Country Auto

In Oct 2019 I went to Country Auto with a close friend to look @ a 2019 Ford Fusion with only 19000 miles that had a good price listed. Although there had been numerous emails and phone calls made prior to the trip to Country Auto there was no mention by them of the Fusion having been in a substantial motor vehicle accident. So, I accompanied him on the 2.5 hr drive to Country Auto where we met salesman Cesar. When small noticeable flaws were mentioned about the car by us, Cesar then told us that the car had been in an accident but that Country Auto stands by the cars they sell 100%. Having made the 2.5 hr drive and then undergoing about 4-5 hrs there going through the finance process (where I somehow went from co-signer to the actual primary signer) the car was purchased late in the day and actually after closing time. Within a week following purchase the battery failed, and the Fusion was taken to a local trusted Ford Dealer for the battery issue and other flaws that had become apparent. The Ford Dealer found that the front end damage from the prior accident that had occurred before the sale had not been properly fixed and broken front end pieces and parts were essentially tied up under the front end and hidden from sight without ever having been fixed. Some of these parts were essential parts that the Ford dealer advised would eventually fail due to the prior existing damage and they recommended contacting the selling dealer (Country Auto). When contact was made with Country Auto, more than one person answering the phone advised us to "use the extended warranty that we urged you to buy". They encouraged us to be deceptive with the warranty company and not explain the source/date of the damage in order to get the purchased extended warranty to cover these prior-existing & non-disclosed issues/damage repaired. This of course is fraud, and over multiple phone calls and emails Country Auto continued to suggest using the extended warranty and we were never once allowed to talk to the "sales manager" who was always busy and unavailable and would never return a telephone call. In order to pay for the over $3000 in necessary repairs to fix the pre-existing non-disclosed damage, the extended warranty had to be cancelled in order to pay for the repairs. To this day we have yet to hear back from Country Auto. It appears that the Nebraska Attorney General's Office has a consumer affairs bureau, but they only act as a middle-man in order to resolve disputes between Nebraska dealers and consumers. Getting a private attorney to file a civil lawsuit to recover the damages from Country Auto's deceptive sales and operation was considered but the costs most likely would've outweighed damages recovered. So at this point it is chalked up as a life lesson to only buy from a local reputable dealer and to not let yourself as a buyer be talked into a deal you have serious misgivings about. If you go to Country Auto in Blair, NE it is a good idea to take 2 things with you, a good auto mechanic to inspect the vehicle and the second is a good lawyer.