Kings Chariot dishonest

[rudey84211]

Buyer beware of Kings Chariot.com- (Land Cruiser/Lexus 470's & ARB sellers. Purchased vehicle from them i live out of state. They guaranteed the vehicle had no leaks. Right? 1999 LC, 141K. Vehicle had PS leak right off the delivery truck, CV boot spewing grease, radiator hose leaking and cross-threaded and broken bolts from the Old Man Emu install. Contacted the dealer at Kings Chariot and they gave me the run around, acted like they didn't believe me. I even had a quote from the Toyota dealership. The vehicle needed a new steering rack. Had to threaten to file a complaint to the Florida attorney general and BBB. He finally sent me a check, ended up losing money on the repairs...

 

[HappyFunBall]

Thanks for the heads-up. I've been looking at some of their rigs on AutoTrader and was hoping they were a better outfit than that - especially given their "mission" story they have on their website. Glad you got some money at least.

 

[JTravels]

A few other members have posted bad experiences with KC as well. My limited interaction with them hasn't been much better.

 

[rudey84211]

Yes they have a good variety of rigs and usually lift them. However after i got my truck there were issues and they wanted to give me the run around. I hate to throw businesses under the bus but i didn't want others to get ripped off.. they were a little too quick to add some fiction to the stories.. If you are dead set on getting something from them and you are close, definitely go check the vehicle out in person, and thouroughly.

 

[mario65]

Just to make sure the truth is out here. The buyer saw this truck in person. They knew what they were getting exactly. We always answered the phone and we dealt with this intelligently and honestly at all times.

We do not hide when a vehicle shows up with issues we did not see or address while we prepped it for sale. It is rare that it happens but it happens. We sell 6-8 100s, 80s and runners a month. Thats not easy to do and bat 1000. We spend the money on CVs, brakes, o2's radiators etc when we see the issue. We spend alot of money to make sure the car leaves with no issues to address to the buyer. Unlike many dealers we spend the money. We spend enough to get Christmas gifts from Discount tire, local Toyota dealer, ARB, NAPA, and Autozone. We have tons of feedback all over the internet with tons of happy buyers.

Were not selling 2 year old trucks. A 20 year old truck at times can have a problem show up we did not see or should have seen. No matter how hard we try, it happens. We know that and we answer the phone and we deal with it directly when it can be verified.

Don't be fooled we have had buyers who are dishonest and want the vehicle brought to new condition at the Toyota dealership wanting unnecessary services. They try to hold us hostage until we pay. We have to discern between those and the honest buyers who just want a fair and honest sale. Its not easy. Ill tell you there are some shady dealers out there and just as many or more shady buyers.

In this specific case. The CVs were excellent and were not torn. Sometimes in a few hundred miles what appears to be a perfect CV after a lift will seep at the clamps. They're not bad they just need new clamps. We paid for new CVs any way.

The buyer said the rack was leaking. We truly didn't believe it since we had it in the shop on a lift and we look for it. Its not an expensive repair when you have a wholesale account as we do and mechanics in house. We would have and do fix racks when they leak. The customer went to the Toyota dealer and said inspect it and give me a bill. You know the Toyota dealer so you can imagine the unnecessary and inflated charges they wanted us to cover. We told her we'd be happy for her to take it to an indy shop and wed pay them directly for all verified issues. Thats not what she would accept. We sent a check for what would have paid at an Indy shop to address ALL the issues even the ones we didn't believe. The threats were only made to try to get us to pay the Toyota dealership which we refused to do.

We love what we do. We love to use the best parts on the nicest examples we can find. We run an honest business the best we can and stand behind our trucks.

We sell and ship internationally. We have the best rates for good or better credit you will ever find anywhere.



We will always stand behind what we sell.
Call me anytime about one of our vehicles.
Mario
cell 9045345189.

 

[rudey84211]

So i am the buyer and there are a lot of untruthful statements here.... Kings Chariot did not believe that the rack was leaking so i had to get a second estimate at the Toyota dealership which cost me $125.00, which i did not recoup... i orginally had an estimate from a independent mechanic but was not believed. Sooo buyer beware is all i can say. BTW the way i have had to replace both CV boots which were split and dry rotted. I have receipts for all...

 

[mario65]

We reiterate, we promptly paid all costs for the repairs believed and not believed that would have been paid to an indy.

This only required an clarification of the facts. Im finished.

 

[EvanD]

Man, I haven't searched yet for the other Mud members that have issue but just spent way too long reading through Google reviews. The whole thing is pretty impressive in one of two ways. Either they actually do a pretty good job or they have put a large amount of effort into making it look like they do through creating a silly amount of Google profiles.

Shrug, insomnia is a bitch sometimes.

 

[willygil]

I recently bought a taco from mario @ king's Chariot. Decided to visit and taker alook at the truck first so i drove from Miami early morning and was there around noon. Saw his warehouse with a lot of very cool builds, as you can see from his web site or flickr pics, and then test drove the car. it was just as described...obviously price was a little steep but i dont mind overpaying if it involves getting what you are looking for...he had put 33's on the truck which i later traded for 265's to avoid steering rub, would've appreciated them on truck from beginning, but once i closed the deal and payed, i hopped on that taco and drove 360 miles down back to miami with no issues whatsoever...wanted to put a good word for him here since the bad tends to spread all over but the good often doesnt even arise.

 

[Tank5]

Did you buy the 4 door tacoma he had for sale? I was seriously interested in that truck but I couldn't get him to answer my questions about it. I felt like he was dodging them because he would respond but in general terms and not answer anything specific. I live way out of state so makeing the trip to look at it in person while he dodged my questions was a no go for me.

I hope it was a good deal for you it looked nice a nice truck.

 

[willygil]

Did you buy the 4 door tacoma he had for sale? I was seriously interested in that truck but I couldn't get him to answer my questions about it. I felt like he was dodging them because he would respond but in general terms and not answer anything specific. I live way out of state so makeing the trip to look at it in person while he dodged my questions was a no go for me.

I hope it was a good deal for you it looked nice a nice truck.

 

[willygil]

View attachment 2487805

I bought the extra cab 99

 

[Tank5]

I bought the extra cab 99

Nice truck. I was looking at a different Tacoma.

 

[btowncruiser]

My experience with Kings Chariot, I recently purchased a 2011 Tundra Crew Max from KC, I found the price very competitive for the year and millage. The truck was a fair to excellent condition, the owner and staff were professional and knowledgeable. Everything went smooth from the test drive to letting me crawl all over it. I have owned just over a year now and have had zero issues. I am not saying the truck came off the show room floor, lol, but I have looked at alot locally and it was worth the drive from Bradenton FL. with the extra 2hr delay each way! For the price I wasn't expecting the interior to be almost prefect the exterior to have MINOR issues. Which they themselves pointed out. I am very mechanical inclined with many a motor swaps, rebuilds of various vehicles under my belt and all I can say when you are buying a used car whether from an individual or a dealer if you don't think your not going to put a little extra into it to make it a better vehicle.... From this post I took that something was missed, after protecting his interest he made it right. This is a buyer beware state, no amount calling institutions on a used car purchase could have forced him to relinquish any money. That's my two cents.

 

[cjoday3]

I had an awful experience too. I purchased a kitted out 100 series that was garunteed to be perfect. I hit rain on the way back and went to turn on the wipers and they were shot, like 6 inches of rubber coming goose from the wiper. The rear bumper had been repainted by Mario. On the way home I stopped for gas and noticed it wasn't quite sitting right on the truck, so I gave it a firm shake and it was very loose. The check engine light came on when I entered Georgia, and a quick scan revealed that the deceleration sensor was bad. Upon closer inspection the dash was puttied up and painted to look perfect, but soon began to fall apart. I took it to Lexus for a oil change and inspection, and was told the lower control arms, ball joints, and cv boot was bad. When I took it for the Maryland inspection, the inspector told me the same thing and wouldn't pass the truck for safety reasons. I couldn't believe how bad I had been conned by Mario. When I called him the first time he answered, and soon as I told him which truck I bought he hung up and never answered again. This man is a con artist and does not stand behind his vehicles. Be warned, hope you all have better luck. He swore to me when he sold the truck that it was hands down the cleanest 100 series he had ever come across. He even set me up with a third party inspector who verified everything Mario told me on the phone, I'm questing their in it together on these scams.

 

[mario65]

I had an awful experience too. I purchased a kitted out 100 series that was garunteed to be perfect. I hit rain on the way back and went to turn on the wipers and they were shot, like 6 inches of rubber coming goose from the wiper. The rear bumper had been repainted by Mario. On the way home I stopped for gas and noticed it wasn't quite sitting right on the truck, so I gave it a firm shake and it was very loose. The check engine light came on when I entered Georgia, and a quick scan revealed that the deceleration sensor was bad. Upon closer inspection the dash was puttied up and painted to look perfect, but soon began to fall apart. I took it to Lexus for a oil change and inspection, and was told the lower control arms, ball joints, and cv boot was bad. When I took it for the Maryland inspection, the inspector told me the same thing and wouldn't pass the truck for safety reasons. I couldn't believe how bad I had been conned by Mario. When I called him the first time he answered, and soon as I told him which truck I bought he hung up and never answered again. This man is a con artist and does not stand behind his vehicles. Be warned, hope you all have better luck. He swore to me when he sold the truck that it was hands down the cleanest 100 series he had ever come across. He even set me up with a third party inspector who verified everything Mario told me on the phone, I'm questing their in it together on these scams.

CJODAY3, We put out 20-30 rigs a month. We stand behind every rig we sell. If we scammed people then we wouldn't be in business. I don't have a clue who you are. Thats your fault not mine, because I have never once heard about anything your mentioning. I take calls, texts and emails. If you called once and i didn't pick up that isn't letting me know anything. We go through these trucks extensively. We fix everything we see. If we missed something we hope any 3rd party would see it because we want to know we missed nothing. We encourage 3rd party inspectors for this purpose. If you ask me whose been to my shop to inspect ll tell you. If you choose who it is thats just as good. I have no relationship with any inspector to scam people. If the truck has a legitimate issue at the time of the sale, we stand behind it. Were real people giving real people the best service we can. If you have an issue some time after the sale ill still help you if i can but we don't warranty anything to never have a problem. You can buy a warranty for that. These are USED trucks not new ones. My phone rings constantly. Call me if you have a legitimate concern whoever you are.
A complaint should never be considered legitimate and surely never written about any business without communication and an opportunity to face the issues.

UPDATE: with CJODAY3 and the post below
We finally spoke on the phone for 30 min. today. HE bought the truck 3 years ago almost to the day. We spoke of issues that arose after he bought the truck and those we normally address and did not. I do believe there was good understanding of each other's expectations and CJOAY3 is asking we find him another 100 series.

 

[cjoday3]

CJODAY3, We put out 20-30 rigs a month. We stand behind every rig we sell. If we scammed people then we wouldn't be in business. I don't have a clue who you are. Thats your fault not mine, because I have never once heard about anything your mentioning. I take calls, texts and emails. If you called once and i didn't pick up that isn't letting me know anything. We go through these trucks extensively. We fix everything we see. If we missed something we hope any 3rd party would see it because we want to know we missed nothing. We encourage 3rd party inspectors for this purpose. If you ask me whose been to my shop to inspect ll tell you. If you choose who it is thats just as good. I have no relationship with any inspector to scam people. If the truck has a legitimate issue at the time of the sale, we stand behind it. Were real people giving real people the best service we can. If you have an issue some time after the sale ill still help you if i can but we don't warranty anything to never have a problem. You can buy a warranty for that. These are USED trucks not new ones. My phone rings constantly. Call me if you have a legitimate concern whoever you are.
A complaint should never be considered legitimate and surely never written about any business without communication and an opportunity to face the issues.

Mario, this is the truck I bought from you:

eBay

When I called, I spoke to you and you literally hung up when you realized who was calling and you never took another call from me. I will be happy to call you again to see how you handle this and face the issue.

 

[Mchodl]

I’ll throw my 2 cents in here. I picked up a 02 lx470 from these guys a few weeks ago. I looked over everything on the truck when I was there but didn’t put it up on the lift. The brake booster motor failed as soon as I got home but due to the corrosion and it being a commonly failed part, I’m not putting blame on them for that. I forked out the $$$$ myself and did the repair. You win some you lose some.

The main issue I have was that the steering rack bushings were completely destroyed (enough to knock cruise off on the freeway and activate the traction lamp) and both front wheel bearings were loose enough to cause damage to the outer washer. These are serious safety items and should not be overlooked/missed during reconditioning. 100% would have been caught if I did the inspection on a lift. Moral of the story, pay to get a full inspection done before purchasing.

All in all, I don’t believe these guys are scammers. I got a beautiful, rust free 100 series for mild premium.

 

[mario65]

Its been said before but to reiterate, it’s important to understand most dealers sell “as is” with no intention of addressing any known issues. Heck find a dealer will respond to forum posts. We sell “as is” after we have addressed any known or evident issues. None of us have ever worked at a dealership. We do not operate as a dealership in many ways. We buy what we like and sell what we like and drive. We do not sell buy here pay here vehicles or offer subprime financing. We take very few cars in trade usually only cars that fit our inventory. We begin with vehicles that are as rust free as possible and ship them in from any state to get the best examples. We also ship most of our sales out of county and out of state for the lowest prices in the market.
Again unlike most dealers we have an extensive process to address all issues that we see.
I believe our techs are as good as any Toyota or Lexus dealership tech.
These vehicles are 15-25 yrs old. They have between 50k-250k mies.
We address all engine lights.
We make sure they have 50% brake pads or better.
We change al cracked CVs. We buy them by the pallet.
We change racks and valve cover gaskets and often times do the TB and WP service in house.
The above are just examples of what we address.
We do the TB and WP service for 700 a fraction of what most shops charge.
We are certified to sell and install Dobinsons, ARB and Icon parts on our Overland builds.
We performa lengthy checklist and drive and shake down the vehicles before they ship.
We know these vehicles are ultra reliable and rarely have issues but an expectation that these cars are restored and new and will never throw a light or need work in the future is unrealistic.
What is realistic is to know we’ve made effort to address all issues. We encourage another perspective because we as the buyer want the sale to go without any issues.
We make every effort to address any item that we miss at the time of the sale.
We follow up with our buyers given the opportunity.
We only will choose what is addressed and who performs the work if an item is found once we’ve verified the issue. Taking it to a shop after purchase and getting a dream list of wanted and unnecessary service is not going to work. We've been black mailed more than once.
The reason most dealers sell newer vehicles or sell the older vehicles without addressing any issues is because its a clean process. We chose to take pride in what we produce and enjoy building the beautiful trucks we sell. What we sell is what we drive.
We will always do our best to produce the most beautiful and most excellent mechanical condition vehicles.
We truly are having trouble keeping up with the demand and have a list of buyers for many different types. We often sell them before they’re listed for sale.

As in Mchodl’s case his ABS failed him after he drove over 1000 miles.
The rack bushings are a very inexpensive and easy fix and it’s not something wed normally miss but it wasn't evident to us at the time of the sale.

We have no down payment and low rates for any vehicles we sell for qualifying buyers. We take bitcoin as well.

We encourage anyone to come see them in person or call us for FaceTime or videos beyond the 50-200 pics we publish at flickr.com/kingschariot/sets. Or flickr site has every single vehicle we've sold in the last 7 years. Feel free to see what we can build.

 

[cjoday3]

I wanted to provide an update:
Mario gave me a call on the date of my last post to hear from me the details of my experience. I feel like he honestly wanted to do what was in his abilities to make things right in my eyes, which I commend him for. At this point I no longer own my 100 series, but maybe in the future Mario can help me find another one. He offered to buy the truck back, which I no longer own. He did also offer to get me into another 100 series when a good example comes through. I don't think either of us are happy about what happened, whether my take on it adds up or not to his. Pretty commendable that he made the call to me, my only issues is that it wasn't handled at the time. He does not remember my calls 3 years ago, but it's water under the bridge for me now. I hope to have the opportunity to post an update to this experience when Mario finds the right truck for me.