I told my mom never to buy from a used car from a dealership...
And she did it anyway. And now she's stuck with a $2600 ($1799 + almost $800 in additional fees) truck that can't pass inspection and isn't covered under NJ's lemon law. The dealership flat out told her it's not responsible once she signed for the car. I feel bad because I wasn't there when she signed the deal. I wish I was. One look underneath the car at the significant rust would have been enough for me to tell her to look elsewhere.
Anyone have any tips on how she could possibly proceed? She's on a very limited income and was lent the money for this car by family. She assumed spending more at a dealership guaranteed her some peace of mind. Now all she's got is a piece of you know what.
FujiIf it's not covered under the lemon law, and she signed for it in As Is condition, it sounds like there may not be much you can do legally. (but you would need a lawyer to confirm that, and my guess is the legal fees would be about the cost of the car anyway)
Would the dealership consider taking that one back for a different car? The only thing I could think of is if maybe they had something else that would at least be better than the one she chose.
GC Go above whoever told you they wont do anything. I may be wrong but the car has to pass inspection if sold by a dealer. We bought ours locally and it did not pass inspection. I called the general manager and he agreed and fixed the car to pass inspection. It did help to mention my problem on HL. They were more then willing to fix the bad press.
Christine I thought state law is they have to guarantee it passes inspection.
If the dealership doesnt do the right thing, tell her to contact a lawyer, who gives free consultation. Dont let the dealership get away with this.
botheredbyuu2 If it was purchased As Is ( No Warranty ) Buyer loses.
Have a friend that bought a Toyota Camry SE 2003 model year. $4600.00
The vehicle was in Good Shape with little wear showing etc.
She had it for 3 day's, and the check engine light came on.
Now she bought it with a 90 day (Power-train) warranty!
The catalytic converter was bad, and her mechanic said it was a 800.00 item cost.
She called the dealer, and he agreed to her taking it to the dealers mechanic in Dover, and he would split the cost of the repair. She paid 375.00 .
Mufflers exhaust; tires / etc. does not fall under the Power-train warranty.
But see, it was a good dealer that was able to offer paying 1/2 the repairs.
Now! The kicker here, is Her Mechanic said,"I could erase the code, and it may not come back till after you get it inspected!" ..... I would stay far away from that repair facility.
One good was, her mechanic did a 157 point check on her vehicle.
My Question would be.... How could a repair facility. check 157 items whilst the oil was changed, and the car was off the lift and ready to pick up 1 hour later???
All B/S
Embryodad I would publish the name of the dealership on every website I could if they did not make good.
For the amount paid you could go to small claims.
They do not sound very ethical selling vehicles in poor condition
If it was sold "as is" you get nothing. No lemon law protection, no guarantee of passing inspection, and no guarantee of failure of any kind. There's a lot of exclusions if it was sold for under $3000 as well.
You're not covered by the lemon law if any of the following:
-Car is older then 7 years old.
-Car has more then 100,000 miles on it.
-Car was purchased for less then $3,000.
-Car was previously declared a "total loss".
-Car was sold specifically AS-IS.
http://www.nj.gov/oag/ca/brief/used.pdf
Many dealers don't do cars under $3000 for that reason, and often send them off to auctions when they get them as trade in's. My friend Bubba D. was bought from a dealer of all things, because they started to use eBay Motors instead of auctions. Huge red "FAILED" sticker in the window. But for $750 that's what you get.
Can you tell us what dealer so i dont go to him. Im planing to get a use car too!! Good luck with everything
Bella76 You take your chances with an $1800 car. As mentioned above, lemon laws don't apply at that value, and (not sure if this is still the case) but the inspection guarantee is only 14 days, assuming you didn't agree to buy it as is.
Mark Mc. It's a real shame the law is written that way. I've bought cars privately and have never had a bad experience, but if I drove off and the car seized, I'm almost sure every owner I've dealt with would give me my money back.
My mom called me in tears when this happened. She asked for me to come with her when she approached the dealership. The guy who sold her the car wouldn't even look her in the eyes; the general manager outright said they wouldn't even consider taking back the car, that she bought it "as-is," basically that s*** happens. He took us into his office and started highlighting all sorts of lines in the paperwork that my mom signed. He was so smug about the law being on his side. I asked for the owner's contact information and was denied. Then he said he'd contact the owner himself and try to help my mom out. That ended up being a $200 check towards a repair. $200 bucks. The entire catalytic converter is apparently rusted out. That probably won't even cover the labor. It was Mount Olive Subaru btw.
I told my mom about the inspection law and we're going to pursue that. She's not unhappy with the car otherwise, but like I said I would have advised her not to buy it. Apparently the fuel injectors are also shoddy on that model of Blazer. I just want her to be able to get AND stay on the road without more expense.
I'll also point out that my mom has always been nervous about buying cars with outdated inspection stickers. I highly doubt there's a chance she asked if the car could pass inspection without them either evading the question or not telling her about the car's existing problems.
Is this the Blazer that was purchased? If so, it's still up on their website:
http://www.subaru46.net/findvehicledetails.aspx?id=259429&type=preownedinv&search=yes&page=1&year=-1&make=Chevrolet&model=Blazer&color=-1&compare=&itemperpage=20&PriceRange=-1&YearRange=-1&MileRange=-1&PriceAdjuster=-1
Gotta watch those car sales folks.
I have bought cars used from dealers and all ways got a good car but I am acar guy and know what to look for in a car male or female if you don't know cars take some one with you who dose its buyer be ware world
Caged Animal When your Mom has her time off, take shoe polish,paint Lemon on the windows,park it in front of there dealership, not on there property,Saturday morning would be best!Anyone coming to that dealer will see you and the car.They will fix it or lose business! Also if they have a website post what happened,the shoe polish comes off with water,so don't worry!
LoBo The dealership, Mt. Olive Subaru, had to have seen the rust. So they looked your mother in the face, and decided to take her money for a useless rust bucket. If we all post how we feel about Mt. Olive Subaru for cheating a woman, maybe some consumer searching them online will see this thread and be saved. A dealer shouldn't cheat anyone. What a creep the sales person is. Bad on you Mt. Olive Subaru!!
Maybe we should all fill out the forms on that link and annoy them.
maja Lost any respect for MOS when they told me, after bringing my car in for service, that I should trade it in because the boxer engine has a well known high mileage problem that's expensive to repair. Trade it in for what? Another Subaru having the same engine! Really?
justintime Let's make sure we pass the word on this. I am also an older woman with little car sense. You cannot afford either a new car or big repairs on social security! People need to know about this! It is inexcusable. The least the dealership deserves is some publicity about their lack of ethics.
Dansker Anyone buying a 14 year old used car in NJ better know there will be rust on it. Want to have a look under my 2000 GMC?
The car was priced accordingly. Some cars have tires that cost more than this whole vehicle did.
Always more of the "it's someone else's fault" mentality. If you don't know what to look for in a *very* used car being sold as-is, bring someone with you who does.
Hopefully lesson learned. Pay the few hundred $ for a new cat and don't buy beat ass Blazers again.
Mark, the car was not priced accordingly. My mom took it to Midas for a quote and the guy was so furious at the condition of the car and how much she paid for it, that HE called the GM of Mount Olive Subaru and grilled him about it over the phone. Another mechanic said it wasn't worth more than $500. That's less than the additional fees my mother paid on top of the original cost of the car.
Unfortunately, the dealer your Mom purchased the car from isn't the most reputable place around. The owner is absentee, and the $200 was probably just hush money. As stated in prior posts, if you sign a buyers order that states the sale is "AS IS", it's just that. Your Mom doesn't have a leg to stand on.
If it was any other dealer in the area, I may have been able to help, however, the owner of that particular dealership is heartless. Shame on the salesperson who took advantage of your mother. The mindset of some salesmen are to make the sale, bank the commission and give a crap less if the buyer is screwed. My suggestion.....see Chaz @ Trade Zone auto sales, he might be able to help your mom out.
Cindy I bought a 2001 car, 3 years ago, from a used car dealer and it came with 30 days warranty and guaranteed inspection. Guess it all depends on who you buy it from. Always shop around.
I would go above and beyond the GM since he has been talked to. I feel they saw an easy target and took advantage of your Mom. They don't usually sell cars like that. I have a feeling they just got it in as a trade and saw a way to make a quick buck and get it off the lot. Its sad but definitely find out the owner and get a hold of them.
I take our Suburu there for minor things like recalls and we had a break bolt stuck Bergey couldn't get off, and a cruise light blinking. Never had a problem other then them wanting to look at cars.
So bought a car with expired inspection from a dealer, used not even a CPO, a Midas tech called the dealership because he was going to charge more than what she just paid for the car, didn't have her mechanic look it over, and didn't take your advice not to buy a used car? Sounds like she got what she deserved and good for the dealership making a buck.
I sold a jetta not to long ago. It was at the service interval for it and had no known problems other than being at the service interval. Guys buys it for his daughter for a couple hundred under market value. (I wanted it gone as it was a spare car) I asked him what mechanic does he want it taken to so they can look it over? He says he knows cars and it's fine. Ok, made him sign paperwork as-is where is. Called me 28 days later daughter had driven ~2K miles and the timing belt let loose. Wanted me to pay for it. Laughed at him, reminded him about the as-is, and recommended a mechanic I know that would do it for cheaper than most around here.
Either chalk it up to win some loose some or read some more and don't be the bottom of the totem pole.
younggen My family had bought a new Subaru from this dealership in 2008, we were ready in a few days to go back , and buy another, but after seeing this post we decided not to deal with this dealership and go to another dealership instead. Good thing about dealers there are plenty around, it will cost this dealership a lot more than the junker they sold in the lost sale of a new car..Another family member was about to buy new and go with us, so it cost them two new cars. Keep up the good work Mt. Olive Subaru, doing business the way you are, you should be bankrupt in no time....
boobalaa friend got a much better deal at the subaru dealership in Parsippany - glad that's where he bought
5catmom Hate to say but you get what you pay for. Even 2 grand these days can barely buy you a decent car if it's from the dealer.
My buddy went on Craigslist and just got a 02 golf for 1100. Body looked in pretty decent shape. So what's the catch? Well, it had a failed inspection sticker to begin with. From there, just tons of little things that my buddy had to get fixed. Of course he expected to with the price being low and the car looking pretty on the inside and out.
So either you pay little knowing you will have to open your wallet on repairs, or you pay a bit more and get a slightly better ride with repairs coming shortly, lol.
MikeB By the way, I don't know what it's worth but you could go to the Better Business Bureau http://www.bbb.org/ and file a complaint but I don't think it will get you that far. If you bought a car AS-IS, it's pretty much risk is on you. It sucks because I'm sure they didn't check out the car thoroughly enough and assumed maybe it looked good enough to price it at the value they sold you it.
With that said, it's shame on them for not checking it out better and in a hate to add insult to injury, shame on you for not checking it out before buying it. I understand the situation though. My mother has bought lemons without having someone go with her to inspect prior. It's happened to many...
My mom isn't a fan of this dealership either. She's had a few issues when she takes her Subie in for service. Seems like they always want to change brake fluid and do a bunch of other unnecessary stuff. I usually just look over the maint. schedule and cross off stuff that's not needed.
While I feel bad for your mom, she should have either had you with her or taken the car to a reputable mechanic. Blame can't be put 100% on the dealership. Caveat Emptor. Don't think I would be buying a Chevy from a Foreign car dealer, either. At least if it was a Chevy dealer they would have been more likely to replace some parts because they get them at cost.
I would have no problem buying a used car from a dealership ( well, not that dealership). I'm looking to get a 1-2 yr old CPO SUV in the near future.
MeisterNJ @boobalaa - I wouldn't worry about buying a new car there since all new car conditions are generally the same. With a new car, once you settle on a model, it is always about price and incentives. Unless you want to buy somewhere else just to stick it to MO Subaru (which is strange considering you most likely don't know the OP or even if their story is true or a hoax or has some other mischievous intent).
I don't know if it holds true but when I was younger, the rule was that if a car moves on its own, the minimum sales price is $2,000. Since your mom did not get it checked out, bought it as-is and paid under $2,000, I find it hard to feel terribly bad for her. It is unfortunate but why should a dealer have to pay for something that happens after an as-is sale? Unless they do it for goodwill of course, which is basically just for having a good name. What if something happened to the vehicle before the sale? Would your mom chip in for that repair?
Doesn't everyone know you have to check out a car when buying used? She realizes that she bought a Chevy (Strike 1) with 130K miles (Strike 2) for under $2K (Strike 3)?
TM
Troublemaker I would agree troublemaker, but just like everyone else, at points in my life, I have been ripped off. Now I don't have to buy used, so when I hear a story like this I assume it is true. Of course, proper research should be done when buying used, but the dealership could have made some kind of compromise. It might have meant the loss of a few hundred dollars, but since it went down like it did, yes I just want to stick it to the dealer, so I and my family will buy elsewhere. Simple as that...
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