DriveTime Automotive Group
reviews and complaints

I am getting screwed over and scammed by Drivetime. I bought a 2012 Chevy Equinox in 2014 from Drivetime/Bridgechrest for $17, 895. My family really needed a car and our credit was not the best, Drivetime claimed credit did not matter and they could get me into a reliable car. We had a trade in, which was on it's last leg and about to fall apart so we were desperate to get into something newer as my wife was pregnant at the time and we needed an upgrade. The finance plan is the worst scam and I feel 100% taken advantage of. I looked up the bluebook value of car a few months after buying and it was worth $7000. THEY CHARGED ME $17, 895! 10, 000 more than bluebook. On top of that the interest rate was 20% APR. I have all the documentation. So they charged me $34, 842 dollars for a $7000 car. It is currently Aug 2017 and I still over $15, 000. My payments are $495 a month which is a huge burden and with a small family very hard to keep up with. They refuse to change anything or work with me regarding my payments. to date I have paid them $19, 842 for a car that was worth $7000. Can anyone help me get out of this? I would like to be added to any lawsuit against them. They are scamming good people out of thousands of dollars. This is not right!

Add me to lawsuit's against Drivetime/ Bridgechrest

[protected]@yahoo.com

1 year ago my sister financed a car from drivetime as a gift for me for my birthday. I make the payments on it. Everything was great at first but then the car pretty much started to fall apart. The windshield wipers stopped working. The windows wouldn't roll down the throttle body sensor tore up. None of which were covered by my warranty company (averex) anyway 2 weeks ago the alternator went bad. Got that repaired at my local pep boys. I was driving down the high way In the middle of traffic when my car suddenly just shuts off. No engine lights or anything came on. It just shut completely off. I had it towed once again to the nearest pep boys where they declared engine failure, which whooooo big surprise my warranty doesn't cover. This is a $4, 000 repair. Which I as a college student don't have! Drivetime is being completely unhelpful. I have cried, I have begged I have pleaded to no end with these people to please allow me to get another car. I even told them I didn't care if they went up on my monthly payments! Nothing! All I keep hearing is deferred payments this & deferred payments that! I'm not going to make payments on a car I can't drive. I'm not entirely sure where or how they expect me to come out of pocket with 4, 000 to replace the Engine. This has truly been a horrible experience. My sister is having to drive me 2 hours back and forth from work everyday. It's ridiculous! I've been going around and around with averex and drivetime for a week!

I bought the car in feb 2014
Always paid on time on 150 payments
Maybe I have been late 10 or 15 times for few days (not big deal)
Drive time reported good standing on my credit score in last 4 years
Now I discovered on my pay off amount they are charging me 2500$ of late fee
Without any communication to me and without reason!
This is completely unacceptable!
Please let me know if I can join class action
I can provide copy of financed car purchased contract I signed and all payments done plus drive time pay off statement
Let me know if and how you can help me

Regards
Fabio cragnotti

This company is a big scam. They over charge for cars that have problems. Then they have a second scam company called Bridgecrest who is the billing company scam you even more. without warning they sell your loan to this Brigdecrest company and dont tell you. when you pay drive time there are two billing accounts. You pay Drivetime and Bridgecrest reports this to your credit as a late payment and this drops your credit score. They are extremely unprofessional. Dont waste your time or money on this outfit!

I've emailed back and forth with the customer service department at Drivetime for the past week or two. The lady I emailed with encouraged me to contact my local drivetime and that they would get me in a vehicle. Given the local drivetime is an hour and a half away, I was leery of just showing up to find that things wouldn't go well. I called the St. Louis drivetime and explained my situation. He said to bring my info and my wife's info up there and we could get a minivan or SUV using both of our info. I was concerned since she had just purchased her car from drivetime in February so I was surprised that she could qualify for another car again so soon but he said it would be fine and we needed a van so we made the trek up there today. We had to get a special babysitter since my son has special needs; it's a big deal. We get there and apparently I had called another St Louis location because they didn't know what I was talking about with regards to my info and such. The man who helped us was nice though and looked into it all. He said no, my wife couldn't be on a new loan at all since it had only been a few months. Okay. Then he said he couldn't count the adoption subsidy of over $1600 a month that we receive because it comes in my name and my wife's name. I explained that they didn't use that towards her income when she bought her car but I guess that didn't matter. He did tell me I could do a lease vehicle and there were two I could pick from. They weren't at his location but at another St Louis location about 45 minutes away. He had me and my wife go with another employee up to the other location to pickup one of the two vehicles. To say they were in rough condition would be a gross understatement. The first vehicle smelled...bad. The door handles in the backseat had been chewed up from what I'm assuming was a dog. The seats were stained, the headliner was stained, the exterior looked like it had been beaten and scraped up. To top it off, it made a horrible beeping noise when we tried to leave with it which caused us to have to stay while someone figured it out. We looked at the other lease vehicle and while it initially looked okay, it too was stained up and somehow was missing the center console lid amongst other issues. I couldn't see paying the over $12K asked for either vehicle so we had to make the long 45 minute trip back to the original location with no vehicle. The original salesman was busy so we stood there for a few minutes thinking the manager (I assume that's who he is) that sat there watching us would offer some sort of apology for the condition of the vehicles but instead nobody said a word to us.
I'm assuming there's a lesson to be learned here somehow but I don't know what it is yet. I paid over $80 for a special babysitter; spent most of my day going to, from and all over St Louis, and left feeling embarrassed and stupid for having tried to buy a vehicle. That's not exactly the experience I had hoped for.

Purchased a 2009 Chevrolet Equinox from DriveTime in Sanford FL - The car only had 53k miles on it and now months later is having continuous issues. First I began having issues with the steering shaking and the car "dropping" when I shift into reverse etc. Now I have had the engine mounts replaced, transmission mounts replaced and the repair place is checking other issues as well including the transmission.
Why do you continue to sell vehicles with issues like this? I've been dealing with customer relations continuously and I am about ready to have them come take the car or I'll drop it off on their lot. This vehicle is horrid who checks your cars before you sell them?

As of today, drive time has not paid the personal property tax on my 2007 Toyota Camry, which was due as of March 1st.
I went to go get my property tax waiver this past Friday 4/28/17 and was informed by the Saint Louis County assessor's office Supervisor, in Clayton Missouri, that DriveTime has failed to pay their bill so now there are late fees and fines assessed and they are negligent on their responsibility. I cannot get my tags until they pay it.
So I call DriveTime, held on hold for 16 min, spoke with a supervisor, who argued with me for 30 minutes, insisting that the Saint Louis County assessor's office is wrong and that I am responsible to the pay property tax owed on this vehicle. They are not paying it!
When I asked the supervisor how do I pay property tax on something that's not in my name, all he could say was that's a good question 😡 my lease agreement clearly states I will have to reimburse DriveTime the property taxes that they paid.
So, as of today I'm driving on illegal tags because of Drive times negligence and lack of accountability.
Not only that, on the Bridgecrest website as of three months ago, a balance started reflecting, which had never reflected before, only a payment due. So I never knew how much we owed and how much we've paid and never received any statements even though I've requested many times. The balance showed about $2xxx approximately left But, as of this past Saturday, its up to $6xxx! How does that happen? BC DriveTime is a Total scam, predatory lending company compiled of liars, and silver tongued salesman!
Stay Away! DriveTime is nothing but trouble from the customer service, the dealership sales people and corporate! My car had issues since the first day and they were even a month late on getting us our plates initially! Plus there was $700 in repairs that had to be done by Pappas Toyota within 35 days of getting this vehicle, that was PRE-existing, so their "so called 32 Point inspection" is yet another lie and they tried to fight paying the bill but Pappas Toyota told them that there was no way that we had done that damage so there was no way that they could deny paying it.
I am seeking a lawyer because DriveTime is in breach of their contract now and I am not going to be taken advantage of like every single other person on this page, you will be hearing from my lawyer.

My name is Kenneth Wright [protected]) [protected]@gmail.com. I purchase the above vehicle Apr 2014 n it was problematic from the time I pull off the lot as I was over charged as well. I kept telling them something was wrong with the engine in which they told me I was under warranty n the engine will be fixed n covered under warranty. I took vehicle several times to their workshop suggested by Drivetime. They kept telling me nothing was wrong even though my engine light was on n a burning coming from engine. They told me I could not return vehicle which I believed n needed the vehicle to n from work. They kept telling me it was a sensor n it was no big deal. I had to get a new engine as it was bad like I thought as Drivetime would not fix carb day it wasn't covered under warranty. I've had so many problems with this vehicle n heard so many bad stories about Drivetime. My credit wasn't the best as I was working on it n could not afford to get another car. When I lost my job n could not afford payments they stated to me they had a hardship program where the payments were reduced but that never happen n they charged so much interest n late fees as I tried to pay them as much as I could. The last straw my car continuously breaks down so I decided to return the car to them. I don't need this on my credit as I have a job where you have to maintain good credit

My car is an 2009 toyota camry the amount of the car was 15, 000 but when I got the car in 2015 I noticed that my payment loan was extended until 2021 and my monthly payments are 420 a month that's a little of 5, 000dollars a year for 4 to five years on a payment plan. And they don't let you choose how you want to make your payments they just automatically choose it for you

I bought a car from drivetime in june and they didn't disclose that the car had been wreaked it has alot of damage paint peeling was the first the bumper passenger side door hood grill and unibody which is the frame of car is all damage $2500 not to mention the car has a false special edition emblem on it worth i want the car replaced and lian tranfered to another vechicle file all of your complaints about the company with the attorney general's office asap

DRIVETIME,

I purchased a 2011 Chevy Malibu from your company a couple of years ago. Last year, my transmission went out. I needed it replaced. I was out of a car for a month and a half. I went through Averex to find out that you do not do loaners or give rentals for the inconvenience. You do rental reimbursement which means I would have to pay EVEN MORE MONEY to get a car. The rate for the reimbursement was $3000+ for that time frame and you only cover $29/day. That is another used car that I could have purchased full out from someone else which is ridiculous. The dealer recommended that you guys get a NEW transmission from GM and I would have a lifetime warranty on it to AVOID these problems. You guys recommended the least cost efficient way and sent out an USED TRANSMISSION. Once the work was done, I had to pay a $100 deductible for something that was beyond me.

On Monday (10/24/2016), my transmission went out AGAIN! I had to take it to the dealer AGAIN, One AGAIN, I'm out of a car that I am paying YOU for. I haven't received a loaner or rental AGAIN for the inconvenience which is unacceptable. I help make YOU rich and make my payments on time. The service is terrible and FUTHERMORE, you insist on sending another USED TRANSMISSION! At this point, I'm furious! My child is sick and the temper is constantly dropping outside. I am forced to rely on public transportation which made a tremendous impact on my work and school. My car is currently sitting at the dealer and I'm paying not to have it. You are taking my hard earned money and don't care about how it effects me. I should not have to pay another $100 deductible for something that YOU REFUSE to hold up on YOUR END. I would like for you to communicate with me and give me a call. If I'm not satisfied THIS TIME and have to be forced to take legal actions, I will be doing so.

On 6/10/2016 We [ Betty Baker / Cosigner Felix Baker ] purchased an 2010 Dodge Journey that had limited problems we was told by Drive time to take the Car to Car Care Clinic on 105 Triangle Dr the car was diagnostic wrong [ There is a Recall on this Dodge Journey before we purchased it .The above Corp didn't use the Recall and kept the recall to them self Denying the Buying the right of an Safe Car to drive, putting our Life on the line with an unsafe car .

On June 14, 2014 I purchased a 2006 Volkswagen Jetta from DriveTime Car Sales Company, LLC DBA DriveTime of 2125 Savannah Highway Charleston, SC [protected].They sold me the car for $11, 195.00 + $15.00 State License Fee + $24.00 State Title Registration Fee + $299.00 Closing Fee + $2, 895.00 Drivetrain Protection + $595.00 GAP Coverage + $495.00 SkyLink Service + $300.00 Sales Tax = $15, 816 Subtotal - $1700.00 Down Payment = $14, 118.00.
For a solid year I never missed a payment no matter what.
But 2 weeks after purchase I started having problems. First the Coolant Reservoir broke and I had to replace at my expense not covered under the warranty.
Then while going on a trip to my sisters about a month into having the car as I was driving to her place about 80 miles away the car started cutting up like cutting off but it would start back go a couple of feet and cut off again. I check to make sure not hot and it wasn't.
So for routine maintenance I took to my mechanic had oil changed, filters/strainers and fluid for transmission thinking this would help. Also serpentine belt changed. Of course all this out of my pocket.
Then again on another trip to my sisters the same thing after traveling around 70 miles it started cutting off again. When cooled off it worked fine until about that mileage again.
This has continued every time I try to take a trip over 50 miles.
I have had it for a week in the Columbia Volkswagen Dealership Service Center and they could not find anything wrong. I had to have it towed this time.
So I continued payments and driving but continued cutting off even on the interstate. Yes I like to have gotten killed because it just powers down and cuts off while running 60 miles per hour.
My scenario I have found is if I drive 60 miles per hour for 70-80 miles then the car powers down and shuts off. Yes it will start back but only go a few feet. I have found if I stop for 2 hours when it does this to let the car cool off then it will travel about that distance again.
After changing the serpentine belt it was found the alternator was badly damaged and had to be replaced but that was only after the belt broke and put me walking. (Had to have towed)
In April while going to my cousins in Martinez, Ga it done the same thing - power down on the interstate and almost cause a crash. I went to the Volkswagen Dealership Service Center in Augusta, Ga. They told me no need to put on machine for diagnostic tests to just let car do it and take a picture of the dash then call them and they would tow me in and work on it.
Then I came home did it again so took to shop they found catalyst converter stopped and fixed it but on next trip car still powered down and shut off.
This is very dangerous and I could be killed but the bad part I have had my 11 year old grandson with me that could get killed as well.
This has been going on for almost 2 years now. Matter of fact it has been in the shop for 2 weeks and I have been without transportation this past 2 weeks. I placed it there 7/18/2016 and still there trying to find the problem.
I stopped making payments to pay repairs so what does DriveTime/Bridgman do they add the payments to the back of my loan.
I have tried trading or getting another car but cant do anything because of this large amount charged to me on this account.
I feel I was sold a lemon and taken advantage of for the amount financed.
I need help of some kind to get some decent transportation. Taken advantage of and scared I will get killed before problem can be found with this car. I have tried and tried to get it fixed! Scared to death of causing a crash.
PLEASE HELP
Company has once again changed names to Bridgecrest
Thank you,
Shelby Knopf
Olar, SC
[protected]@outlook.com
phone number [protected]

I looked at cars there and researched for over 6 days, I went to the dealership and was told I could get 3 cars and one I really liked. I walked in ready to sign the paperwork, the salesman came back in his office and said that was not one of the cars I had to pick from the 2 others and I tried a second car and it has a bad wheel baring. And the driver side shock was banging also. I went in and he said well the car I was trading in was a 2004 dodge Durango with less than 150k. It had a full 3rd row entertainment center with DVD video, I just got it a month before and he said my car was worth 300 dollars I just paid 7k for it a month ago. By that time I was done so I went to have the car appraised it was worth 4.5k . I felt like they thought I was idiot off the street that they could take advantage of.

I bought a 2007 Chevy HHR from Drive Time about 3 years ago. This was the first car I had every purchased and I was 21 at the time. I ABSOLUTELY DESPISE THIS COMPANY. I have a laundry list of things that have broken on my car and I'M STILL PAYING ON IT. It's not like I don't take care of my car, it gets regular oil changes, regularly cleaned, I bought a whole set of new tires when I bought the car as well. I get it checked constantly. The driver's door handle broke off, this happened when I first bought the car, but I was told it was fixed, the best one that is whenever it rains, WATER fills up on the passenger floorboard and my car is flooded! I have literally had to bail out water from my passenger seat with a cup. I've talked to warranty and drivetime multiple times and NOTHING is covered on the warranty. They call that normal wear and tear. A car I'm still paying on and breaking is not normal wear and tear. I might as well be driving my other car that's a 91 and in better shape! I spend more money fixing cosmetic issues on this car than actually having it do what I need it to do. My back seat also broke. God forbid I brake and the entire seat comes forward, the radio no longer works when the car is cold, the back windshield wiper has stopped working, the windows don't lock...I can't wait to get rid of this car! Save your money and go to a REAL DEALERSHIP.

Drive time made my daughter the primary person on a for her father without her providing proof of income to see even if she could make payments on the car that she doesn't have and has never had. It shows up on her credit and they will not take her off of the paperwork. Because she can not purchase a car of her own because he is not making the payments and she is the one they call when they can't get him. She did not realize she was the primary on this car. He father tricked her and so did drive time. She needs to be taken off that car because she would not ever at this time in her life be able to afford the car. Plus there is other aspects to this account.

I financed a car on 12/4/2015 and it's been drivable about 15 days since then. I had to replace the battery 2 weeks after the purchase even though they did a diagnostic test and said it was fine. The car still won't run and have gone to their recommended mechanic and he couldn't find the problem. Drivetime will not return calls or emails and Averex is useless. Nobody will help me rectify this issue. They have no problem taking the payment every 2 weeks but can't seem to return an email. I have a 3 year warranty which has become useless with the lack of customer service and intelligence thru Averex. Does anyone have a good lawyer in the Bradenton FL area that deals with these situations. Nothing like paying $33, 000 for a car you can't even drive.

I purchased a 2010 Toyota Camry from Drivetime in Phoenix Arizona. I had to finance approx. $18, 000. A mechanic I took the car to for a separate issue advised the vehicle has had SEVERE Hail Damage and would be very expensive to bring back to normal condition if at all. I went to a second mechanic who advised that the vehicle should have been Salvaged. I was assured by Drivetime when I purchsed the vehicle that all was good according to CARFAX report. The 2 mechanics I brought the car to both could tell that the vehicle had been Bondo'd, Buffed and Repainted to appear as there was no damage. Drivetime advised when I purchased the car that they inspect all cars on their lots thoroghly.

Last week I called Drivetime Customer Service department who advised me to take the car back to the dealership and have the mechanic look into the situation. I took the car in and spoke with the Manager Josh at Camelback and 21st ave location who stated he does not handle anything once the vehicle is off the lot . I went to the Drivetime mechanic behind them and was advised to cal Regional manager of the Drivetime Mechanic Dept as there was not a mechanic availiable. I left a message for Will and he called me back only to say he does not deal with this issue either and to call Client Relations. I called Client Relations and spoke with Whitney (Male) who told me to get and estimate on the hail damage and mail it to them. As I was at this point extremely frustrated, I ask the Whitney (Male) to speak to his manager. Whitney stated he was the highest point of contact at Drivetime other than Patrick Littler (Managing Driector) but Whitney REFUSED to give me his number or any contact information. Whitney stated Patrick does not take calls and that he was the person directly under Patrick. 2/18/16 I took the vehicle to the Toyota Body Shop and they would not help advising to retain an Attorney to handle a Fraud and Misrepresentation case. I am actively seeking an attorney to represent this case as Drivetime is still refusing to do anything. If you are an attorney or know one that specializes in this type of Fraud/Contract Misrepresentation lease email me at [protected]@gmail.com. I will keep everyone posted on the outcome.

David C.

I purchased a 2011 Nissan quest from drive time, in April of 2015.Like most others the car gave me problems from the beginning with a promise that the warranty would cover all defects, I spoke to someone at drive time a few days after my purchase, because the car was stalling, I was told to take it to the mechanic, and that they would take care of it. The last straw for me was when my car just turned off in the middle of traffic with my family in it, we tried to start the car back up, but nothing seemed to work, I immediately called them, and I was told that " I could have it towed if I wanted to! “The previous problems were never fixed, they kept dragging them, until the warranty was invalid, and then told me that the warranty was over, even though I had addressed the problems several weeks prior. I was told that nothing could be done on their part so I was forced to pay (out of pocket) for a brand new battery. Keep in mind I hadn't had the car for a month before the problem occurred. I noticed, a noise in the brakes when I purchased the vehicle, and told them about it, they told me that it would stop over time, and I had no choice, but to wait the noise eventually got extremely bad, and they again would not do anything, so I had to pay for new brakes, shocks, and struts, because according to pep boys they were in horrible condition. Several people have lost a lot of money with this company, and it is not right that they get away with it. My newest, and most costly problem is that the car smokes horribly. I then thought it would be a good idea to purchase a protection plan for the car. I took the car to the Nissan dealership in my area, and they told me that the ENGINE WAS SLUGGED, and that was what was causing the smoking. They also told me that the only way to fix it was to get a new engine! I was also told that this problem was preexisting, and that the engine had been like that for quite a while, and it was due to the previous owners neglect, and due to this my plan would not cover its repairs. I took it drive Time once again and they told me that they would cover the repairs, when I took it in they said it was due to me filling the oil too much, which didn't make sense, but I figured I would let them take whatever process they wanted as long as my vehicle was taken care of. Yet again Drive time found another reason not to fix my car, they told me that they already paid for the oil flush, and that was what they told me they would cover, which was not the case At all. So now I am stuck with a useless car that I have to make payments for because if I don't it will Ruin my credit, and I cannot afford that. Drive times carelessness, and lack of respect, and consideration for its customers is one of the worst I have seen with any company, and I will pursue this matter by any means. I work hard to make ever dollar I have, and it is being stolen from me by this company. PS WE STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS FROM FIRST DAY BOUGHT

We have been paying on our Drivetime XL7 for about 4 years now. My husband asked me today "how much to we owe?" I logged in and saw we owed 13, 000 still... We bought it for over 18k and I KNEW the high interest rate of 18%. I knew what we were doing and I knew we were going to pay more, so no complaint there- but if you do the math... I should owe less after 4 years of payment... even with that interest rate. So I called and asked about it. One nice employee sent me over a copy of my payment history and what was applied to principal and what was applied to interest. Imagine my surprise when 25 (!) payments went only to interest! So I called again and asked and got the run around. Asked to speak to a supervisor- got put on hold for an hour and a half (I put my phone on speaker and went about doing my own thing wondering if they would pick up) Nope- finally they just hung up on me. So I called back. This time all the mangers where in a meeting.. Hm.. I then was sent back and forth to different departments, everyone had a different story, no one could explain why payments weren't applied to interest expect to say "Drivetime can decide how much of each payment gets applied to principal or interest." Uh.. no. That is not how that works. So fed up at this time about the run around, I contacted an attorney and he looked things over and agreed.. something is VERY wrong with how my payments have been applied. Part of each payment should be going to principal- but it isn't happening that way... We are gathering information and more than likely gearing up to hire an lawyer and go after them. This is not what I want. I am not the sue happy type. All I want is an explanation and my account fixed- but no one at drivetime will even talk to me now. I am convinced my account is now flagged because they know I am on to them.