Automotive Dealers - Peter Sabatino, Burack Chevrolet-Oldsmobile, Lincoln Park, NJ fraud with 1995 Corvette puchase

9 for April 27, 2001

Complaints.com received the following e-message on April 26, 2001:

From: Hawthorne, Gail [Email User]

RE: Automobile Fraud - 1995 Corvette purchased at Peter Sabatino, Burack Chevrolet - Oldsmobile, Lincoln Park, NJ

RE: AUTOMOBILE FRAUD

My story was on the front page of the Herald News on 2/12/01 & will go

before the TV media to alert innocent consumers to unethical auto dealers as

I have explained in my story below:

I have been a victim of Automobile Fraud. I purchased a used 1995 corvette

(VIN 1G1YY22P8S5119723) in 1998 ( 8,600 miles as per the written odometer

disclosure statement provided by the dealer on 3/19/98) for $32,000 (plus

paying for an extended warranty from GM Protection Plan purchased on 3/16/99

#973230795) from Peter Sabatino, Burack Chevrolet-Oldsmobile, Inc., Route

202, Lincoln Park, N.J. 07035, (973-696-1100) WHO HAS TWO VIOLATIONS FROM

THE CONSUMER AFFAIRS IN NEWARK, N.J. and I financed the car by signing the

agreement on 3/19/98 and sent my first payment on 3/22/98 to the Chevrolet

dealer’s bank (Chase Manhattan Bank, 900 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, New

York 11530), who is also to blame for not notifying me of the contents of

the certificate of title, and upon completing the payments in 2.5

years(2/22/00), I received the certificate of title from Chase Manhattan

Bank and across the title was “RETURN TO MANUFACTURER, LEMON LAW” & the

status was “L”.

This was not disclosed to me (see copy of the bill of sales

signed on 3/14/98, in the right hand corner of page 2, under wavier of

Dealer’s obligation) at the time of purchase by the dealer, Mr. Peter

Sabatino. The same day I received the certificate of title (February 28,

2000), I confronted the dealer in person and Peter told me that he knew

nothing about the branded Certificate of Title. He told me that if I was not

happy with the car, that he would try & sell it on the Burack car lot. This

was his solution to the fraudulent act. As per an article in the Sunday

Record written in December 2000, by Kevin DeMarrais, Mr. Jim Appleton,

President of the N.J. Coalition of Automotive Retailers stated that it is a

dealer’s legal & moral responsibility to be aware of defects in his cars and

to let the consumer know. The next day, I connected Mr. Frank Stevens at the

lemon law unit in Newark, N.J. (973-504-6597) and he told me that I was a

victim of CONSUMER AUTOMOBILE FRAUD. I found out further when I obtained the

“History of the Vehicle” from Trenton for a small fee, that there were 5

other owners beside myself. As per the History of the Vehicle, the car was

sold to Burack Chevrolet by Les Daniels, Mountain View Auto Body in Wayne,

N.J. (973-694-8516).

I have had one year of electrical trouble with the car (as per the vehicle

history). Electrical problems have branded this vehicle a lemon on 11/20/97.

The vehicle had stalled & would not start and had been towed twice on

5/14/98 & 5/15/98 to the dealership. Due to mechanical problems, please note

the following dates & the invoice numbers from Burack service area written

up by Burack’s service employee, Darlene Olsen: 9/15/98 ,10796 MILES,

INVOICE #873446; 11/30/98 ,12420 MILES, INVOICE # 88570; 12/23/98, 12607

MILES, INVOICE # 88812; 1/27/99, 12695 MILES, INVOICE # 89266.

If I did not have a second vehicle, I would have had to purchase one because

of these mechanical issues that have plagued me and by caused insecurity

while driving the lemon car. Based on the violation of the Unfair Trade

Practice Act, I sincerely hope that Chevrolet fines Mr. Peter Sabatino and

also revokes his license for his unprofessional & unethical representation

to Chevrolet. At the time of purchase I did not receive a copy of the Buyers

Guide at the time of sale, which is a violation of the Used Car Rule.

To-date, this car with 14,500 miles will not start due to electrical

problems & has been sitting in my rented garage for several months waiting

for resolution.

A car branded as a lemon is only worth