U.S. Army declares Arizona car dealer a no-go zone

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If you believe the Johnston family, owners of Wildcat Mitsubishi in Tucson and Ideal Automotive in Sierra Vista, Arizona, they have a little communication and paperwork problem. If you believe the soldiers at the Army base in Fort Huachuca, the Better Business Bureau, the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions, the Arizona Transportation Department, the police department, and at least one civilian customer, the Johnstons have a much larger number of far more serious problems.
The Army base has banned personnel from patronizing the dealerships, alleging its soldiers have been abused. Soldier James Tuman traded in an SUV and a motorcycle and got financing from Ideal Automotive to buy a used car. When he tried to return the car because of mechanical issues, the Johnston's wouldn't give him his money back, instead saying he could buy another car on the lot. When he threatened to complain, they said they'd declare the car repossessed, which could hurt Tuman's security clearance. Tuman ended up with no money and no car.

Other complaints against Johnstons range from financing auto loans without a license and issuing temporary tags with the wrong VIN numbers. The Johnstons say they are sorting things out... but until the Army et al sort things out with the Johnstons, you might want to give Wildcat and Ideal a wide berth.

[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]

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