I HATE buying cars

[tinuviel_k]

I HATE buying cars. We just bought a used car, private party, and got totally screwed.

We have a decent used car, a Subaru. But it doesn't have any back headrests, and if anyone rides in the back seat it is really unsafe. We get around it with my daughter by having a high back booster, but soon she will outgrow it, and then we have a problem.

On Wednesday we looked at and bought what seemed like a really sound Volvo wagon, a 1998. I would have felt more comfortable getting a pre-inspection, but NO ONE is willing to do that here. Of course not: why would a private party seller be okay with a potential buyer taking the car overnight to their mechanic?
Well, the car looked decent and the guy seemed fine, and we bought the car for Blue Book value and took it in to our mechanic. Holy crap! The timing belt was done wrong and needs redoing:$575. The heater core is leaking: $560. The brakes need replacing and rotors need turning: $750. The spark plugs need replacing. The alignment needs repair... We are looking at freaking $2500 of repairs on a car we just paid $3900 for!

I am so upset.

[cschick]

Originally Posted by tinuviel_k

I HATE buying cars. We just bought a used car, private party, and got totally screwed.

We have a decent used car, a Subaru. But it doesn't have any back headrests, and if anyone rides in the back seat it is really unsafe. We get around it with my daughter by having a high back booster, but soon she will outgrow it, and then we have a problem.

On Wednesday we looked at and bought what seemed like a really sound Volvo wagon, a 1998. I would have felt more comfortable getting a pre-inspection, but NO ONE is willing to do that here. Of course not: why would a private party seller be okay with a potential buyer taking the car overnight to their mechanic?

That's kind of odd. When I was looking at used cars around here, it was not considered unusual. But mechanics around here also do (well, did, this was ten years ago) used car inspections that were just about $50. I did it a couple of times--set up an appointment with both the seller and the garage, brought the car over, had the inspection done in about an hour.

Of course, every single private party car I had inspected was a dud . . .

[happysmileylady]

Originally Posted by tinuviel_k

I HATE buying cars. We just bought a used car, private party, and got totally screwed.

We have a decent used car, a Subaru. But it doesn't have any back headrests, and if anyone rides in the back seat it is really unsafe. We get around it with my daughter by having a high back booster, but soon she will outgrow it, and then we have a problem.

On Wednesday we looked at and bought what seemed like a really sound Volvo wagon, a 1998. I would have felt more comfortable getting a pre-inspection, but NO ONE is willing to do that here. Of course not: why would a private party seller be okay with a potential buyer taking the car overnight to their mechanic?
Well, the car looked decent and the guy seemed fine, and we bought the car for Blue Book value and took it in to our mechanic. Holy crap! The timing belt was done wrong and needs redoing:$575. The heater core is leaking: $560. The brakes need replacing and rotors need turning: $750. The spark plugs need replacing. The alignment needs repair... We are looking at freaking $2500 of repairs on a car we just paid $3900 for!

I am so upset.

Why does a mechanic need it overnight to be looked at? My dad IS a mechanic and he looks over all the cars we buy, usually only takes about 30 minutes. Now, that 30 minutes isn't going to cover everything that could go wrong, but it would uncover the timing belt, and the plugs and the alignment at least, and he could tell if there's a brake issue just by driving it with us.

And, how much do you actually trust the mechanic you did go to? Because that seems like a lot of work and a lot of money...are you sure he isn't the one scamming you, saying that there's work that needs to be done that actually doesn't need to be done?

[nd_deadhead]

I would never, ever, ever, I repeat NEVER buy a used vehicle with having my trusted mechanic look it over first. I haven't ever had a problem doing this with a dealership; a private seller who won't let you get the car checked out has something to hide, and you don't want to buy from him in the first place.

And I agree with happysmileylady - a good mechanic should be able to check out a used car in less than an hour. Mine charges about $85 (I just had a used car inspected for my Mom in August).

The first time I bought a used vehicle from a dealership, my mechanic discovered that the engine was almost shot, and needed to be replaced. We still bought the truck, but for $1500 less than the original price (that was the price quoted for a rebuilt short block).

In another case, my mechanic told me that if we didn't buy the vehicle he was checking out for me at the price they wanted, let him know - HE wanted to buy it! I'm still driving that one, 12 years later.

I'm sorry you feel you got raked over the coals, and I'm sorry your good deal is turning out to be not such a good deal. I agree with you - buying a car IS a pain in the neck.

[tinuviel_k]

Yep, I absolutely trust my mechanic. After he tallied up all the needed repairs he advised us NOT to keep the car and not to have the repairs done, as it wouldn't be worth putting the money in to.
Unfortunately our mechanic is very popular and busy (because they are reliable and honest) and they need 24 hours notice to do a used car inspection as they are usually booked for the day. The car we bought was in a city 45 minutes away.

I won't be making this mistake again. Either a seller must be willing to let me get the car inspected or I won't buy it. I'll even be willing to give a $100 non-refundable deposit.

So here we are, with a $3900 car (plus $460 take and tabs, $120 battery, and $60 inspection) that needs $2100 in immediate repairs. And even then the mechanic said it might last only 30,000 miles before its next set of issues.

I don't know what to do. Invest the money in the car, cross our fingers, and hope it lasts another 75K miles? Try to sell it as a fixer at a big discount and lose $1500 cash? Either way we are out a lot of money.

[love4bob]

I'm sorry you had to deal with that! We also got screwed by buying from a private seller. We were constantly paying for repairs. We won't buy another car unless it is from a reputable dealership now.

[2cutiekitties]

You could do some research and see if you have money pit on your hands before you make the gamble.

http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/volvo/

[Rani]

CHECK THE LEMON LAWS IN YOUR STATE ASAP...if you just bought it like within the week, you may be able to return it and get all your money back. You can get the sheriff involved if they are bulky.

[texmati]

I feel for you. My DH got screwed with a brand new passat (drove it off the lot) right out of college. it was heartbreaking to sell it at a loss 2 years later, but it was completely unreliable. .

[texmati]

would you consider getting new headrests for your suburu?

http://www.partrequest.com/auto_parts_guide/H/headrest/Subaru

[Ellien C]

Originally Posted by Rani

CHECK THE LEMON LAWS IN YOUR STATE ASAP...if you just bought it like within the week, you may be able to return it and get all your money back. You can get the sheriff involved if they are bulky.

This is what I was thinking. find out if you can return it and get your money back.

[blessedwithboys]

I thought lemon laws only covered previously untitled vehicles?

[Mosaic]

What kind of mileage did it have? Honestly, getting another 75k miles out of a typical 12yo car without putting a lot of money into maintenance is very optimistic. I also think the KBB price seems really high, unless the car had virtually no mileage.

I hate to say it, but I speak from experience: don't throw good money after bad.

[Drummer's Wife]

I was also wondering how many miles it has in it, b/c I have a '98 Subaru and it's not likely to last very much longer. Like, I'd be surprised if it lasted 6 more months. It needs at least $1200 of work (though, it's driveable - I use it daily)... but even w/o the needed repairs, other things are bound to go out with a 12 yr old vehicle. I had an older Volvo before, too, and even though it was a nice car, it needed work done over the last couple years we had it. That's pretty typical, even with cars that tend to last longer.

Anyhow, that sucks... Mechanics here will do a check on-site for under $100. You could try to sell it, except that it's likely the buyer will also want a mechanic to look at it so either way you'll be out the difference in the cost to repair.

[Vaske]

Did you test drive it before you bought it? If it drove well enough then, probably it will still get you around a while, without all those repairs, before it dies for good. But I think you'd be better off trying to get headrests for the Subaru and unloading the Volvo asap, even if you have to just donate it to charity.

[HeatherAtHome]

Originally Posted by 2cutiekitties

You could do some research and see if you have money pit on your hands before you make the gamble.

http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/volvo/

Love that site! I just spent way too much time looking through all the negative comments on Ford Contours. If only I had seen that site 7 years ago! I'm happy with all the smilie faces in the Toyota Echo section though!

OP, good luck. I know what it's like to have a money pit of a car. Hope you find a way of getting your money back.

[mama_y_sol]

Originally Posted by texmati

would you consider getting new headrests for your suburu?

http://www.partrequest.com/auto_parts_guide/H/headrest/Subaru

This was my first thought as well. Sorry to hear you guys are in this position. We have all older cars, and they often need work. Thank goodness my dh can order all the parts and do the labor himself.

[UberMama]

Haven't read the previous posts, yet.

Do you trust the mechanic that diagnosed it with ALL of those issues?

I've never had a seller have issue with my taking a car somewhere OR bringing someone to look at it. My thought is, if they have issue with a mechanic looking at it, they are hiding something.

[surrogate]

Have you called the seller and told them what was going on? Chances are that they KNEW what the problems were and knowingly sold you a POS. i would tell them you want your $$ back or you are taking them to court!! No way I would keep that car without fighting the seller first!

[heymama1plus1]

As a buyer who ALWAYS gets a pre-purchase inspection, in all the cars we've sold over the years, NO ONE has ever gotten the car inspected. It boggles our mind!!! Of course we'd have no objections if they did, but no one ever does. No one has ever given us a hard time for getting inspections done as a buyer, though.

I'm pretty sure lemon laws only apply to cars sold from dealers; private sales are "as is" and "buyer beware".

As the seller of a used car (and we've sold a lot), if I wasn't aware of a problem with a car I sold and the buyer didn't get it inspected, if it turned out there was a problem I wouldn't refund the $$ and I'd be livid if someone took me to court. Of course, different story if I was being dishonest. But we're always very upfront and tell all we know and have our maintenance records (which no one wants to see either... amazing!).

I'd sell it at a loss, disclose what you know, and put the ugly mess behind you. Sorry that happened If the seller won't agree to an overnight inspection (how lucky you have a trustworthy mechanic!) than that's not the car for you.

Could you ask your mechanic if he/she knew someone reliable who could do quicker inspections for you? We've always been able to do same day inspections that lasted under an hour... seems like industry standard. So maybe your mechanic could refer you out... or it would light the fire under them to get you in and out quicker