The Auto Depot

I SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT COMING.\r A YEAR AGO AFTER RETURNING FROM IRAQ, I WENT TO JIM TO BUY A USED CAR. JIM SOLD ME THIS 1998 BMW 540I, WHICH MY WIFE TOLD ME NOT TO BUY. I WENT AGAINST HER WISHES AND BOUGHT IT ANYWAY. AFTER INSPECTING THE CAR, I FOUND SOME MAJOR REPAIR THAT WAS NEEDED. I TOLD HIM ABOUT THE REPAIRS AND HE TOLD ME HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT BEFORE I TAKE DELIVERY. IT TOOK SIX MONTHS AND A WHOLE LOT OF WASTED TIME TO GET THE CAR. NEVERTHELESS, I ASK JIM WHAT KIND OF WARRANTY HE HAS FOR THE CAR, HE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS COMPANY THAT HE DEALS WITH AND IT WOULD COST ME 1200 DOLLARS TO GET STARTED, SO I WENT AHEAD AND PURCHASE IT. A MONTH AND A HALF LATER I CALL JIM TO SEE WHAT WAS THE RESULT OF ME PURCHASING THIS WARRANTY , JIM TOLD ME HE WOULD CALL ME BACK, HE NEVER DID. I CALLED THE COMPANY THAT THE WARRANTY WAS FOR AND THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING ON MY CAR, SO I BEGAN TO EXPLAIN WHAT JIM WAS DOING TO ME AND THE COMPANY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO STOP DOING BUSINESS WITH HIM. I CALLED JIM TO ASK HIM ABOUT THE RESULT OF MY WARRANTY ONCE MORE AND HE GAVE ME A LAME EXCUSE ABOUT THE COMPANY SAYING I FILED A CLAIM. I TOLD HIM THAT HOW COULD I HAVE FILED A CLAIM WHEN MY CAR IS NOT REGISTERED WITH THAT COMPANY. HE HAD NOTHING TO SAY, SO I TOLD HIM I WANTED A REFUND AND I WANT THE REPAIRS TO THE CAR TO BE DONE. JIM TOLD ME HE WAS GOING OUT OF BUSINESS AND HE WAS FILING FOR BANKRUPTCY SO HE WONT BE ABLE TO PAY ANYONE BACK THEIR MONEY. HE GAVE ME $100 DOLLARS AND I HAVEN’T HEARD FROM HIM SINCE. I CALLED MY LAWYER HE TOLD ME TO TAKE HIM TO COURT AND I WILL. I WAS JUST WAITING FOR HIM TO RESURFACE SOMEWHERE ELSE TO SEE THE TYPE OF PERSON HE WAS. YAP, JUST AS I HAD SUSPECTED, THAT CROOK. I GOT HIM NOW. WHATEVER YOU PEOPLE DO, DON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS GUY OR PAY HIM ANY MONEY UNTIL YOU FIRST REVIEW THE WORK OR THE VEHICLE YOU ARE PURCHASING. THAT INCLUDES: TITLE, FOX REPORT, WARRANTY, BANKS,HIS CHECKS, PARTS REPLACE, DAMAGE REPORT AND POLICE REPORT, A MATTER OF FACT HAVE THE POLICE WITH YOU IF YOU DECIDE TO BUY A CAR FROM THIS GUY. \r JIM GOD IS GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO US ALL.\r more

Holy cow. There are other people in my situation with The Auto Depot. And yesterday, I went up there (bus ride, long walk from bus stop) to finish all this funny business...and....guess what? The place is closed. Deserted. All the signs down, all the cars gone. Gone. I brought a lemon of a car back...he owes me for the car and some cash down on a replacement...and I've been hounding him for a year. It's clearly theft, as he has the car and the title is in my name. So, if anyone has advice on how I should handle this, email me at jmeredith44@hotmail.com...and also, let me know if I can help out with a case against him.\r Thanks, \r JMB more

To everyone that is in my position (you know who you are) I beg that you contact the attorney general's office, we might not be able to put Jim where he belongs (prison) but if we unite we can at least prevent him from abusing and stealing from more people. more

Jim has fixed my Jeep and my wife's Honda for years. He's done body work, brakes, struts, and most recently an A/C repair. I was quoted $1,600 for A/C work at another shop. Jim looked into it and found that I didn't need as extensive a repair and I was on my way for less that 1/4 of what the other shop would have charged. He could have easily taken my money and I would never have been the wiser. Jim has always been fair and honest with me. He even offered to reimburse me the cost of the repair if the more expensive issue ever did arise. You can't get much better than that. more

I just bought my 2nd car from the Auto Depot and Jim Ernst. The first car I bought was an Acura Integra over 5 years ago. I was looking for another used car and went back to Jim Ernst to see what he had. I bought a great 2001 Honda Accord. Seems to run better then all my other cars. Jim is also a very funny guy and I've enjoyed doing business with him. more

I wish I could give NO stars. This email I sent him today might sum it up: We bought a white Honda Accord from you in September of 2010. We were promised we’d have the car within 2-3 weeks, title and all. It took approximately 8 months to actually get the car. In the meantime the loners were a constant headache with a host of mechanical issues that often left D-- stranded. We were given many interesting excuses for why it was taking so long to get the car we’d paid for in full. Since finally getting the car the excuses have become more elaborate as to why we do not yet have a title; a title that we had previously been told you had then you didn’t then it was stolen then there was some out of state red tape, etc. etc. etc. Not only are we still stuck on this whirly-gig-ride of wasted time, wasted money, frustration, wholly inappropriate and consistent inconvenience, but the car is no-where near worth the more than $3000 we have put into it. Should we sell it today, we’d be lucky to get $1000 for it. The latest circus trick is that we have to give information about the car (VIN# etc.) to some guy who processes a “mechanic’s lien”. Firstly, why doesn’t Jim have this information to give to Mr. C--? Secondly, why on earth would there be a lien on a vehicle we have more than paid for in full? It has been a year and half. I’d say we have been more than patient. I have finally begun asking for info and advice at the law firm where I work. There seems to be a lot to raise eyebrows about and though I am not a litigious person and certainly not in the habit of threatening anyone with legal intervention, we are teetering on that slippery slope. I expect either a refund IN FULL (for return of the piece of crap car) or a clear title within the month. *This is being sent in lieu of a phone call because any attempts to have an honest, open, respectful and productive conversation with Jim has been impossible. Jim is rude, assuming, hair-trigger defensive, insulting and just all around dishonest. Please do not call us to try and blow more smoke, manipulate us, lie to us, give us sob stories or excuses. Contact us only to notify us you have a refund check ready for us or the title ready to pick up. In the meantime, I’ll be filing complaints. more

This guy asked for 400 down and guarenteed we could get financed. The next day, after we couldnt get financed, he refused to retun my 400$ because ""He spent it"". He promised a return in 14 days with interest. 6 months later.... NO SHOW. He is a smooth, old conman that is surviving these hard times by SCREWING us that DO work. send my money. Don't trust this old man. more

Jim is a JOKE. Lies his @$$ off to get your money, and will try to sell you a piece of junk, that's been totaled and can't get financed- THEN KEEP WHATEVER HE ASKED FOR THE FINANCING DOWN Ive been waiting 6 months for my money. CONMAN THIS GUY IS SHADY. Smooth talking CRIMINAL. call me for details- 3366121887 I'll tell you ALL about everything he has put my family through. more

Okay so I've seen come of the reviews and this is one of the few places that I should of looked at the reviews before I even considered working for him. My employment only lasted about a month when some crack head stole a part I took off and Jim tried to get me to pay for it and I refused. He owed me (still does) $500 plus and would not pay meevev after calling the police and refering him to OSHA. This guy buys the junkest cars in Austin and somehow gets them back on the road, but trust me they should'nt be. Anyway asked me to borrow money the first week he was going to pay me. Who borrows money from there employee? Also I've ran a business myself and anyone else that has would tell you that you pay yourself LAST not first. But as you can see on these reviews he takes a lot of money from people and has to be going somewhere. Well its not in the mechanics pocket I can tell you that. If anyone out there gets screwed by him I can testify any and all things illegal he does. God bless everyone. more

I have been going to Auto Depot for about 12 years now, ever since I happened to find Jim Ernst of Auto Depot in the phone book. He asked me to trust him so I gave him a chance and he treated me like family. Jim saved me over $1,000 that I was quoted from someone else to fix my air conditioner. He has always been trust worthy with me. I'm shocked at some of these angry reviews. I just had my car towed there a few weeks ago from a place down south that had quoted me almost $800. Jim had his guys fix it for $260. I'm more than happy to have the extra money in my pocket and my car running great. Thanks Jim, I appreciate your help more

JIm Ernst and Janeth S Ernst own this scam operation. If you want to buy an overpriced used car 'fixed' up by a drug addict go here. If you want to pay FIRST, then get the runaround by Jim Ernst-go to The Auto Depot. 1997 Auto Depot inc. has been blasted by the BBB and has an F rating. He shafts his employees and borrows money from anyone stupid enough to let him. Do a REAL search and check the reviews not posted by his druggie/homeless employees. more

The Auto Depot is a great place to shop for a car and get all repairs... I got a good car and wonderful service there 2 days ago... I bought a 06 Lexus from them and My wife and I love it, very nice car.. Got Title in hand... The only reason I know of them is cause I had a four wheel brake job and flush done on my Dodge 2500 pick-up.. There mechanics are down to earth and made sure everything I wanted done was done and they told me it would be 4hrs and they only took 3hrs and i'm very happy with the job they have done... GREAT JOB !!!! The have changed management and look to be headed in the right direction, Ryan was very straight to the point with my repairs and cost of repairs and didn't hide anything from me.. Ryan is a awesome guy and works one on one with the mechanics to make sure everything is done right and to the right stands of the vehicle they are working on.. I would recommend them to anyone of my family members and friends... Keep up the good work!!! Thanks Again!!!!! more

We have purchased at least 5 cars from Jim over a period of years. Every one of them has been an excellent car and met the needs of our family very well. They were all used cards, but were clean, in good condition and ready to go. Each performed very well with no unusual maintenance required on them. They were used by our adult children over many years. Each car performed well and was everything Jim promised when we purchased it. We have found Jim to be honest in his dealings. He delivered a quality product as he promised and in all cases the cars performed well and met our expectations and his promise to us. He was always generously fair in his dealings with us. Jim went above and beyond to provide the best service and car as he promised in each case. As a result we felt confident about coming back to him for each 'next car 'as we had a need. He always delivered what he promised and went beyond to meet our needs and be sure we were well-taken care of. We felt Jim took a special interest in our well-fair and our needs. He was a blessing in our lives...... LaRue and Dwayne Wright more

Well, after 14 months waiting for Jim Ernst to honor a warranty repair (which was caused by him to begin with) and pay me for a trade in -for which he owed me $5000, I can now honestly say he's dropped the ball and will be subjected to the entire world being informed about his illegal and immoral business practices. I'll have a website up later today with our contract,voice recordings, and a copy of the title that took him 7 months to get. But for now, here's the abridged version.... Was getting divorced and needed a van. 11/20/10 gave Jim an '09 Nissan for an '02 Odyssey and $5k to be paid over the next 6 months. 1000 phone calls and 100 visits to his shop. My horn still doesn't work. His mechanic botched my cruise control. I left the car with them for 3 weeks in April 2011....They fixed NOTHING and put 300+ miles on my car and wasted a full tank of gas.Also, he was in a major 'accident' with weeks of getting the Nissan. I speculate it was insurance fraud. He did pay just under half of the money owed, Then I was informed he was 'bankrupt' and would 'secretly' pay me $30/week when he 'could' IF I GET RID OF THE BBB COMPLAINT! Not that it would matter, he has an F rating after almost 2 dozen complaints. Look it up.He also had the SEC on him in the past. So while he lives in his big house on in Texas hill country and sends his daughter to private school,he shafts his customers and cries poverty. His own employees are afraid to quit because he owes them money too. At least that was the case a few months ago. I should also note that his cars obviously don't have to pass inspection. My horn was not functioning yet the guy down the street 'passed' the vehicle. I'm sure this is common, but is obviously illegal. Maybe it was an oversight...But here I am a year later and my car won't pass a 'legit' inspection. more

Mainly due to my trusting nature, and naivete, I am well and truly out of pocket due to my dealings with this shop. Well over a year after selling them my car I'm now aware that I'm not going to receive the majority of the money as they have declared BANKRUPTCY. I had a personal connection to the owner of this business, had faith that he would follow through on his incessant promises that I would get paid in full. I didn't. My first advice would be to go elsewhere. Secondly I would say is that you should not put yourself in a position where they owe you money, or a repair, or a car. Do as you would do anywhere else, get CASH for your car when you deliver it to them, pay when the repair is done to your satisfaction, or pay for for your car when you get it and you know that it is as described. Place no trust whatsoever on promises that you given, if your experience is like mine, you will likely regret it. more

I CAN HELP YOU GET YOUR MONEY BACK FROM ernst!! I have all of his bond information as well as all of the information you need to file on this snake (do not be threatened by his personal bankruptcy) - lady78704@yahoo dot com Please email me! BTW jim, i guess you thought you were smarter than me, eh? :) more

I’ve been coming here for years! These guys always take care of my needs from buying cars to any repairs I get done. I’ve recommended them to all my family and friends they continue to and will continue to be my #1 choice for all car repairs and purchases! Thanks guys keep up the good work my wife and I love you!! more

Auto depot really took the time to find out what the problem with my car was and fixed it in an hour! Firestone said it would be over 500-600$!! Auto depot saved me $ 85! Thanks guys!! more

I spend a lot of time traveling between my home in NE,Texas and Oregon. I figured it's cheaper to just buy a car there in Austin and leave it at my friend's condo. Was in a hurry and saw his ads in the paper.JIm had a good idea...Get a low cost aluminum building, hire illegals,drug addicts and the homeless, and coax people into filling out Austin Chronicle forms. He then proceeded to con,screw and steal from almost every customer he had since 1997. His main deal-buy horrible cars at auction and sell them BEFORE they're fixed. Promise a 65 point inspection,warranty,etc. He gets your money and you're stuck. Waiting. Calling. Sitting on the couch in his waiting room/homeless shelter.And then there's the warranty. Sounds GREAT! If you don't mind never having anything fixed. He is extremely talented at making excuses. And I'll reiterate a point -MOST, IF NOT ALL, OF THE POSITIVE REVIEWS ON HERE ARE FAKE AND POSTED BY HIS EMPLOYEES. God bless them. He shafts them out of money too. Shame on you Jim Ernst and Janeth S. Ernst. I've researched this guy. You need to file with the attorney general. If you don't, you're guilty of helping this hoodlum steal from more families. more

So far so good. Good price, fair deal. I will come back. Jim is due for a raise! more