Sold a wrecked vehicle Help!?

Question

My husband bought a truck from a dealer. He asked if it had been wrecked and for a carfax(she never got to it) she said it had not been wrecked. We later found out it was in front end collsion with another car(about$5000 in damages). The car dealer will not deal and says they do not have to disclose this info as long as it is not certified pre-owned. I have filed a complaint with the DMV but don't know where to go from here???

Answer 1

Contact the better business bureau in your area to go to bat for you.

Answer 2

you are stuck with the car

Answer 3

Unless the dealer stated in writing that the truck had not been wrecked, you have no case. Most likely the answer to the question was "not that I know of", that your husband assumed to mean "no".

Did you have the truck checked by your own mechanic prior to purchase? If so, why did the mechanic miss the repair? If not, why not?  If the carfax report was so important, he should not have signed the papers without it!

Unless the dealer bought the truck damaged and had the repairs done themselves, they do not have to disclose prior damage. In many cases the dealer may not even know that the damage was done!

Is there a problem with the truck, or is it just that it had a prior repair?  If there is a problem, it may be repaired under warranty. If it is just the fact that there was prior damage, then you should enjoy your truck!

Answer 4

If your in california you can sue the dealer to get your money back. I dont know about any other states where you can do this

Answer 5

Much as I hate to say this - your best bet is to get some local, professional legal advice.

Different states have different laws concerning this practice. Rather it was "certified pre-owned" or not has no legal basis for not disclosing prior vehicle damage.

Certified Pre-Owned is a dealer's policy, not a legal one.