Streetside Classics - Atlanta — Local services in Lithia Springs

Buyer beware....please be advised that Street Side Classics sold a vehicle that was a fire hazard and never disclosed. We contacted Street Side Classics and dealt with Tom S. Tom made representations that the 1956 Corvette we were purchasing was a 9 out of 10 car. He sent pictures and advised us of the pristine condition of the vehicle. Bit of back story here, but we live in Florida and obviously the car was in Georgia. Upon further questioning and asking Tom to place his representations in writing, he sent us additional photos revealing slight damages. Tom claimed he overlooked these damages at first and apologized. We had the vehicle inspected by an NCS specialist who advised us that the car was in great condition. After the inspection we asked Street Side Classics to refer an appraiser.

Upon delivery of the vehicle that was scheduled by Street Side Classics, we received the car in poor mechanical condition. I immediately contacted the appraiser who clearly stated and put in his report that the car scored a 1 out of 5 on the mechanical side and is a dangerous fire hazard. The appraiser stated he took the car for a test drive and left the car approximately 1 block away on the test drive. He stated that he then went in and spoke to Tom and advised him that the car was unsafe to drive and that he feared the car would catch fire. He stated to us that he clearly advised Tom to not ship this car to the customer and to make sure the customer is advised of this liability. Tom never contacted us and the car was shipped to one of our homes that we do not permanently reside at in Central Florida.

Upon receiving the car, it was immediately apparent that the car barely ran and something serious was wrong with it. I then called the appraiser who stated during the appraisal, which we were traveling at the time of, that he advised Tom of the liability of the car catching fire and that the car did not run properly. I called and asked for management at Street side Classics and spoke to Richard Wiernek, who immediately was defensive and continued to interrupt me. Richard continued to remind me that we bought an AS IS car and signed multiple contracts. I understand contract law, however it was their obligation to advise me that they were selling a car that was a fire hazard.

We took the car to a Corvette specialty shop in South Florida who also confirmed that the car has many mechanical issues and is indeed a fire hazard. Apparently, the air cleaner is rubbing on the distributor cap and brushing against the wires, which could cause a spark and ignite the car, since the carburetor is pushing gas through the area where a potential spark could occur. Richard the Sales Manager offered no suggestions. He was rude, demeaning, and continued to cut me off stating that we purchased an AS IS contract. Street Side Classics of Atlanta is extremely deceptive and has made no attempt to correct their wrong doing. The sales manager is a terrible representation of what should be a customer service oriented business position. Between work and personal use, we have purchased over 100 vehicles and have never experienced such poor service and lack of concern for the customer. Steer clear...

After visiting the Nashville location several years ago I really expected a good experience with the Atlanta location.

Don't assume anything... This was by far one of the worst experiences I've had shopping for a car. (classic or otherwise). After contacting the dealer a couple days in advance, we decided to drop in after being told dropping in was fine. We walked in, found the salesman we had previously spoken with was on the phone and we told to go out to the car and wait. No problem. He finished up in about 15 minutes and came out to put the car on a lift for us. Once the car was up, we were left to poke around it for a few minutes and were told he'd be back in 10 to check on us....35 minutes later we were still waiting and the salesman had gone back to a phone call in the interim. Finally someone else came over to take us on a test drive. (Close to an hour of being here and nothing really getting accomplished) As we get in the car, the rep with us from the dealer climbed into the backseat stepping on the seats with his shoes multiple times (I have a feeling the owner wouldn't appreciate that, we didn't as the potential buyer) At this point, I'm anxious to see how the car drives but I'm told I have to drive on a quarter mile stretch at 35-40 mph in a car that's advertised as a "great daily driver"-no traffic, no redlights, not getting up to operating temp unless I'm making laps up and down this service road. The real fun came when I asked if my local technician could inspect the car....sure but he has to come to them. Not possible as he runs his own business across town. I asked if we could maybe call the customer to ask if it would be ok. Another 20 minutes of waiting time to be told no, it's not an option. Upon handing them my business card to say call me if anything changes, it was snatched out my hand and met with clear frustration by the salesman. I've been in the car business, this isn't how you manage customer expectations or service, whether they're buying a 10k car or a 250k car. The staff doesn't respect customers time or their client's cars. Quantity over quality seems to be the game at the Atlanta location. The only people that were nice seemed to be management and they had no reference for the exchanges happening between salespeople and customers on the floor.

If you're shopping for a classic, avoid this entire model and find a local niche dealer (Happy to give references in Atlanta) that understands this business is...

I trusted Streetside Classics listed appraiser and inspector when purchasing a truck from their lot. I paid $600 for a detailed inspection and appraisal. Chris Allen, their listed inspector, failed to inform me of multiple serious mechanical issues. The first being the alternator needing a complete replacement, sure no big deal, easily replaceable however this was the least of my concerns.

~200 miles into my 1,200 mile trip back home, which I made abundantly clear to the dealer and inspector before hand, the transmission completely failed. When I drove the truck (after having it “inspected” by a “3rd party inspector”) I noticed the transmission was shifting late. Not once was this mentioned by the dealer or inspector. The transmission went on to completely fail while I was on the highway.

I was left stranded on the highway 1,000 miles away from home.

Streetside Classics uses corrupt inspectors to pass a sale. They do not care about your safety or fully disclosing information. And honestly i would have been open to still buying the truck if everybody was honest and said it needed a transmission replacement, however this was not the case.

If after reading this you still chose to work this dealer that uses compromised inspectors, such as Chris Allen, you better make sure to find another inspector / appraiser. They will sell you out for a measly commission.

Cody Thompson, Chris Allen and Streetside Classics ATL do not care about making an honest sale or disclosing information.

As a salesman myself who deals with the safety of peoples homes, I NEVER compromise somebodies safety to make a sale, unlike this dirtbag salesman Chody Thompson, the dealership he works for and their referred “third party inspector”,...