He purchased a car last week from a dealership in ________________.
It was a 1997 Chevy Camaro he paid $2,600.00 cash
The dealership said the car ran good.
A week later the car broke down.
He took it to the nearest repair shop – Midas, and was told that he would basically need to replace the engine. That was going to cost as much as the vehicle did.
He thinks that the dealership may have known this car had problems because they put some sort of treatment in the oil to allow it to run long enough for an unsuspecting buyer to purchase it.
He went back to the dealership but now they don’t want to have anything to do with him.
He said he lost his roofing job as a result of this - not having transportation.
He is wants to know if he has any options.
BOTTOM LINE: If you NEED a car, then you CAN NOT afford to buy any used car without having your OWN trusted mechanic give the car a thorough going-over first. You CAN NOT depend on the dealer to protect you!
These calls are sad because used-car ripoffs are often devastating, as in the case above. The ONLY way to protect yourself is by NOT buying a used car -- from a dealer or from Craigslist -- without giving that car a thorough, LONG test drive in various conditions (including enough highway driving to really tell if it can hold up) AND a thorough inspection by a trained mechanic.
If you buy a used car without doing those things, you are probably buying trouble.