Update - Another dealership comes to the aid of Merced couple

By Geoff Roth

July 30, 2010 Updated Jan 25, 2008 at 6:18 PM PDT

Bill Butler suffers from mental problems, and says he bought a $30,000 car from a Merced dealership on an impulse while suffering a mental episode.

He and his wife Linda have a monthly income of $1600 and say they cannot afford to pay for the car.

They've tried to return the car, but Courtesy Automotive Center in Merced won't take it back. Under California law, once the car is signed for, the dealership is not required to take it back.

Bill and Linda say the dealership should never have sold the car to Bill or approved a loan based on their income.

But the dealership's general manager, Brian Wells, says paperwork filled out by Bill showed he had enough income to qualify for a loan, and that he had been in to the dealership several times before he bought the car.

On Friday, Ron Smith Buick GMC in Merced agreed to let Bill trade in the car for a much less expensive one her can afford. The dealership said they wanted to help after seeing the story on KSEE 24.

To submit a comment on this article, your email address is required. We respect your privacy and your email will not be visible to others nor will it be added to any email lists.