A Clarksville, Tennesee, used car dealer recently took back a 2015 BMW it sold to 20-year-old U.S. Army Private Jalen Lee. The business accepted the return after a harsh letter from a Fort Campbell legal assistance attorney. The letter accused the dealership of “repulsive, morally wrong” business conduct.

The attorney insisted that Family First Auto Sales, also known as F-1, engaged in several questionable practices to complete the October 2023 sale. Afterward, PVT Lee soon realized he couldn’t afford the car.

In January, Lee told WSMV News that he takes full responsibility for the scrutinized transaction. However, he mentioned that he had originally intended to buy a $4,000 Chevrolet Impala. The attending salesperson convinced Lee to finance a $16,000 BMW.

Moreover, Lee tested and purchased the BMW without a valid driver’s license. Per Tennessee law, you can buy a car without a license. The dealer’s attorney wrote that Lee test-drove on a private lot, not on any public roads. Lee intended to get his license right after buying the car. He had another soldier bring him to the dealership. Interestingly, that other solider actually had financial incentive from the dealer to refer Lee.

After the purchase, though, Lee calculated his new payment with insurance costs. The monthly car expense would total around $900. Lee was hoping for back pay to arrive, but it didn’t. The stress of the looming monthly payments drove him to ask his squad leader for help.

In November 2023, Fort Campbell legal assistance attorney David Riddick stepped in. He encouraged Family First Auto Sales to take the car back and stop engaging in similar practices with other soldiers. Fort Campbell formally criticized the dealership back in 2016 and noted that those practices continue, such as in Lee’s circumstances. In the November letter, Riddick suggested that the dealer might be added to the military’s list of banned businesses.

In the name of “good business practice,” Family First Auto Sales took back Lee’s BMW.

While several eyebrow-raising practices were flagged, the dealership’s attorney maintains that it did nothing illegal or objectively wrong. It’s indeed legal to sell vehicles to unlicensed individuals. It’s also standard practice to finance vehicles buyers qualify for and to offer referral incentives to customers. The legal rep insisted that Lee was an adult and decided to purchase the vehicle of his own free will. Lee confirmed. “I made the wrong decisions, and I’m learning the hard way from that,” Lee told WSMV.

Please ensure any youth close to you understands the long-term outlook of financing hefty purchases like cars. It’s extremely difficult to get out of a high car payment like the one above since older luxury vehicles tend to depreciate faster and require costly repairs and maintenance faster than the payout. Lee was fortunate to be allowed to return the car. Of course, we can hope that used car dealers avoid pressurized sales tactics, but it’s best to provide automotive financial literacy ahead of these interactions.