DU I need help.

[LiberalVoice]

I bought a car a couple months ago and its giving me real trouble. I need to know if I have any sort of case agaisnt the dealer I bought it from. I'm googling and calling lawyers but its just getting more and more confusing. Can anyone here help?

Heres what heppend:

I came into "**** Auto" to test drive a car in late November of 2004. While test driving the 1991 Honda Accord I would eventually buy the “check engine” light came on, also you could very easily tell something was wrong with the transmission, the brakes, the seatbelts did not work, the engine was smoking, the speedometer did not work and the odometer did not work. Making it impossible to know what speed you were going and how many actual miles were on the car.

When we returned to the shop the female employee who was helping me made a list of all the things I noticed were wrong with the car. She assured me that “everything would be fixed” and that they “weren’t going to sell me a messed up car. I gave them a $500.00 deposit so they would hold the car for me til I had the rest of the down payment and they had fixed the car.

One month later I received a call from them and they told me that the car was ready to be picked up. I came in on 12/31/04 and gave them $900.00 and a $100.00 discount coupon.

While driving the car home I noticed the transmission problem was still the same as were every single thing they told me would be fixed. Not even 2 miles from the auto dealer the chrome stripping around the front windshield flew off the car. I called "**** Auto" about getting the car repaired and they explained to me that there mechanic was very busy and any attempts by me to hire anyone else to fix the car would mean I had to pay for it. I came to find a leak in the trunk that damaged several CD’s I had in there. A leak in the backseat that soaked the floor, the side mirrors were broken, a lug nut on the front-right tire had broken and fallen into the drum making it impossible to change the tire without cutting it off with a blow torch. The suspension was so loose that anytime I hit a pot hole the car would swerve violently and made it very dangerous for me to drive and the engine would smoke.

Two weeks later I was told to take the car to "**** Auto's" Mechanic ****. They had the car for two and a half weeks and I was told they changed the transmission. When I got the car back the transmission still didn’t work properly the steering alignment was extremely off and the suspension was worse, but I was told they would continue to try and fix all of the problems one thing at a time. They had fixed the speedometer and the odometer.

The second time I took the car in it sat there for three weeks and nothing had been fixed. I have now had the car for 9 weeks, 6 of which the car has been at their mechanics. Meanwhile I had to pay $295.00 for an initial insurance payment, the first months bill of $275.00 for the insurance and know have another $275.00 payment that is overdue because I had to quit my job because I had no way of getting to work.

On Edit: Wasn't sure where to post this.

[1monster]

1. Good luck. You are going to need it.

Did you get anything in writing from them regarding their promise to fix what was wrong with the car? Was there at least a 30 day guarantee on the car?

Experience is quite often very costly. Never trust a used car dealer to fix what's wrong with a used car. That's not how they make money.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ernstbass]

3. Some states have "lemon laws"

I don't know if it would pertain to your situation.Good luck!

[northzax]

5. I'm not a lawyer

but I don't see how a lemon law could possibly apply to a car that is 14 years old.

And I have to admit, something smells of rotting fish around here.

[LiberalVoice]

6. it doesn't...

Lemon Law only applies to cars 1999 or newer :(

[LiberalVoice]

11. how do you mean rotten fish? nt

[northzax]

15. I mean that you seem way too intelligent

to get taken like this. And if this story, as you relate it, is true, you got taken for a ride.

Why would you put down a deposit on a 13 year old (at that time) car that in your own estimation, was a piece of crap? doesn't seem likely.

If this story is true, I am sorry to tell you that you got played like a stradivarius. you bought a piece of crap, you knew you were buying a piece of crap and you bought it 'as is'

It just seemed from reading your past posts that you had more sense than this. Maybe I'm misreading your story, or you missed something in the telling, but this sure sounds awfully like a tall tale to me.

If it is, in fact, correct, then I'm sorry. You're out your payments.

And by the way, where do you live that insurance is that expensive on a 91 Accord? I figure there's no comprehensive coverage, so you either live in Manhattan, have the world's worst driving record, our you need a new insurance agent. now.

[LiberalVoice]

16. well

My mom bought her car from the same place about 6 or 7 months ago...I thought they could be trusted cuz she hadnt had any problems with it or them.

As for me being played...well it certainly seems so.

As for my insurance...I'm 21 years old...And its full coverage. so there ya go.

[northzax]

17. well, you're 21, so you learned a good lesson young

and for not that much money: always get it in writing, and if it sounds too good to be true? it is.

sorry about that. welcome to grown-up land. sucks don't it?

[LiberalVoice]

19. Yes, yes it does.

And it sure seems like alot of money to a broke ass unemployed college student. That was all the money I had in the world.

:shrug:

[matcom]

4. this is an "Oscar" story right?

[blondeatlast]

18. I'll have that popcorn now, Matcom, thanks; I'm home from work.

I'll even bring the diet drinks!

[matcom]

20. heh

:bounce:

[LibertyorDeath]

7. Straight up why did you buy this car

"I came into "**** Auto" to test drive a car in late November of 2004. While test driving the 1991 Honda Accord I would eventually buy the “check engine” light came on, also you could very easily tell something was wrong with the transmission, the brakes, the seatbelts did not work, the engine was smoking, the speedometer did not work and the odometer did not work. Making it impossible to know what speed you were going and how many actual miles were on the car."

Anything connected to this car will be a headache for you you will through good money after bad.

What kind of legitimate auto dealer gives a malfunctioning piece of .... like this to a Customer to test drive?

This would not even pass Safety where I live.

I AM NOT TRYING TO BE OFFENSIVE

Why did you buy this car?

[LiberalVoice]

8. My mom bought a car from there.

Her car runs great and she had no problem. I thought we could trust them. :(

[LibertyorDeath]

9. I see

[LiberalVoice]

10. kick

[tjdee]

12. Was it "as is"? If so, you're screwed.

If I remember correctly, if you bought the car with no warranty, I don't think lemon laws are in effect.

I think. Something was shot on the used auto I bought last year, that's what I was told.

[LiberalVoice]

13. it was as is...

but...Before I bought the car they guaranteed me the problems I noticed would be fixed before I bought it. They told me they were when I bought it so they lied. Does that make my case any better?

[tjdee]

14. Do you have anything in writing saying they'd fix it?

If not I think your chances are slim....I'd still go for it, get a consultation if you can, but without anything in writing it will be difficult.

I do think you have something going for you since you took it to their mechanic and they still didn't fix the problems.

Sucks, huh. I had some problems when I bought my car, they wouldn't pay for anything and when I complained they said "as is", then told me they'd fix it at cost--but I got it fixed for 400 dollars cheaper at another place, so their "at cost" was bullshit.

I hate car dealerships. Ugh, and try being a minority woman with bad credit--they can see the dollar signs when I walk in. :grr: