Hi Scotty or the community,
We wanted to get my partner a decent used car that wasn't going to die in two months and its really her first car ever. Shes been a public transportation taker for forever and wanted a change. SO we found a dealership selling a used Yaris Ia for 12k. We went through the carfax and the worst thing there was "minor accident with cosmetic issues". It was a fleet vehicle with 84k miles on it. So we thought - not bad she can drive it around town - maybe at worst the starter goes whatever well get it fixed. We even brought it to my local mechanic. He looked it over and said it all looked good.
THEN! About 6 months after she purchased the car - it didn't start one winter day. Cool - yeah probably just the battery. We take it to the nearest Toyota dealer. Somehow THEY knew with their records that it was jumped backwards in 2022 and people had trouble starting it. So to get the car drivable its going to be 4k worth of electrical systems work. They do the work. Replaced wiring, computers/modules, I think one of the sparkplugs and coils. It took a month - they said they had to pull lots of off brand parts that weren't installed correctly and they think there was a bigger accident that wasn't reported to carfax. Ok - fine. The car worked perfectly fine until that day - but whatever I guess this stuff happens. We get the car back and three days later breakdown on the NJ turnpike. We lost speed and it wouldn't accelerate. Towed it back to AAA. AAA says its a coil and another sparkplug.
Im tired of dealing - but if thats it...ok whatever fine.
The tow truck guy, my mechanic and the toyota dealer mechanic say "sell the car". But its not going to sell - its just a huge debilitating loss that doesn't put us in another car. I mean it might sell - but for what over 10k less at least than we spent this year on the car.
I think we were bamboozeled and I want to find a lawyer to help make this right. Is that the right path here? Is that a reasonable path here?She wanted to spend 12k - the car ended up being 15. Then had 4k in repairs. Thats 19k which is a fortune to us - its financially debilitating and currently the car sits at our house and we don't know if it will make it down the road.
This is the worst used car buying experience Ive ever had. I bought cheaper cars - 2007 toyota matrix actually where I expected issues and repairs are cheap and Im back on the road. We thought if she spends 12k and gets in from a dealer that does their own inspections we can have a nice reliable car for driving around town. Boy were we wrong.
I would love - for this car to just work. We love the size and the city parking and the turning radius and console stuff. The engine seems totally fine. There was never any struggle or noise until that one day. But I would also love to know who has screwed us here and if there is anyone out there who has dealt with this and got made whole.
Best and thanks,
Al
I'd be more suspicious of the dealer that did the $4k of "fixes". If somebody fried the computer and the wiring, you would have a check engine light, lots of codes, and drivability problems right away, not 6 months later.
One of the biggest problems with taking a car to a new car dealer is that they have strong incentives to exaggerate the repair items and costs - then they can either get lots of cash for repairs, or even better, give you low-bucks on it as a trade in and sell you a new or used car while you are freaked out about your situation.
Thanks yeah. Im suspicious of all parties at this point.
The only reason she ended up at the Toyota dealer was because it look like the battery had died one winter day. It happens. So AAA picked it up and wouldn't work on it because they said the keyfob has a code on. Well since we had the car there has been a keyfob light on but it worked fine - kind of like how my Matrix always has a tire pressure dash light on. So she had it towed to the toyota dealer down the road from that - - - and they said it needed all of this work. I don't even know what to think anymore. They did their 4k worth of work on it and it still broke down. So I don't even know who to complain to or go after at this point. If a place tells me that 4k worth of work needs to happen to get the car working - and it still doesn't work is it them? Or is it the car is beyond screwed up? I don't really know.
But yeah thanks for the advice. That dealership isn't getting anything more out of us.
thanks,
Al
What kind of dealer did you buy the car from? New car dealer? Used car dealer? BHPH dealer?
Was there a written warranty provided, or was the car purchased as-is?
Laws vary by state of course but if this was an as-is sale it's going to be tough to do anything, in most cases deliberate fraud on the part of the seller would have to be proven. (If you believe fraud was involved you could report the dealer to your state Attorney General's office.)
If there was a warranty what are its terms?
Either way, lawyers are expensive. You might well spend as much or more on a lawyer as you would be able to recover, if you're able to recover. It's possible you could find a lawyer willing to at least give you an initial consultation at little or no charge.
Thanks Chuck,
It was from a used car dealership. The original warranty on the car was up. The car was purchased as is - but with way more problems than they let on. We wouldnt have gone anywhere near it understanding there was 4k plus dollars to fix and not to get it running. They went through carfax with us and none of this was on there. The damage is from a year before we bought the car. The toyota dealership knew and told us that --- the used car dealer did not.
Yeah I hope we can find a lawyer to at least consult with. 19k and no working car is financially ruinous for us.
Best
Al
You might want to contact your state's Attorney General Office and file a complaint. They should investigate and will let you know what your options are.