There were no traces of fleas when I test-drove the vehicle three days prior. On the drive home, I saw what I thought was a fruit fly land on my left wrist as I was driving it home from the dealer, but I waved it out the window and though nothing of it.

Later that night, my ankles started itching like crazy and discovered multiple bites around my ankles (I eventually counted 25 bites, mostly on my legs, but a few on my forearms as well). I researched it and also saw some little insects jumping onto and off from my legs as I drove over the weekend in shorts, so I figured the car was somehow infested with fleas. I mentioned this to the salesman but said I'd take care of it myself (my wife said she'd have returned the car, but I figured I could take care of it just as easily myself).

Well, it took a bug/flea bomb and 2 weeks of intense vacuuming, but I got rid of the fleas. However, I wish I'd never bought this car as I think the fleas may have a link to the later smell problem rather than something to do with how the factory in Mexico stored the carpeting as I first thought was the source of fleas...