Adventurous Autos — Local services in Riverside

So, had to help my daughter find a reliable AWD vehicle, and we actually INITIALLY had a very good experience here. I messaged Sam about a particular vehicle and said we'd like to come look at it, and he also pulled out several other similar vehicles for us to look at. He told us to take it for a test drive, and take it wherever we wanted. There was absolutely no pressure to buy. My daughter really liked the first vehicle, so that's what we ended up wanting to purchase. Just use extreme caution with this place if you don't know much about cars or how to look them over. These cars come with zero warranty. He's just buying them at auctions and flipping them. Also, Sam told us he would send in the paperwork to have the car registered so we wouldn't have to hassle with that. Great. Ok. We knew there's some risk to this. After we purchased the vehicle, we drove it home, and the second we get home, it starts pouring coolant all over the place. It had a cracked radiator cap, but upon taking it to our mechanic, it was an additional $2000 to make her road worthy. Two or three weeks after our purchase, then Sam messages my daughter and gets her to Venmo $495 for registration. Seems high, yes? Yes. A couple months go by, (we purchased on Feb 6th), I see that my daughter's temporary plate is going to expire on May 7th, so I message Sam about the registration on April 21st to inquire. Here begins a month+ back and forth. He always responds to my messages, and says he will get back to me, but then doesn't do anything or get back to me. He's always nice, but nothing ever gets done. Two days ago my daughter and I go to the DMV and I message Sam on the way, to which he says that won't do me any good. Well, the DMV let me know that the fees were posted, but no paperwork was ever submitted! I forward this information to Sam and I quickly get a PHOTO of registration (at $337, mind you--a slight difference from what he charged my daughter),  but a photo isn't going to do us any good. I asked to have it overnighted to us, but nothing yesterday, and nothing today. So, if you choose to buy from him, definitely do your own registration. Because it's been more than 90 days from purchase, the DMV said we have to open an investigation. Do I want to do that? No. But what choice am I left??

I mean, at this point, unfortunately, zero stars, really. This has been such a headache and hassle that was completely unnecessary. And STILL unresolved.

Like I said, purchase date was Feb 6 and it is currently May 29.

6/2: Finally received registration and plates. Still no title.

6/6: Finally received the title and am so happy to be closing this long,...

Recently dealt with Sam at the Riverside Adventurous Autos location when looking for a reliable daily driver. They had an older Camry on the lot with low miles and mechanically in pretty good condition. Sam gave me all the time I needed to look over the car, test drive and think about it. He had the patience to deal with me for over a month, since I was dealing with my current car getting totalled out, the holidays etc. Price was pretty good as well.

Unfortunately a couple weeks into my ownership, the car wouldn't start. Not a fault of Sam's business, it is a common issue with this model of Camry. Sam took my call and worked with me to try and find a resolution. It was fortunately easy to resolve on my own and the car has since been reliable with no major issues.

Had a small hiccup with registration since the smog has expired, but Sam took care of it, no problem. A fresh registration just came in the mail with 2026 already paid for.

I would definitely buy another car from Sam and Adventurous Autos if need be and would be happy to let people know to check out his lot. He's doing a good job of bucking the "shady used car dealer" stereotype for...

We recently purchased a used car from Sam and we couldn't be more pleased with the experience! We were so nervous being from out of state and trying to find something for our college daughter. Sam was the best! From the moment we looked at the first car to his suggestions made me feel instantly relieved. He was honest, reliable, and truly went above and beyond to ensure we found the perfect car for what we asked for. He was very transparent throughout the entire process—no pushy sales tactics, just genuine advice and guidance. He even provided referrals for insurance and other things that may come up in the future. The entire experience was seamless and gave us genuine peace of mind! We left feeling confident in our purchase, knowing we had received top-notch service. We will definitely be referring Sam (Adventurous Auto)to anyone and everyone buying used car in the area! ...