Champagne Motor Car Company — Local services in Mansfield

I purchased a rare 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible, Centennial Edition with 13,925 miles from the Champagne Motor Car Company sight unseen for the full asking price of $49,985. in early July, 2023. I live in Atlanta and found this car online. The salesman, Fernando, assured me that every car is thoroughly evaluated and inspected by their service team, and that anything found not up to Champagne's high standards is either fixed or replaced before buyers take delivery. Fernando also made arrangements to have my car shipped to Atlanta but unfortunately failed to tell me that it had shipped.

After finally getting my car and inspecting the outside, I sat in the driver's seat and immediately noticed that the rearview mirror was cracked and had other large and very obvious imperfections embedded in the glass. I knew instantly that the mirror had to be replaced. I called Fernando that evening telling him what I found, and I also sent him a picture of the defects.

I subsequently had the mirror replaced and installed by a certified Chevrolet/Corvette dealership and it cost me close to $900. The mirror alone was over $800. It was an expensive fix. In my opinion, Champagne had to have known about that defective mirror but decided not to replace it because it was too expensive, and they also failed to tell me about it beforehand.

I therefore requested a full refund of $900. for the cost of replacing that mirror. In response, they offered to pay only $600. because they told me "they could do it for less." Well, they should have when they had the car!

I contacted Fernando about getting me the full $900. refund, but after waiting three weeks and getting literally nowhere, I decided to contact the owner, Mr. Kenneth Champagne, directly. I tried calling him numerous times over several days spanning two weeks but was never able to talk with him. He neither answered the phone nor returned my calls.

After close to two months and much follow-up, patience, and perseverance, I finally received $600. compensation for the mirror. I am especially thankful for Kevin in the Finance Department for resolving my issue within two hours after my initial phone call, and for promptly mailing my refund check that same day.

In summary, I am removing one star from my review because I did not receive the full $900. reimbursement cost for that mirror, and I am removing another star because of the manner in which this entire matter was handled. I reached out for resolution and tried in vain to get fair treatment but to no avail. No one from Champagne Motor ever even owned up to or apologized to me for that mirror, and no one ever called me back to discuss the matter. My experience was contrary to their online self-proclaimed "build it and they will come" philosophy.

In conclusion, based upon my experience, if you are considering purchasing a car from Champagne Motor Car Company online sight unseen, I suggest that you have the car first inspected by a third party independent mechanic before buying...

I WENT TO CHAMPAGNE MOTOR TO BUY A JEEP BECAUSE 5 YEARS AGO I HAD A GOOD EXPERIANCE . THIS TIME I WAS TREATED TOTALLY DIFFERANT . WHEN I WANT TO PICK UP THE JEEP I DID ALL THE PAPERWORK AND AS I WAS LEAVING WITH THE KEY THE SALESMAN SAY OH BY THE WAY ONE OF THE POWER MIRRORS ARE NOT WORKING ,BUT WE HAVE IT ON ORDER AND WILL CALL YOU WHEN IT COMES IN. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL , I LIVE CLOSE TO AND HOUR DRIVE AWAY. WHEN I GOT HOME I NOTICED THAT THEY DID NOT HOOK UP THE WIREING TO THE TOW PACKAGE AND BOTH MIRROWS WERE NOT WORKING AND THE POWER LOCKS WERE NOT WORKING AND THE REMOTE STARTER WAS NOT WORKING. THEN WHEN I WAS DRIVING I HEARD A LOUD CLUNKING WHEN I TURNED A SHARP CORNER. DID I MENTION I PAID AN EXTRA 350$ FOR THE CHIPEST TOW HITCH. I FOUND THE EXACT ONE ON AMAZON WITH THE WIRES AND EVERYTHING FOR 47$ AND THERE ARE ONLY 4 BOLTS TO HOLD IT ON . ANYONE CAN INSTALL IT IN 10 MINUTES. I WOULD HAVE A LITTLE TROUBLE GETTING THAT LOW TO DO IT BECAUSE IM A 100 % DISABLE VET. AFTER LETTING THEM KNOW WHATS GOING ON IT TOOK A COUPLE WEEKS TO FINALLY GET AN APPOINTMENT. I BROUGHT THE JEEP THERE AND THEY GAVE ME A LOANER WHICH WAS NICE. THREE WEEK LATER I GET MY JEEP BACK AND WAS TOLD THE REAR AXLE AND DIFFERENTIAL HAD DIRTY OIL AND WA REPLACED AND THAT SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM , AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS STILL 8 MONTHS LEFT ON THE JEEP MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY NOT THERES. UPON DRIVING THE JEEP I COULD STILL FEEL AND HERE THE CLUNKING AFTER THEY HAD MY JEEF FOR 3 WEEKS. FEELING UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THERE SERVICE I TOOK THE JEEP TO A JEEP DEALERSHIP CLOSE BY NOT AN HOUR AWAY AND THEY HAD MY JEEP FOR 2 WEEKS AND GUESS WHAT THEY FOUND?? WHEN THEY DRAINED THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL THE OIL WAS TOTALLY BLACK WITH BIG METAL FLAKES IN IT. SO I WAS DEFINITELY LIED TO BY CHAMPAGNE MOTORS. THE JEEP DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE COMPLETE REAR AXLE/DIFFERENTIAL/ASSEMBLY. SHAFT-REAR AXLE CORE. PLATE-PARKING BRAKE,ADAPTOR, DISC BRAKE-REPLACE REAR LEFT AND ALSO REPLACED DAMPER-STEERING WHEEL. FOR A TOTAL OF CLOSE TO 7,000$ THANK THE LORD IT WAS STILL UNDER THE JEEP MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY. I WAS TOLD THAT IF I DROVE IT ANY MORE IT WOULD HAVE CAUSED A LOT MORE DAMMAGE. CAN YOU BELIEVE A CAR COMPANY WOULD LET YOU DRIVE A CAR OUT OF THERE LOT LIKE THAT. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. MY NEXT LETTER IS TO THE BETTER...

AVOID this place like the plague.

First, I bought a 2006 Audi Quattro from them in March/2013. The car appeared to be a good value for the $17,900 asking price they wanted.

We live in RI. This dealer is in CT. I wanted the car looked over by MY mechanic. THEY delivered the car a few mornings AFTER to my mechanic to be looked at. There were several minor repairs that needed to be done. They did most of them (per our agreement) and we bought the car for $17k which was the Kelly Blue Book value for it.

We picked it up a couple of days later.

The FIRST MORNING that we went to drive the car, IT MADE A RACKET. The power steering module was making a loud humming noise. We brought it back the next day to them for repair under our 60 day warranty. They kept it a week. After a week they decided the pump didn't need repair because it wasn't "leaking" and the noise went away after about 15 minutes once the car warmed up.

We took the car to a dealership in RI for a second opinion. They said the pump WILL need to be replaced because eventually that "noise" will get worse.

When I went back to the dealership, the OWNER decided he would do a 50 / 50 replacement if we wanted it fixed because it really wasn't "broke" yet. Meaning I had to pay half. Half of about an $800 repair??? I had a FULL warranty. Not 50/50.

I am going to take them to court now..

Stay away from this dealer. It is a typical used car bad reputation used car dealership that you've heard from other horror stories. They also have hidden "prep" fees that you don't find out about until you're signing to take the car. They also give you floor mats that are worth aren't worth anything but were junk. And when you're trying to get a hold of someone to talk/fix/change things................nobody seems to want to take your call and are "busy".

Run like hell. This dealer sucks. Do not buy an ashtray from this place. You'll regret it for sure. They come across as honest and kind..............................................UNTIL THEY HAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!!

BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE of sheep in wolves clothing.

Oh, and the pump STILL makes a loud noise when it is cold. Only after 15 minutes does it sound normal.

See you...