Question by ffff: lemon law, does my situation qualify?
okay.
barely a month ago, 3/13/2010 to be exact, i bought my 97 ford taurus from a certified dealership in dearborn MI
the dealership was selling the car for 2000 dollars, but i talked them into knocking it down a few hundred.
i was at the dealership for a long time checking the car, driving it around, i was going to have a mechanic with me but it was a saturday and there was already another potential buyer coming in to buy it the next day.
now, this “dealership” was more like a piece of crap junkyard that refurbishes cars.
after long discussion, calling of numerous people who know about cars, and asking thorough questions about what could possibly be wrong with this car, the dealers assured me that the car had absolutely nothing wrong with it.
i did know of one thing… the headlights didnt work.
that said, i havent been able to drive at all really. until about 6pm then i head home. and i dont leave the house until 2-3pm. and if i go anywhere, it’s the grocery store or a few places up the road. i have not traveled long distances AT ALL.
a few days after i got the car off the lot, i was sitting in the parking lot of auto zone, because sure enough, the battery died the day i got home with the car.
while i was sitting there, the antifreeze canister exploded, meanwhile on the inside of the car, the hot and cold monitor was at a perfect level in between….
okay, so now we have a coolant problem..
i call the dealer and i say, “look, i know i bought the car and now it’s nothing i can do about it, let me know what the real problem with this car is”
his response
“i didnt really look at the car man we just got it up and running to get off the lot”
and he hung up.
basically admitted to fraudulence.
now, a few weeks after that, and minimal driving because anything longer than 10 minutes on the road the antifreeze explodes, the car is rough! it is rough riding.
i took it to get an analysis at a car shop and here is what all is wrong with it…
rear pads and rotor
struts all the way around
right front sway bar is completely broken to the point if i hit a pothole the tires would be off and i could potentially be killed or someone else could.
right and left inner and outer tire rods
coil
radiator
radiator hose
all of that together, is about 2000-3000 dollars.
and today, i was at the thrift store, and get ready to go home, and the car stops turning over and white smoke came out from the alternator.
and now the alternator is done.
i was just wondering if there is any law that i can get a reimbursement, sue the company, if there is a lemon law against this.
everyone is telling me that the sway bar is a big deal because i am a customer, not a mechanic, i am supposed to trust the dealer in knowing that if i drive the car i am going to be safe. there has to be a law against this fraudulence.
i had no idea any of this was wrong with it, like i said, it drove great off the lot.
please dont be cocky or say any dumb things about ford or how i should have known, i am literally just wondering if there is anything i can do.
i am going t read the laws for myself, but any adivse or knowledge on anyones end can really help.
thank you
to be frank, all of these problems did appear out of nowhere, do you think i am like two tracking in the woods trying to ruin the car to get a lawsuit? i am a college student with 2 jobs and i need as much of a break as i can get, and being a customer how am i supposed to know? i didnt know the headlights didnt work until i went to drive it the night i bought it and i couldnt drive.
and lets forget about the lemon law, say i am not qualified… is there anything i can do to take them to court?
is there a potential case against them, to perchance just get them to fix these things for free, or refund my money, or give me a new car, or something? i am willing to just get the car fixed, with the list of things that are wrong with it for free, they missrepresented the car with the ad and they misrepresented it in person by having a quick excuse to everything we pointed out and having no problem lying to our faces saying there is absolutely nothing wrong with the car. i havent drove but 25 miles if that since i bought the damn thing.
Best answer:
Answer by Terrance M
In most states you must take the car to a license mechanic before you purchase the item. If you did not than you cannot claim that the lemon law was violated. If you can prove that they misrepresented the car in any way, you may be able to take it back or have a judge reverse the sale. But if not, then your screwed.
It’s sold AS IS.
Some states has a 7 day policy, meaning if you took it to a mechanic within 7 days then you can declare it a lemon. However, we wouldn’t know this if we don’t know you state.
What do you think? Answer below!