TCB Auto

Great car buying experience! It was hard for me to find the first time, but they have quality cars for low prices that they say are non-​negotiable. Annie and Tod knew everything that had been done to the cars, they knew what they were talking about, they assured me they wouldn’t sell a car that they knew would break down in the future, and they were very friendly and pleasant to deal with.

Been using TCB’s for minor to major maintenance on my Honda’s for several years. Never been disappointed — good work, good prices and clear explanations on my questions.

TCB Auto sells a lot of used cars under $ 4000. I visited a couple of weekends ago and test drove 3 cars which were priced just under $ 2000. I was hopeful to find a reliable vehicle to get me around… nothing fancy, with no major repairs needed.
I liked all 3 vehicles and left feeling excited, so made an appointment a few days later to return and have a third party mechanic do an overview inspection just to be safe.
Here’s what happened:
Got to the location and selected one of the cars. On my way over to the service station I stopped up the street to put gas in the tank (was on empty). Tried to get back in, door wouldn’t open. Went back to TCB after getting back in the vehicle from the passenger side. Told TCB staff the issue and said maybe let’s try another car. I was then told that the door was fine when I left and was mildly blamed for doing something strange to the door. Breathe deep breaths, count to three.
Took a different car over to have it checked with a different mechanic. This is what he reported:
— needs new brakes
— all fluids were very old, hadn’t been changed in a long time
— leaking oil in numerous places
— needs 3 new tires
— needs new muffler and exhaust system due to rotting
— needs tie rods replaced etc.
— needs oil change
— needs tune up
I’m glad I spent the $ 50 to have it checked out. And I get it, buying a car for $ 1700 isn’t supposed to be perfect. But if I am buying a car from an auto repair shop that also sells used cars, I expected a little bit better. I was fairly shocked that the fluids were extremely old, especially given their automotive expertise. They could have at least changed the oil.
I don’t know, I was bummed by the whole experience and feel they could have put in a bit more effort to recondition the car. They acted surprised when I came back and said it needed a lot of work.
In the end we both wasted each other’s time. And I don’t like to blast anyone online, but I just can’t recommend an establishment that lacks a certain amount of integrity.