Maryland woman buys Mercedes after dream BMW turns out to be a ‘nightmare.’ Then she finds an ‘obvious defect’ no one will fix

A Maryland woman says what began as an exciting online car purchase became a weeks-long ordeal involving alleged safety issues, missed work, denied repair claims, and a looming arbitration fight. For the buyer, what began as a dream car purchase has turned into what she called: “My nightmare.”

In a lengthy Reddit post that has drawn sympathy from other users, the buyer detailed how she first ordered a 2014 BMW M6 convertible from Carvana, only to discover serious problems after delivery. She ultimately returned the BMW and selected a 2019 Mercedes E-450 coupe instead. But she says the second car turned out to be an even bigger headache.

The BMW’s issues

In her post, Ctrbates04 said she ordered the BMW on Dec. 1, 2025, and was told an hour before delivery that it needed a repair, which delayed delivery by several days. “Except they didn’t” fix the problems, she wrote.

Once the car arrived, she said the condition was far worse than indicated on the site. “The interior was 10x worse than the pictures, the radio wouldn’t turn on, and it was just tapping away. Really wasn’t tapping, more of a knocking, and it wasn’t just the radio; the whole system was fried, so no indicator sounds for seat belts or anything else for that matter. Definitely should not have passed a Maryland State Safety Inspection,” the post said. She initiated a return within the company’s 7-day window and picked a different vehicle.

Then the Mercedes came

Her replacement vehicle, a Mercedes E-450, initially appeared in better shape. But once she drove it, she noticed what she described as a dangerous problem. “It had a pretty severe shake, that would worsen as the brakes heated up,” she wrote.

Following the company’s instructions, she brought the car to one of its recommended repair partners. That appointment was canceled due to a lack of brake specialists. A second shop test drove the vehicle and quickly confirmed a rear brake issue, telling her it would be “no problem” to submit a claim for repairs. But days later, she said the shop admitted it hadn’t filed anything.

“He hadn’t even attempted to put a claim in, just looked at me and said, ‘I don’t have the money to buy the parts.’ Funny joke, right? It wasn’t a joke,” she said. By that point, she said, the 7-day return window had passed.

A third recommended shop, Tires Plus, also confirmed the brake issue and told her not to worry because it was a “definite fix.” But when the claim was submitted, SilverRock, the warranty administrator, denied it.

“Why am I talking to SilverRock? They didn’t sell me the car. This was an obvious defect that was there when the vehicle was delivered,” she said.

Missed work, escalations, and 49 days of frustration

Over the next several weeks, the woman said she made dozens of calls and sent emails up the chain of command. She said an escalation manager initially agreed the car could be sent to a European specialty shop or dealership for another diagnosis. But before that could happen, the car was sent to a body shop for cosmetic repairs: a deep scratch and a loose rocker panel.

The woman said she has since sent a formal claim letter and is preparing for arbitration after missing the 30-day window to opt out of the clause in her purchase agreement.

She also said she plans to file complaints with the Maryland Attorney General and the Maryland State Police’s Automotive Safety Enforcement Division over how the vehicle passed inspection. “They have agreed to rescission but not damages incurred,” she wrote.

Other Reddit users chimed in with support, with one writing: “You’re not wrong for trusting what you were told, and you’re definitely not alone in how this played out — posts like this help other people make more informed decisions.”