Straight Line Automotive Group - experience anyone?
 

I would be grateful for summary of experience from someone who has bought from them.
I would be especially interested how honest are they, do they only do lemon law cars and do they tell you what has been issues with particular cars?
I would be exporting the car to EU so I do not care if its a lemon or had a minor bumper accident but of course I wouldnt like my engine to blow up after a few thousand miles.

I've been to their facility to look at an SL65. All of them I looked at had various things wrong with them from electrical to cosmetic. They seem to sell a lot of lemons and cars that dealerships couldn't or wouldn't want to try to sell. That's not to say they're all like that.

My experience
 

I bought a car from them 2 years ago. Typical used car dealer experience, don't trust what they tell you, only go by what you can verify by yourself or have a third party inspection done. This is not to say that they are out to deceive you, but they will not be upfront with problems they know - and of course often they don't know details and the history of what they have in inventory.
My conclusion if buying used over the internet: Make sure the car has plenty of warranty left so you don't have to worry about an engine blowing up... :eek:

I would not trust them. Make certain that you have a warranty or pay for an independent pre-purchase inspection (PPI)

Tim

i actually had a good experience with them. no problems at all.

I live in Dallas and my wife and I have bought 3 cars from Jeremy Wiggains (the Owner) and have been very pleased. The facility he runs is a large warehouse operation, not a typical car dealership. Almost all of the cars they sell are trade-ins from the local MB dealer. When I bought my first one, most of the cars still had the original MB dealer stickers on the trunk but they have since started removing all of those. I think they do a lot of wholesale business as well and seem not to do any prep work unless a car is sold. In my case, the little cosmetic problems the cars had were fixed once I'd agreed to buy it. I personally didn't mind this because I got to see the cars as they were before they had a chance to fix/hide anything.

I've never bought a lemon law car but looked at an E55 a year ago that was a California lemon and was able to verify through the local dealer that the problems Straight Line claimed caused the buyback were indeed what was on the report - faulty charging system had ruined a couple batteries. By the time I talked myself into it, it was already sold.

If you have any concerns at all about the purchase, I'd just recommend having the Mercedes dealer do an inspection. If there is anything wrong, they will fix it anyway as long as its under warranty.

Good luck on the purchase. The AMG cars are flat out amazing when compared to a regular MB.

Michal what kind of car are you talking about? SL55? SL65? First things first, buying a used SL55 or 65 or even any other late model Benz is not the same as buying any other car on the market. These cars are great; however, without a warranty you are never safe with a SL. All the little things can go wrong, avoid electrical problems, once you have those it is downhill from there especially money wise. I know you are taking the car to europe I bet Poland because that is where I am from also and I exported over 100 cars and motorcycles there already. German car parts and body work is way better in price over seas however, if the car is for you, not for resale I would spend the extra cash and buy a low mile near perfect car. Buying a higher mile or older SL will make it really costly in the long run.

Good luck to you.

Good Experience Would Recommend
 

Hello, just got my 07 E63 from Straightline, delivered to me in Calif last Saturday. Everything was delivered as promised. Just a small issue with the exhaust manifold gasket but local dealer took it right in and replaced under warranty. I worked with Jeremy Williams, a straight shooter, easy to work with.

I did hear that they do carry some lemon's but will be 100% up front about it if so. Mine was not, and still has plenty of warranty left. I did the inspection through AutoCritic and also choose the enclosed shipping option which was a wise choice since it was snowing out there when it left. Couldnt have asked for a better experience. Jeremy did offer to run it over to Park Place MBZ for inspection as well, but that would only cover basic engine. AutoCritic (Matt) was a lot more thorough.

Thanks TommyTom for the feedback, that helped a lot! If anyone needs further insight feel free to PM me.:)

I bought a 2006 Mercedes SL65 from them about a month ago. It was a good experience. They have $20 million dollars in exotic cars in their warehouse. It's like walking in a dream..............

Straightline automotive group complaint,
The car was very nice but the service and follow up was attrocious. I would rate my overall experience as very poor.
Unfortunately I could not be put through to the dealer principal
Jeremy Wiggains to even complain or give him some well needed feedback on the customer service, arrogance and indifference of his staff. Dealership said he will not deal with customers,,,an odd business philosophy.
Details;
I bought and paid in full for a 2007 SL55 fro my wife on april 5th for a mothers day gift. It didnt arrive in time. Needless to say, the car took nearly 6 weeks to be released and then shipped. The car arrived with some minor interior damage (not carrier related) and without the blue tooth device I bought with the car. It has been 10 days and I still do not have the blue tooth device or any resolution to the damage. Neither items are expensive, total is less than $1000...Principal should still mean something in business.

Hope your not picky
 

Two years ago I tried to buy an ML500 from them, which was a leap of faith on my part since I lived in Portland, OR at the time. I did my best to look at the photos and checked out the VIN with Carfax and was able to piece together all the history on the car, including the single previous owner and the dealership and originally bought it and serviced it. The guy at Straightline insisted I would not be disappointed and the condition was outstanding. I put a deposit on the car, arranged the financing, and bought a one way ticket and mapped my route for the trip back home. They were accommodating enough to pick me up at the airport, but when I saw the car I was disappointed. The condition was simply poor. The sunroof didn't function. The wheels and body had a lot of corrosion. The leather was in poor shape. There was only one key and it was cracked and barely functional. The car had just been used very hard (40K miles). I couldn't afford the time to arrange to have the car inspected by a dealer to see what kind of repair estimates I'd be faced with, and the car had no warranty. I had no choice but to buy a ticket and fly back home. They were very unapologetic about and were put out by my refusal to take the car. Needless to say, I learned my lesson the expensive way but I just had to try. The inventory in Texas for high-end cars was much greater than in Oregon, so we were willing to take the risk on looking there. A few months later, we found a CPO lease return at the MB dealership in Portland that was similarly equipped, even the same color. Less miles, new tires and came with the MB extended warranty. It was $500 less than the Straightline car before any shipping or travel costs. That's the story of my little adventure with Straightline and trying to buy a car long-distance. I know it works for many people, but probably not if you're picky like I am.

Re: Straightline
 

I tried to work with them remotely on an E63 they had in 2009. They were not particularly forthcoming with answering my questions, all what I would consider routine for a remote buyer to pose, and when I pulled up the service history, the car had a some recurring service issues, so I passed on their car.

Did not find that they cared as much as they could or should have. I was not impressed with their sales people.

Just purchased a car over three weeks ago. The check cleared May 26 and the car still hasn't shipped. The car is a gift to my wife and the car has been promised delivery way before June 17. It is now the 14th of June and the car still sits in Dallas. Yes, I paid them in advance to ship the car. Very hard to get returned text messages or phone calls. They are absolutely terrible. After reading these posts I am almost afraid to know what the car really is. The car only has 500 miles on it and I made a descent purchase if I get the car. It is a 2010 so it is still under warranty but what's up with these people ? Spend over $100K and no one cares???? I don't know what my options are but I will contact the Attorney Generals office, the BBB, Consumer Protection Group and possibly the Fraud Investigators. Actually what are the options ?

that's very sad....keep us posted...

I bought my CLS through them, and several of the posts on here ring true about some things.

ALWAYS ask for things to be checked before sending final payment. They were NOT upfront about some things, I had to check through everything. Title history, the inspection was done by Park Place Mercedes, I was called and sent an inspection sheet. Three things I did catch:

• The front grille needed to be replaced, not sure why, but I got a new grill on the car.
• The temp sensor needed to be replaced, for some stupid reason when the grille was replaced, the idiots did not put the sensor back in.
  CLS55 and AMG were on the car, I insisted that they were taken off, and the 500 was put back on the car.
• When I first got the car, I noticed they had detailed it, and damn if the detailer did not have some holograms. Not a huge deal, I just rebuffed the car, but I did complain to Jeremy about that. It was like...oh well. Sorry! :smash:

Besides that, the car was in great condition, and I have enjoyed three years with it.

Lucky Motors in Addison, IL was better to deal with with the R500 purchase. We flew up, had cappuccino they made, a rental car to drive around Addison/Chicago in as they put the clear bra on, they took the R over to get inspected at the Mercedes dealer, and I got to see an Aston Martin in a bubble that was being shipped to a customer.

This makes no sense, you need to raise hell, and possibly hop on a flight to personally see what is going on.

Straight Line - great experience
 

Came across this thread and thought I'd offer my $.02.

Bought a black SL63 from Straight Line Auto a few months ago. Found it via an ebay listing and then contacted them directly to discuss details.

Wife and I flew into Dallas a week later and they picked me up and went straight to the dealership. My jaw dropped when I saw the garage. At least 100 MB's, Bentley's and Ferrari. Almost made the decision on a '57 vette but the wife talked me down.

Couldn't have been more pleased with the people I dealt with at Straight Line. They repaired two small scratches on the passenger door before I flew out the following day. A week later the car was delivered clean and spotless.

Wife is happy with the SL and it drives beautifully. Great experience with them.

Good luck to you.

have dealt with Straight Line Automotive Group in Dallas and....
 

would not recommend...

I bought an 09 sl65 took me 6 weeks to get the title. Couldn't get them to return calls at all. Showed floor mats in pictures, no floor mats. Air compressor missing, Tire repair kit missing, wrong manuals, wheels had been repaired but not disclosed when specifically asked. I started calling them everyday. Fedexed a demand letter and turned them into the state The worst service I have experienced.

Straight line bankrupt
 

They filed for bankruptcy 8-2013

Straight line auto bankrupt 8/2013..google it

Place just got raided by the Feds
 

Quote:

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You ride like lightning, you are going to crash like thunder.

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-The Place Beyond The Pines

Hmmmmmm. maybe an opportunity to get a good deal on something. :)