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Vehicle purchase via private seller whose information is not documented

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cristalnicole

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

I purchased a vehicle from a private seller. I test drove the vehicle, looked under the hood, and asked if there were any issues at all with the car. The car ran well, everything under the hood was fine, and the seller said there was nothing wrong with vehicle at all.

I agreed to purchase the car and the seller provided the paperwork. I received a few documents stapled together which included the original title, a bill of sale to an auto auction, another bill of sale to a dealership, a bill of sale to a second dealership, and finally a bill of sale from the last dealership and the owner information was left blank. When I asked the seller about this he stated that I would fill in the information and turn it in to the DMV.

I asked how I would know if there was nothing wrong with the vehicle since he stated there were no service records. He said that he drove it and had a mechanic look at it and everything was fine. He then stated if I noticed anything wrong with the vehicle that I should contact him so his mechanic could look at.

Five days after the purchase coolant leaked into the vehicle on the passenger side soaking the carpet in the front and back seat. I contacted the seller and explained what was happening. He said it was a simple fix and he'd send his mechanic to my location to fix it and it would only be $40. He also said not to drive it or it would cause damage to the engine. No one ever showed up. The seller is not responding when I contact him.

Is there anything I can do legally?

The only information I have is his first name, address, and telephone number. None of which is on any of the documents I have for the vehicle.
 


swalsh411

Senior Member
Did the seller provide either of the following:

-a written warranty

-a valid smog certificate

You should have had the car inspected by your own mechanic by the way.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
I don't know that the transfer was valid - the seller (the guy that sold it to you) never registered it in his name.

With that said, the mechanical issue isn't what (might) save you. A heater core can fail in an instant and the seller would have no way of doing it. Nothing is wrong until something is wrong...
 

CSO286

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

I purchased a vehicle from a private seller. I test drove the vehicle, looked under the hood, and asked if there were any issues at all with the car. The car ran well, everything under the hood was fine, and the seller said there was nothing wrong with vehicle at all.

<snip>

I asked how I would know if there was nothing wrong with the vehicle since he stated there were no service records. He said that he drove it and had a mechanic look at it and everything was fine. He then stated if I noticed anything wrong with the vehicle that I should contact him so his mechanic could look at.
<snip>

Is there anything I can do legally?

The only information I have is his first name, address, and telephone number. None of which is on any of the documents I have for the vehicle.
Hmmm....How could you know if the car was in good working order????

Take it to YOUR mechanic for a once over, maybe??
 

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