A total lemon in every sense of the word

[billemt2005]

I live in Minnesota, and bought a car from a small car dealership in Feb. of 2006. The day I bought it, it ended up back in his shop to repair some electrical problem with the shifting. Shortly after that, the check engine light came on, so I had that looked at. A vaccum hose was broken, and fixed, but then another problem showed up. The intake manifold gasket needed replacement, and the power steering pump is leaking. After fixing the manifold gasket, the battery seemed weak. Turns out, that the sensor for the daytime driving lights is bad, and draws the battery down when the car sits in direct sun light. Also, when it rains, I end up with a 1/2 inch of water on the floor, and cannot figure out where it's coming in at. The O2 sensor is also bad now, and the front end needs alot of suspension work. I refuse to put more money into this lemon, and the dealer claims he doesn't have the cash flow to buy it back. Any suggestions out there????

[averad]

Did you buy the car as-is?
Do you have a warrenty?
Did you have a inspection done?
Did you test drive the car?
Was this a used car?

[xylene]

Originally Posted by billemt2005

I live in Minnesota, and bought a car from a small car dealership in Feb. of 2006. The day I bought it, it ended up back in his shop to repair some electrical problem with the shifting. Shortly after that, the check engine light came on, so I had that looked at. A vaccum hose was broken, and fixed, but then another problem showed up. The intake manifold gasket needed replacement, and the power steering pump is leaking. After fixing the manifold gasket, the battery seemed weak. Turns out, that the sensor for the daytime driving lights is bad, and draws the battery down when the car sits in direct sun light. Also, when it rains, I end up with a 1/2 inch of water on the floor, and cannot figure out where it's coming in at. The O2 sensor is also bad now, and the front end needs alot of suspension work. I refuse to put more money into this lemon, and the dealer claims he doesn't have the cash flow to buy it back. Any suggestions out there????

Key Questions-

What kind of car is this?
What year of car is this?

MOST IMPORTANT

Did you buy this car NEW or USED?

[racer72]

Lemon laws do not apply to used vehicles in your state. Enjoy your purchase.

[cdstone29]

i recently had a similar situation with a used car i bought. i got legal advice from several attorney's and instead of using the lemon law, try using your state's consumer protection laws. a good attorney will either get your money and/or trade in back or will take them to court and the dealership could lose more than just the cost of the car. there has been several examples where the court awards more than the value of the disputed item to send a message to others who would try to fraud customers. in my case, i just mentioned that i was seeking legal advice and something about consumer protection laws and saw results before having to go to court. not everybody knows about these laws and businesses seem to fail to mention them on big purchases. if the dealership decides to do the right thing, be sure you get back all money you personally invested also.

[billemt2005]

Thanks for the responses. I have been in contact with the dealership, and he says he can only give me about 1/2 what I paid for the car, otherwise he would be more than willing to make a trade for anything on his lot. Sure....I have no money to put down on another car, as I bought this one on a cash deal with my tax return and alot of overtime at work. What it all boils down to is that I lose 1400.00, because the car is not worth keeping.
As for the other reply questions...it's a 1997 Pontiac Grand Am GT....a very sharp looking car, but that's as far as it goes....it's a complete nightmare!!! Yes...I bought it AS IS....but I have bought many cars in my lifetime....some for 500.00 and not had near the problems, so the dealer should have made this right with me....to keep me satisfied, and his business in good standing, as it is a fairly small community, and word gets out.

[BL]

Originally Posted by billemt2005

Thanks for the responses. I have been in contact with the dealership, and he says he can only give me about 1/2 what I paid for the car, otherwise he would be more than willing to make a trade for anything on his lot. Sure....I have no money to put down on another car, as I bought this one on a cash deal with my tax return and alot of overtime at work. What it all boils down to is that I lose 1400.00, because the car is not worth keeping.
As for the other reply questions...it's a 1997 Pontiac Grand Am GT....a very sharp looking car, but that's as far as it goes....it's a complete nightmare!!! Yes...I bought it AS IS....but I have bought many cars in my lifetime....some for 500.00 and not had near the problems, so the dealer should have made this right with me....to keep me satisfied, and his business in good standing, as it is a fairly small community, and word gets out.

Is the Dealer a BBB member ? Maybe use that angle .

What about a trade the Dealer Offered ? If you do try and get some guaranties in writing .

[teflon_jones]

Originally Posted by racer72

Lemon laws do not apply to used vehicles in your state. Enjoy your purchase.

I rarely disagree with you racer, but in this case, while you're technically correct, MN has very good used car warranty laws.

[url]http://www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/cars/MNCarlaws/MNCarLaws_2.htm[/url]