bought a messed up car:(

Quote from larrymoencurly : Smart people know the answer to that, but the show has changed since the Robert Hughes days.

Allow me to retort: smart people are also capable of recognizing sarcasm.

Quote from larrymoencurly : Have a lawyer write a letter. Don't threaten to sue on your own. The kind of damage described by the dealer is so serious it should have been caught by the seller because repairs are almost always easily detectable and are rarely done 100% properly.

Seriously...he got a car with ~2 years LESS of driving on it. Why are you still all over the "YOU HAVE TO SUE FOR EVERYTHING!!!"

Quote from larrymoencurly : No car dealer does favors for customers.

Our brakes started to squeek on our new Altima so they replaced them for free and gave us a free car wash, are you saying the carwash wasn't a favor and they were expecting me to put out? I feel so used...

Same with the free battery exchanges for the keyfobs

Quote from larrymoencurly : CarFax is just supplemental information, nothing should replace a good mechanic's inspection.

Fixed that for you, Crotchety Larry.
In the end, a CarFax AND Inspection will always beat just a CarFax or Just an Inspection.

Quote from Frogstar : Allow me to retort: smart people are also capable of recognizing sarcasm.

In the end, I'd like to thank you for pointing out the face. I like that one.

twitch, twitch...twitch, twitch...

Quote from Curtieson : In the end, I'd like to thank you for pointing out the face. I like that one. twitch, twitch...twitch, twitch...

It's a good one.

Quote from StarNova : You're right. What a crappy lemon law. But can the dealer legally sell a vehicle with a bent subframe, other bent parts, and seriously damaged without notifying the seller? The dealer failed to disclose any of the problems. Could that be considered fraud? "Lemon laws protect new car buyers in every state in the nation, but it's far more common for used-car buyers to get stuck with an unreliable vehicle, or to incur repair bills that cost more than the car. For such unfortunate consumers, it often goes downhill from there. Owners of lemons, as these cars are often called, must still make car payments while their vehicle sits idle. One-sided arbitration clauses — built into practically every dealer's vehicle sales contract — work to keep many used-car buyers from taking a case to court. Finally, a buyer may have to prove that the vehicle's problems existed prior to the sale in order to get some compensation. These factors plus the subject's complexity leave many consumers in the lurch. "Many of these cars are dangerous to drive," says John Van Alst, used-car fraud expert with the National Consumer Law Center. "Even if not, when a car becomes inoperable, it becomes a liability instead of an asset." Although it's not always the case, some of these used lemons are sold fraudulently, such as when a dealer fails to disclose the vehicle's history, misrepresents the vehicle title or tampers with the odometer. Often, these dealers prey on the most vulnerable, low-income segment of the population. http://www.edmunds.com/auto-warra...th-it.html

Actually, you'll find similar laws in most states when it comes to used car sales. It's usually "buyer beware" and/or "as-is".

Regarding the discovery of prior problems with a used car, you really don't have a case unless you can prove that the seller/dealer had prior knowledge of the damage and failed to disclose it. The fact that there was prior damage isn't really relevant if both parties had no prior knowledge of it.

In the OP's case, even he had checked the Carfax and it was supposedly clean. So, the dealer can probably say the same thing. Proving fraud is pretty hard in these cases. The only recourse the OP may have is the fact that he purchased from a dealership. Most will then offer a warranty of some kind. In the end though, I think he should take their offer. He's getting a newer car for hopefully the same price. Right there, he's up a few grand due to the trade. If he still wants a backup cam, he can add that on with an aftermarket system. Considering what he gained in resale value, he could even have the factory backup cam installed.

http://usedcars.about.com/od/used...leLaws.htm


http://www.garagejournal.com/foru...&showall=1

Quote from dealsmrbig : http://usedcars.about.com/od/used...leLaws.htm http://www.garagejournal.com/foru...&showall=1

cavan