Denver-Since January, Denver7 has received 30 separate complaints from customers of The Sharpest Rides used car dealership in Englewood, claiming that vehicles purchased from them had major problems within hours or days of purchase.

Some customers accused dealers of deliberately selling problematic cars.

Denver7 had previously reported that from the end of 2018 to 2019, there were more than 100 similar complaints against the same dealer.

'Never a car exploded on me'

Jennifer Lechuga said: “It made a loud noise and then stopped in the middle of the road,” she told about what happened to her daughter behind the steering wheel of a modern car purchased from The Sharpest Rides.

Lechuga purchased this Hyundai Veloster on August 25th. Less than a month later, she said that the car broke down while her daughter was driving on Quebec Street. Lechuga’s mechanic at Hyundai confirmed to Denver7 that the engine had been confiscated.

"Thankfully, it happened on the slow lanes of Quebec, not on the busy highway, because my daughter won't be here," she said.

She raised her concerns to an employee of The Sharpest Ride and asked for her money to be refunded.

"He came to me and said,'Well, you did buy a used car,'" she said. "I said,'I have been buying a used car all my life, and there has never been a car explosion or something like that.'"

Shannon Rose said that she encountered similar problems to Jennifer when she purchased the 2006 Volkswagen from The Sharpest Rides.

"Since I left their lot for 24 hours, it has been problematic," she said.

Rose said she drove the car home on Friday. On Saturday, the check engine light turned on. She drove the car back to The Sharpest Rides repair shop and retrieved it.

"Two weeks later, the check engine light turned on again," Rose said.

This process happened twice again.

"So, they really bought my car for five weeks," she said. "So, it means that I have paid for the car to let them own my car."

After taking her Volkswagen to their repair shop several times, checking that the engine light was on and the key stuck on the ignition switch, Shannon said she had lost confidence. She took it to her own repairman, claiming that she paid more than $3,500 in repair costs.

"It was a bad experience from the beginning," she said, describing her deal with The Sharpest Ride.

Three cars in two years

Diangleo Childs said that he encountered two separate Sharpest vehicles malfunctioning within two years.

"They sold me a completely destroyed car-a bad car," he said, describing the 2009 Mercedes he bought.

Childs said he bought the car, drove it to his home in Roggen, and used it for only a few days before it broke down.

"Basically after three or four days of riding, the car stalled," he said.

Childs told Denver7 that the engine of this Mercedes was broken, just like another car he claimed to have bought from the same dealer.

"Two years ago, I bought a Range Rover from them, and that Range Rover did the same thing," he said on Zoom.

That Range Rover was replaced by Sharpest with a new car. After Denver7 brought his concerns to the dealership, Mercedes was also replaced by another Sharpest car.

Diangelo gave his opinion on the names of dealers and the types of cars he thinks they sell.

"You ride the fiercest. If you want to find a statue in your front yard, that is the only way you can think of. You have a beautiful Mercedes sitting on your lawn, and you can ride over and say ' That's my Mercedes-Benz. Well, why don't you drive? It can't drive,'" he said.

Since the beginning of 2021, the above stories are just three customers from 30 different emails and voicemails from Contact Denver7.

The multiple voicemails that entered the Voicemail inbox of Contact Denver7 included things like "They sold me a car with various problems", "I bought a car a month ago and it has been stored in the store for three times. "Weeks" and "they refused to accept" complaints. Fix it. '

A total of 30 complaints in 2021 did not take into account the hundreds of calls and emails Denver7 received since the end of 2018. During the same three-year period, the Colorado Department of Automobile Industry, the main regulator of used car dealers, received 10 complaints and issued a warning letter to The Sharpest Rides.

Denver7 handed the complaint (of which several named by name) to the dealer. General Manager Robert Lipp sent an email with part of the content:

"Like all our sales, we never deliberately sell defective vehicles. However, we are not perfect. In the used car industry, anything unforeseen can happen. This is how we sell all cars "as is". Encourage our customers to let independent experts examine the car’s cause."

Soon after Denver7 contacted The Sharpest Rides about several complaints, providing customer names and questions, Diangelo Childs received a new car from the dealer. Another customer who had previously interviewed Denver7 decided not to participate in this story after the dealer changed their car.

Kevin Sharp, the owner of Sharpest Rides, threatened to sue Denver7.

The general manager’s email went on to say that part of the content is as follows:

"I have never described The Sharpest Rides as a'perfect operation'. In the used car business, there is no such thing.

"Based on our sales volume, compared to occasional problems, I would say that we are doing well."

Although dealers claim that other dealers have more complaints, according to the state government, there is no way to compare dealers. A spokesperson for the state's automotive industry said that due to size, inventory and other factors, “we will not comment on the decline of a dealership compared to other dealerships in the state.”

Denver7 repeatedly asked for video interviews with dealer boss Kevin Sharp. He responded to the latest request with legal threats.

If you want to buy a used car, it is recommended that you have an external mechanic inspect the car before buying. This is also your right under state and federal laws. This usually costs less than $200.

Editor's note: Denver7 seeks audience tips and feedback to help those in need, solve problems, and hold those in power accountable. If you know that a community needs our call center to solve it, or have a story idea for our investigation team to track down, please send an email to contact7@thedenverchannel.com or call (720) 462-7777. Find more Contact Denver7 stories here.