In November, 2010, I purchased a 1995 Mitsubishi Montero with 5 speed manual transmission from Jim Farnham, owner of Car Corner of Cabot. I had a $500 trade-in allowance but after that was deducted, I was financing $5390, at least double what the advertised price was (the sticker on the window said $2499). I should have walked out then and there when I realized he was doubling the price, but I really needed a vehicle and I was very tired by this time. I had already cleaned out the car I was trading in and moved everything to the new vehicle, and although I had misgivings, I continued with the transaction. I was supposed to pay on this for 18 months.

Only a few days after I got it, I noticed the clutch was acting up. It would stay on the floor after I mashed it and I'd have to use my toe to pull it up. Over time, it got worse and was sometimes hard to shift. By the time 3 months had passed, it was obvious something was really wrong with the clutch. I took it to a mechanic to have it looked at. The mechanic explained that at some point in the past, the rod on the slave cylinder had broken, and someone had inserted a threaded bolt through the hole, instead of fixing it properly. In other words, it was "rigged" to work only temporarily. The mechanic told me there was no way the car dealership wouldn't have known about this and speculated that they were more than likely the ones who did it. He also told me I should sue the dealership, as this was extremely unsafe to drive and if the bolt had broken while I was driving at high speed down the highway, I would almost certainly have wrecked the vehicle.

I even then wanted to give this guy the benefit of the doubt. He'd given the impression as a God-fearing, church-going kind of guy who would always do the right thing. So I wrote him a letter, explaining the problem and inviting him to resolve it. I told him that if he wanted to do the right thing and pay to have the clutch fixed properly, that I would resume payments as usual (I'd never been even one day late on a payment, by the way). Or if he didn't want to pay to have the clutch fixed, he could pick up the vehicle at any time, as long as he paid the $275 mechanic's fee for the evaluation (the bill to fix it was significantly higher). I sent the letter by certified mail and prepared to hear from him soon. Never heard a word.

Nearly a month later, a tow truck arrived to pick up the vehicle, but since they weren't prepared to pay the mechanic's fee of $275, they weren't allowed to take the vehicle. Immediately, Jim Farnham called me, threathening to sue. I told him "You're lucky I haven't sued YOU!" I couldn't believe the guy was stupid enough to think he might be able to successfully sue me, but apparently he IS that stupid.

Since then, I've contacted the Arkansas State Attorney General's office, the BBB, and an organization called Arkansas Services Legal Partnership. I filed complaints with the Attorney General's office and the BBB and am waiting to hear back. If anyone thinks they can help with legal advice, or any other avenue in which I can get out of this contract with Mr. Farnham legally without having to go to the expense of filing a civil suit, please drop me an email at [email protected]. Thanks in advance to anyone who can possibly help.