Austin Expo Cars

by ATX_Review on 09/30/2015

My husband and I purchased a used Toyota from Francisco 4 months ago. At the time of the negotiations, we took the vehicle to our trusted mechanic who we've used for years (who was recommended by a family member who takes his fleet vehicles there for service) for a once-over. The mechanic pointed out a few minor issues (crack in the windshield, etc) and one major safety issue: a worn out wheel hub assembly that really needed to be replaced. He quoted me $450 for the repair, which I took back to Francisco to negotiate on. Rather than lower the price to cover the repair (which was my preference), he convinced me that his mechanic could replace the part for much less. Two days later, he assured me that all the repairs had been completed and the vehicle was ready for pickup. Nice guy, even offered to use his connections to replace the windshield when the crack expanded enough to become a problem. The price was reasonable, they serviced the brakes and alignment, I figured I was getting a good deal. This would be a 5-star review if it weren't for the conversation I had with Francisco today. 4 months down the road, after adding less than 2000 miles to the odometer, a horrible squeaking/grinding noise started coming from the same wheel that was supposedly serviced. We took it to our mechanic, and he informed us that the hub assembly was shot and needed to be replaced. But wait, isn't this the exact same part that Expo said they replaced just a few months ago? Why yes! Yes it is! When I asked my mechanic why the noise hadn't been there all along, he told me that the assembly just has to be lubricated to keep it quiet for a while. So I called Francisco to see if he would stand by his 'repair'. He swore up and down that his mechanic was trustworthy and he had invoices to prove he ordered the part (which he did email me a scan of the invoice for the part) and basically called my mechanic a liar. Now, I've been taking my vehicles to the same mechanic for years, and family members have for years before that. So I'm inclined to trust him over some used car salesman that I know nothing about and some shady mechanic I've never even met. Francisco told me that if the part is faulty then I have to contact the manufacturer to see if they will replace it. The kicker? The part costs $60 retail. It's the labor that brings the price up. So even IF the manufacturer would buy the whole 'faulty part' bit, I'm still saddled with a $400 repair bill just for the labor. So yeah, you can get a reasonable price on a vehicle and Francisco is polite enough and helpful enough. But if they do ANY in-house repairs on a vehicle, MAKE SURE you take the vehicle to a trusted mechanic AFTERWARD to make sure they actually did the work they said they did. Francisco may or may not be a swindler, but even if he's not then their mechanic is lying about the work he's doing and Francisco is in denial about his employee's trustworthiness. He would rather call a paying customer a liar than stand by his product, and that's just bad business.

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by damirp on 12/21/2014

This dealership sold me consciously damaged motor not accepting the obvious facts about it. Even worse when I took the car to the mechanic to fix the engine he told me that the engine for 2008 Mazda I bought with 62K original miles was actually from Mazda June 2006 series and had all different engine chain and supporting parts with who knows how many more thousands miles on it. So please make sure you do not run into the same scam as I did. I'll take them to the court and keep updating the site.

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by mark2233 on 07/24/2013

Just got my BMW 328i and I love it. After quick test drive I haven't found any issues, car was running smooth. I liked the car but still wanted to be safe and get it check out. I ask Francisco if it is possible to take the car to my mechanic and he immediately responded with "Absolutely, that's what we recommend to everybody". I took it to my friendly mechanic and he didn't find anything major, just small wear and tear items. It is used car so there is always something but overall car was in great shape. Car was good, price was good, Francisco was very honest and helpful. I pulled a trigger and I am very happy. I hope to do business with Austin Expo Cars again in the future :)

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by localcop on 06/28/2013

I purchased a Honda Civic from this dealer with 41,000 miles. After the purchase, I discovered that the vehicle actually had over 120,000 miles on it, as the odometer was turned back. The dealer obviously was aware of this as he signed the title, which clearly showed the vehicle being sold initially with 120,000 miles, and subsequently being sold to the dealer showing 41,000 miles. The dealer acknowledged the infringement, and offered to exchange the car for another, however all of the other vehicles were sub-par. The dealer then offered to take the car back, but insisted on keeping the $500 deposit. Finally, the dealer offered to refund $1,000 from the $7,500 purchase price of the odomometer defrauded Honda. I stupidly accepted this last offer, and kept the Honda. Since then I calculated the actual market value of this car to be around $5,000. Immediately, I discovered that the car had serious defects. One of the door auto locks became inoperable; the windows would not open and close properly, but would rather get stuck; the upholstery on the inside started peeling off at the roof; One of the CV axle boots (which the dealer said he had fixed), was still leaking oil, and needed to be replaced; the transmission began to hesitate and skip gears, indicating the beginnings of a failed transmission ($2,000); the upholstery in the trunk began to hang loose; the brakes started to make a strange knocking sound. Finally, it took about 2 months and 100 phone calls to get the dealer to send me the title.

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by bamlin on 12/09/2012

I didn't know what to expect when I arrived, but the friendly, professional service made things much easier! Thank you for making my purchase a wonderful experience. A 5 star company!!!

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