ComplaintsforHanksters Hot Rods

• Initial Complaint

  03/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Purchased vehicle on 9/5/23. Vehicle delivered on 9/28/23. Problems were evident upon delivery; it took the driver 4 attempts to start the vehicle and it sounded as though it didn't want to stay running. There were also some larger nicks and chips that were more extensive than the ones highlighted on their website; which due to the size I inquired (9/28) if they knew about them. "They focus on having the car mechanically sound rather than have a perfect body... they will go slower around the vehicle in the future" I contacted them again on 11/27* to relay the vehicle displaying signs of faulty wiring; trouble starting back up after driving it and the horn beeped when I engaged the left turn signal. *at this point I had only driven the vehicle about 4 times. I got the vehicle into a shop on 12/6 and they notified me that the starter was overheating and to fix the horn they'd have to disassemble the steering column. It appears the horn was supposed to work through a button but when I had vintage AC added by Hanksters' something was left unsecured. The shop noted the undercarriage being painted over and a worn transmission that seals were silicone over. I presented this to Rich (Hankster's), "they're old cars and people don't like to see rust and things happen". I asked about swapping or having them purchase it back; I was told I would be responsible for the AC fee and getting the vehicle back to them ($5700). I got prices for the starter and labor and was sent $200 as that's not a powertrain item, The transmission that was silicone over was faulty, as it recently went out. The car has been in and out of the shop since I received it with wiring issues, starter issues and now the transmission. According to them, their company went above and beyond in responses and willingness to help. To date, the vehicle does not run and problems continue. After paying 50k for the vehicle, I feel a reimbursement should be in order for the transmission, wiring issue and starter labor.

• Initial Complaint

  11/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Very misleading. Videos and pictures are deceptive. Stating that the plastic on the cowl top is to keep water and debris out. This is true if the cowls are rusted out. They've taken down the original sales video for the car stating to keep out debris. They claim to have 30 years of building and restoring classic cars, but yet the GM stated how were they to know that the hats in the cowl were rusted out in the 65 mustang I purchased. He said that owner offered me a couple $100 to repair it. And it's a whole lot more than that to repair rusted out hats. Said I could ship it to him and they would repair it for free. That would cost me $3000. False emblems on vehicles. Has 2+2 mustang on the side and it's not. This is for a manual transmission which I knew nothing of. I did want an automatic and he stated, "that's what you got". But it does hurt the value of the car as I've spoken to other collectors. They have other mustangs with the same and are not. GM stated I should have known. All I wanted was a classic mustang. Sorry I don't know a lot about classic cars. I was putting my trust in them. After purchase I found that the price for year and condition of car was $25-30,000 too much. Haggerty ins. and So they slap paint and rust block and push it as a near perfect car. But they do have a return policy. It's only 48 hours and no more than 25 miles driven. You do not have enough time to inspect car, but you have to pay $500 restocking fee. Reimburse them for shipping at $1000-$1500. You have to pay shipping there,$1000-$1500. You have to pay back the cost for the 3 month warranty. Don't know how much that is. So you're looking at around $4000 you pay if you want to return it. Some guarantee. They state classic car warranty and free shipping. there's no such thing from this company as free. it's all included in the price of the car because they are wanting that money back if you return it. So there's false advertisement there. It's not what I thought I was buying.

  Business response

  11/21/2023

  Hi ******, We're very sorry you're having an issue. You contacted us more than 30 days after you received the car to let us know that you have a water leak in the cowl vent area. I'm sorry but there were no signs of any water leaks inside the car. The car came in with a plastic cowl vent cover as most of them do. The purpose of the cover is to prevent debris and water from getting in the cowl hats and clogging them up, as well as causing rust to form. Unfortunately that is a very common issue on the 65 and 66 Mustang. You wanted to do our 48 hour return program and we stated that it's been more than a month and well past the 48 hour time period. You also had the whole dash out of the car. We asked you for pictures of the cowl hats and you emailed them to us. One had a crack in the seam sealer and the other had very minor pin holes starting to form. We ask you to get an estimate to repair them. You called a restoration shop (you didn't take it to them) and you told us they wanted $15,000 to replace them. They are very repairable, they do not need to be replaced. You insisted that we give you the $15,000 dollars. We then replied that's a ridiculous amount of money to do minor repairs. We offered to give you money to help with repairs, more than the $100 you stated. We also asked if you could get the car to our PA. shop and we would repair them for you at no charge. You refused that offer as well. We're trying to work through this with you but we can't offer you any more than we have. We offered to give you some money or do the repairs for you. We're still her if you want to reach out to us.
  Thank you,

  Customer response

  11/30/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  
  First off, I cannot believe for a second that a company that has been in business for 30 years and sells classic cars from $50,000 to $100,000.00 or more does not know the history of mustangs (leaking hats under cowl) and I discovered in only a month. (I'm sure you had it longer) I did NOT state that I "demanded" $15,000. I did state that you offered me a "couple hundred dollars" not a hundred, to take my review down. (I'm sure GM will state he didn't say this) You offered me to bring car to your shop for repairs. (still have all emails sent) Doesn't make any sense to drive a classic almost 1200 miles round trip. Would cost 1500.00 to 2000.00 to haul. A fair price to get them repaired $2000.00-$3000.00 and I feel you'd still be making a good profit. I have read similar reviews and complaints that are close to mine. I would believe that if you did not want to go through the hassle you would check out the vehicles a little better, as pouring water down the cowl as I did or did you. Not to mention leaking antifreeze, blue smoke from tail pipes, the hurried paint job to cover rust that's chipping off. Spraying rubberized undercoating to hide the rust. All of this to sell way out of its price range. It looks good on video and pictures not when I got it. Not worth the $58,900.00 I paid. I will post more pictures. This will not go away. 

   

  Regards,
  
  ****** ******

   

  See attachments.

  Business response

  12/01/2023

  Hi ******, It is 12/01/23. We called you several times on 11/30/23 as well as 12/01/23, we also emailed you with no reply to voicemails or emails. We want to get resolution on this. The final resolution is to purchase the car back. We're not going to go back and forth with you. We offered you some money to get the leak repaired. We offered to do the repairs if you get the car to us. We're not sending you thousands of dollars to do repairs that cost hundreds of dollars. At this point the ball is in your court... Please get back to us so we can make arrangements to purchase that car back.

  Customer response

  12/12/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  This is the offer you gave me which I accepted. (Hi ******, It is 12/01/23. We called you several times on 11/30/23 as well as 12/01/23, we also emailed you with no reply to voicemails or emails. We want to get resolution on this. The final resolution is to purchase the car back. We're not going to go back and forth with you. We offered you some money to get the leak repaired. We offered to do the repairs if you get the car to us. We're not sending you thousands of dollars to do repairs that cost hundreds of dollars. At this point the ball is in your court... Please get back to us so we can make arrangements to purchase that car back.) I've also attached an email from you stating the buyback. You've asked me to remove the complaint, but BBB doesn't work that way. So you've changed your mind about buying my car back and stated if I ship to you, then back to me, you'd repair the issues. That's $2000.00 .You are admitting issues with the car that you knew were there before you sold, $30,000 car for almost $60,000 so the only satisfaction now would be for you to buy back . Once this transaction is complete I will state on the BBB that I'm completely satisfied.
  Regards,
  ****** ******

  Business response

  12/12/2023

  Hi ******, I watched your video...Why would you put a water hose in the cowl and let water run inside the car in a video? That just caused more damage to the carpeting. You didn't need to go to that extreme. We're not buying the car back for that reason. (You claim we knew about the leak) We did NOT know that the hats were leaking, if we did we would have repaired them. It's an easy repair. Again, we would be glad to pay a local shop a reasonable amount to do the repair or we would be glad to repair the leak if you can get the car to our shop. We've been here for you every phone call and every email. We're trying to work this out with you. 

  Customer response

  12/12/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ******** and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  

  I didn't insert a water hose into the cowl. Don't know where you came up with that. I did however pour 2 cups of water to simulate rain into it to see if it would leak. Like I said before I cannot believe as long as you have been in business (30 years) that you didn't think to check. For this reason, you should buy the car back for misleading with pictures and videos. You've already stated you would buy back. On top of that, you wanted me to remove my complaint like nothing happened. This would be very misleading to all that read the reviews.

  I bought this car based upon the select pictures you provided.  Your communications with me lead me to believe that most mechanical issues on the car had been repaired.

  Regards,
  ****** ******

  Business response

  12/14/2023

  In light of the recent video footage you sent that caused more damage to the car, we're not buying the car back for that reason...Also, who knows what else may have happened to it when you took the whole dash out of the car. 
  
  You expressed several times on the phone that you like the car and want to keep the car, you just want the leak repaired. It's an easy repair. We would be glad to pay a local shop a reasonable amount to do the repair or we would be glad to repair the leak if you can get the car to our shop. We've been here for you every phone call and every email. We're trying to work this out with you.

  
  This will be our last reply, let us know if you want a local shop to do the repairs or you want us to do the repairs.

  Customer response

  12/18/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  I was told you were not buying the car back because I could not remove the complaint. Told to me by your GM. This being your response is absurd. Typical answer. Blame the buyer. ("In light of the recent video footage you sent that caused more damage to the car, we're not buying the car back for that reason...Also, who knows what else may have happened to it when you took the whole dash out of the car.") Never had the "dash out". You did state for me to send car to you and for me to pay shipping to you and back. For this reason, I do not accept you offering. If you pay shipping both ways and repair all the issues, engine smoking, anti-freeze leak, hat leaks (you keep stating easy repair), but it's not. (repair properly not patch), steering play way too much. Your tech states in video " NICE AND TIGHT" Never denied liking the car. Too many issues for a $60,000.00 car. You painted a rosy picture with videos and pictures. Even on videos stating how smooth the steering is, fuel gauge closer to empty, (as stated by your tech in video,) It didn't work when I got it because I put gas in it and didn't move. Just like I stated before how you painted to cover flaws, the motor underneath has blue paint on motor mounts, all the black spray to cover up rust. All the fixtures underneath have it. I'm sure it will make it difficult to work on. I hunted for the right classic car company; I thought you were it. Guess I was wrong. Please let me know your response before I move forward.  
  Regards,
  ****** ******

• Initial Complaint

  05/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I would feel comfortable saying they deliberately misrepresented the 1969 Camaro they listed. They swore up and down it was in great condition, no issues, ran great, looked great, drove great…and above all else, had NO RUST. I asked multiple times before committing to the car, if it had rust, and they said “No. Zero rust on the car, great paint job…” fast forward to delivery day. I’m wiping down the car since it’s extremely dirty from its 1.5 day transit, and I see rust bubbles along the bottom of the car, all the way around. Two things instantly come to mind, why was I not told about this when I asked? And how was this overlooked in their YouTube video they posted of the car and their pre delivery inspection? Where the salesman goes around the entire car for 10 minutes talking about how great the car looks. I can deconstruct that video but we don’t have time. Let’s just say he played up the car on cosmetics way more than he should’ve. Let’s also add the issues of, fans not turning on when they should, electrical surges on the gauges, trim falling off the car, and the carb so out of tune the car didn’t run right. But they assured me, their inspection showed the car had zero issues before it left. The next day I called to complain about the above issues, especially the rust. But none of this seemed to come across as serious. They also treat you like you’re completely car illiterate which is irritating. In the end they took the car back, but kept $1800…$500 of which is for title work. Utter nonsense. It doesn’t cost $500 to get a title reworked. I’m debating having a lawyer jam them up for the $1800 plus the additional expense of sending the car back since they deliberately misrepresented the car. I wouldn’t trust these guys to sell me a hot wheels car. I want ALL of my money back.

  Business response

  05/06/2022

  **** , We're very sorry you were not satisfied with your purchase. 

  We try very hard to satisfy all of our customers. We sell several hundred classic cars every year and we try our very best to represent the cars with 100 images as well as a video. We're the only classic car dealer in the country that offers a 48 hour satisfaction guarantee. What would we have to gain from misrepresenting a car and then purchasing it back?  We don't make money buying cars back. We always recommend that our customers come see the car in person or have it inspected before purchasing. You had those options and chose not to do so.

  We spoke to you on the phone and we offered you a few options to help remedy the situation. We offered to compensate you to do some paint touch-up as well as we offered to purchase the car back from you when you first called. 
  You chose to have us purchase the car back and we did purchase the car back.
  
  In order to satisfy a customer we can only offer a few options, The options are: offer money to pay for unforeseen repairs, or buy the car back. We offered you both of those options. You would be hard pressed to find another classic car dealership selling 50+ year old cars that will offer both of those options. Our policies are posted on our company website. We do charge a $500 reprocessing fee that covers title work which is $125 at the DMV just to flip the title back to our company name, re-detailing the car $200 and a new photo shoot which is $175.   

  Customer response

  05/06/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  
  Regards,
  
  **** ******

   

  You are NOT the only dealer who offers a buyback within 48hrs. There are many other dealers who offer this option. But that’s besides the point. You put a car up for sale portraying it as great condition, but it’s a rolling rust bucket. You lied to me, when I asked if it had any rust. How was that missed? You all looked at the car, how was that missed??? And you tried to offer $800 to basically shut me up over the rust. You know as well as I do, $800 won’t even cover materials for a job like this! To properly fix it, it’d take over $10,000. I want ALL of my money back. Your excuses are insufficient, I want my money!

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩