this complaint board and another website: www.texasdirectautosucks, I am rethinking my plan.
I am sorry for all the bad experiences that have happened, but I am thankful that you took the time to post them online.

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Will123475
houston, US
Dec 12, 2010 12:09 am EST

BAD BAD BAD - Texas Direct Auto is the worst place to buy a car. They treat you like your cattle. They have no customer support. The sales people look like they just got out of prison. They are very unorganized. If you want a horrible car buying experience and want to be treated very badly this is the place for you. Not to mention as you walk around their lot you see flat tires, cars in horrible condition. Do not be fooled by the pictures on ebay. The cars do not look like that. Who ever hired the GM Ernest Lawson should be fired. It is just a matter of time before this company goes out of business. DO NOT BUY HERE!

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E lovely
dallas, US
Nov 24, 2010 7:23 pm EST

I have nothing really bad to say but why would you look for a car on ebay and expect for the deal to go through smoothly oops! your fault. I would not do buisness over the phone dealing with a vehichle i need to say the paper work and evry detail about the vehicle. You can not fault texas direct because you decided to look for a car on ebay maybe you should make wiser choices when dealing with a car...HELLO WLORD ...i guess you got the short end of the stick and got [censor]ed with it...the question is did you learn your lesson... :)

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JBair14
Glenwood Springs, US
Nov 20, 2010 6:57 pm EST

I purchased a 2008 F-250 last weekend, I flew in from Colorado drove the truck back 1, 200 miles and took the vehicle to a Ford dealership for a couple warranty items including heated seats not working, navigation system powering on and off, speakers not working and flaking interior all of which I noted at the dealership before leaving and both the salesman and GM comforted me by saying these items would be covered by Ford's 3/36, 000 warranty. I got a call from the ford dealership that said it looked like the truck had extensive flood damage and all interior wiring, carpet, and seats had been replaced. The seats were not OEM Ford products and did not even have seat heaters in them. Upon further review several seats were missing nuts and bolts and were barely secured to the truck. It was also noted they had spray painted many of the trim pieces that were beige to match the black interior of the truck. Before even purchasing the truck I had a car fax ran that came up clean. Upon contact with TDA they said sorry vehicle was sold as is no warranty and that there is nothing they can do. I now have a $37K pos with nothing I can do. The customer service was horrible and I would never buy another vehicle from them, or recommend anyone buy a vehicle from TDA.

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logella
, US
Nov 19, 2010 2:04 am EST

I bought a 2006 Honda Element from TDA in 2009 and have been extremely happy with it. The car was as advertised and the transaction went smoothly. A friend bought a minivan from them shortly thereafter. A few weeks after the sale the engine completely seized up. TDA took the van back without any questions, offered him a full cash refund or full credit towards another van. He took the credit and drove out with another van the same day and has been happy. I'll buy my next car from them as well.

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Bill Dozer
Madison, US
Nov 11, 2010 3:23 pm EST

COME ON GIVE ME A BREAK...AN EMPLOYEE OF THIS COMPANY RESPONDS SAYING WE CANT RESPOND TO ALL E-MAILS AND CALLS DUE TO THE VOLUME, THAT HAS SCAM WRITTEN ALL OVER IT. Don't you think a good, honest, solid business would hire additional staff to correct this problem...umm yeah!

The bad reviews heavily outweigh the good ones. Spend a few extra bucks and get something from a reputable dealer. Is it really worth the 50/50 risk, I SAY NO! These companys are popping up all over now and we need to put a STOP THIS CRAP!

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Proj Jim
Friendswood, US
Oct 27, 2010 10:41 pm EDT

By far the worst car buying experience. Went to look at an Odyssey listed on Ebay. When they got it in two days later, I noticed this thing is in very rough shape for only having 28K miles on it. Navi doesn't work, the passenger tail light had a hole in it. I interior smelled like someone threw up in it. The bumper color did not match the rest of the car. There are scrape marks all over the passenger side of the vehicle. I felt sorry for those who had to spend $$ in repairs after their purchase. I've lost my deposit from them and went to the dealership across the freeway. I would never ever go to this dealership. Carmax down the street have much better quality vehicle than the POS these guys are selling.

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DSM819
, US
Oct 03, 2010 12:11 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I drove almost 2 hours to get to this dealer for a car that I was looking at for at least 2 weeks.

I had the main car I was interested in, and 2 other cars on my list that was a back up plan.

I was so excited arriving on the lot and checking out their show room, etc.

They are MANY sales staff on the floor, however they all seemed to be extremely unhelpful from the desk clerk to the salesmen.

Upon arriving I had my car stock number in hand and after "signing in" had waited for at least 30-45 minutes before going back to the desk clerk and mentioning that I'm here to buy a car and basically if they do the transaction after business hours, I can't buy it today.

After that it was another 20 minutes or so when I met the salesman.

We showed him the car number and he said he was going to locate it.

We had asked, tell us a bit about the car..and the salesman ACTUALLY responded, "what would you like me to tell you?" In text, that sounds like nothing, however in person..it basically was, "what the f**k do you want to know about it."

However, I was seriously interested in the car, so I didn't let it bother me.

It took him another 20 minutes to locate the car on the lot. When we got to the car, he did not have the keys so salesman went back inside, while he was doing that I did a scan around the vehicle, for a car having less than 10K miles the physical exterior was dogged pretty bad and I wasn't interested in it.

After waiting 15 minutes, and the guy not getting back outside, we decided to go back inside and let him know we wanted to look at the other two and handed him a paper with both stock numbers of the 2 other cars (same make/model). And by the way, he still didn't have the keys to that other car, we were first looking at.

He said no problem and he was going to locate the vehicles and get the keys.

We waited for at least another 25 minutes.

I'm sitting in the show room, I look over to the other end of the room, and guess what, my salesman is selling to another customer.

I was in the dealership for at least 3 hours - and did not test drive 1 vehicle throughout that entire time.

They herd you through that dealership like your nothing but a piece of cattle.

I didn't tolerate the last straw. I was a guaranteed sell. When someone walks in with their list of stock numbers, all same model/make, etc - they know exactly what they want and are ready to buy yet you don't make time for me?

My brother goes up to the guy when he see's that and tells him, "are you getting the keys for the other vehicles?"

And the salesman actually tells him, "I'm busy. I told you I'm busy, what do you want me to do?" (I was already on my way out the door as soon as I spotted him with the other customer).

The customer service is horrible. Normally, I would have thought the salesman was just a bad apple, but on the way of walking out while my salesman was selling to the other customer..I had let the front desk clerk know what happened...

And it really didn't phase her one bit, she actually made excuses for the salesman. On the way home, I couldn't believe I drove over like 2 hours to get there and didn't test drive one vehicle, didn't get to see the ones I wanted, and I wanted to call the manager..well I got a voice mail. That's how much they care...

If you're going to this place, I don't recommend going Thursday-Saturday, they will not have time for you.

Check your vehicle very thoroughly, I spotted quite a lot of things left out of the description on the vehicle.

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TDA Employee
, US
Aug 02, 2010 2:59 pm EDT

I have worked at Texas Direct since April of 2008 and regret to hear so many negative complaints. We try to make everyone happy but this cannot be done when some customers have expectations of something that is impossible to deliver. Keep in mind that very few people post a review when they have positive experiences, and everyone posts when they have a bad experience.
People consistently tell us that we have the best deals across the nation, and we routinely ship cars internationally. Please keep these facts in mind while shopping, and good luck finding your next car.

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Astronaut Jones
Sugar Land, US
Jul 07, 2010 9:43 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

They might not be the best at customer service, especially on a busy weekend when the showroom is packed, but with a little persistance you'll get what you need and for a good price. You won't find your ride cheaper anywhere else, unless your relative owns the dealership. Yeah - it's a hassle calling them to follow-up and waiting for salesmen for hours on end. But it was worth it for the $3k I saved. That was about $1, 000 per hour of waiting. Perhaps going to the dealership in-person is better than buying online. Who would buy a car without seeing it and test-driving it anway? That makes no sense unless you're planning to fix it up, regardless of cost, or dumping it wholesale. Good luck!

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Tundra
Duncan, CA
Jun 09, 2010 9:17 am EDT

Well I picked up my Tundra on Monday and drove it back to Canada.. whole process was too easy and the condition of this truck is like what Phil of Texas Direct Auto has claimed to be... PERFECT! These guys are amazing and I would tell others to purchase from TEXAS DIRECT AUTO plus buy another vehicle myself. Price is unbeatable and I do recommend you do your homework plus have any vehicle checked out from a third party shop... this applies to any used car dealership you encounter. I also recommend PHIL WRIGHT as your TDA salesman, he's on the ball and does what he says plus flexible on pricing... even though these vehicles are already discounted!

John of B.C. - Canada

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Tundra
Duncan, CA
Jun 05, 2010 1:26 am EDT

Well I fell into the Texas Holdem thing by finding the perfect Toyota Tundra with Texas Direct via Ebay. I am Canadian and wish to import a vehicle from the US because the savings is too good to pass up! I phoned them up and was approached by Phil Wright the salesman and was talked into putting a $500 down payment and not through Ebay. He promised to remove the Tundra off the Ebay to which he did right after, I was suspucious at first but went with it since he offered a discount. After agreeing and hanging up the phone, I thought maybe he talked me into this was to save Texas Direct the Ebay fees/percentage. Anyhow my wfe decided to Goggle search any complaints towards this company and found this forum; "OH MY GOD" went through my mind and "WHAT HAVE I'VE DONE!" also. So I immediately checked around all the Toyota dealers in the US for a fast replacement then the next day I phoned Texas Direct to try and cancel this deal and refund my deposit which I knew would go no where. Anyhow Phil the saleman asked why I would do this and I told him about this forum and the BBB rating the received... he went silent and did not dissagree but claimed they sell a lot of vehicles and not everyone will be happy with their purchase.
I checked around for another week and found nothing that would match Texas Direct's deal and asked them to drive this truck to the local Toyota dealership where it was to undergo a through verhicle inspection before I go further. I was pleased to find that the truck passed with flying colours and the Toyota dealership had faxed me the results. This made me feel more secure so I decided to continue with them on this deal. After Phil and the rest of the gang figured I'm going for it, they did not really respond to my emails so quickly maybe because they knew I was in and they moved onto getting more customers since they must receive lots daily. But no matter what, when ever I phoned them, they always responded so that I am satisfied.

At the present moment my original title papers with receipt are here now since Texas Direct happily FEDEXed to me to Canada before the truck arrived to the border. They provided me the ETA of when the truck will arrive and the phone number of the company who is responsible of transporting my dream truck.
I will be heading over this Monday to pick it up and up to now, Texas Direct has treated me very well and if my truck looks as good as the photo and what they have claimed, I will certainly buy another vehicle from them shortly. Fingers crossed now for Monday when I get to see this truck first hand and do my own inspection.

I think what anyone should do here is to get their vehicle checked out by a authorized dealership (thrid party) if they wish to buy from any used car dealership, for example a Toyota truck/car .. send it out to a Toyota Dealership, GM to GM, Ford to Ford etc. Well again I will post again after I pick up my Toyota Tundra on Monday and fill you guys/gals on what I think of Texas Direct Auto!

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jdrai
Houston, US
May 04, 2010 2:35 pm EDT

I went to test drive a car I saw on Ebay. When I arrived there, they told me that the car had already been sold. They of course did not call me to let me know even though I had an appointment with them. I saw the car on the parking lot and went to look at it. The body condition was very bad with plenty of scratches and it seems it was in an accident and have not been repaired. The pictures showing the scratches and the damage back were not on the Ebay pictures. I then realized I should never try to buy a car from them... I am so happy I realized before it was too late...

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ONEmoreOpinion
Missouri City, US
Apr 11, 2010 3:35 pm EDT

In recent days, we considered buying a few cars from Texas Direct Auto (Lexus). Their descriptions on ebay DO NOT match CarFax reports that we purchased. Two vehicles said they had never been in a crash when in fact they both had been in significant crashes. Just some advice, they get their vehicles AFTER dealers pass on the the vehicle. You may get a bargain or you may get a rotten automobile. Be careful!

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