Woman seeking advice on recently purchased used car GOING BAD?
I bought a 2002 Ford Crown Vic. It had only 88,000 miles and was in good condition. I was told the maintenance had been kept up and I believe it since it was a police vehicle. I was told that the deals mechanic took a look and everything checks out fine.
Now, though, the car makes this bad rubber-burning smell whenever I drive it and white smoke sporadically comes out of the right side of the hood.
The dealer did not offer a warrently and I had to sign a "I agree to accept this car as is with no warranty"
I feel like a fool now. But, if there is something seriously wrong, can the dealer be in trouble for selling me a bad car? I feel like such a fool. I'm 20 and don't know much about cars, I was just thrilled to buy one and now all the money I had been savings for a car for me and my daughter has gone down the drain is there's something big wrong.
fire45112010-03-07T19:05:20Z
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You bought a used car as-is. That means that you have to pay for any and all repairs that are needed now, or in the future. The dealer is not responsible for any repairs.
You could have, and should have, had the car checked by your own mechanic prior to purchase. As it is, you did not and now have no one to blame but yourself.
Take they car to a qualified mechanic and see what the problem is, it sounds like a pulley is locking up, and the serpentine belt is smoking.
On my As- Is form, there is actually a line that says:
I understand that anything that happens to the vehicle after I take possession is my responsibility. If the vehicle breaks in half, I own both pieces.
There is no such thing as a bad car. If a car is really, really old, there could be a few expensive items, but not at 88,000 miles.
A rubber burning smell could just be oil leaking on the exhaust, or a exhaust hanger touching a hot pipe. A loose belt or bad idler. Nothing even close to serious.
Most cars do not have a warranty, and only 30 days at most. New cars do, but you pay more than twice for the car, and that is not worth it. Never buy a new car.
If there is something serious, it would have had to have been from an accident, and he should have disclosed any major accidents. But anything can be fixed, and I am sure they will try to make good on it. But you will need to get someone who knows about cars enough to convince them. You could demand to know where the car was maintenanced, so you can see its records. Or you can look for body repair evidence, like over spray, new part, dents or ripples underneath, etc.
Just don't be unreasonable. He will want to keep your business if possible. But be firm if there is a real problem. The smoke and smell is not enough. You need to open the hood and pinpoint what you want done more. For example, is there a leaky valve cover gasket, a wheel well rubbing on a tire, smoking belt, etc. They will probably fix it. It won't cost them a cent probably, because they have used parts they can use.
if your are lucky the following is wrong the tension pulley bearing is bad and the pulley is locking up ( common on fords ) causing the rubber smell and the white smoke may be from the belt itself see the below Reference however, it can be any of the items that the belt runs on. if you have a friend that can do basic mechanical work this repair is easy. Next DO NOT EVER BUY from a dealer that doesn't offer some warranty most real good ones offer at least 30 days. Also, as a note police vehicles are very hard driven and they also sit and idle for long periods so the mileage is not accurate to the wear they receive on the brake systems and drive train
Any time you buy a used car you should take it to an independent mechanic (one that YOU pay) and get the car inspected, too late now though. Police cars live a very hard life, endless hours of idling, at accident scenes, traffic stops, etc. though the mileage is relatively low, the car is likely quite worn out. With any used car you need to be prepared to do some maintenance. Take it to a mechanic, see what needs to be fixed. Next time look for a nice, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, or a Mazda, they will last a long time and be more economical to operate.
Just approximately the one "hindrance" you'll convey up is that if there a few gigantic defense object that was once destined to kill someone and the prior proprietor knew approximately it and bought it besides (no disclosure). Other than that that's why you get a mechanic to seem into the auto. Did you get a mechanic on advice or at the least expensive bidder? Did he lay out what he might assess? Or did he simply poke round willy nilly? The unhappy truth is that given that you had it inspected earlier than you purchased it, although dossier a regulation swimsuit the prior proprietor will declare that the ones issues did NOT exist on the time of sale. In one other phrases, you gave him his protection. === In average you're virtually caught with it. Sorry to provide the unhealthy information. Good News. P.S. People often promote automobiles BECAUSE it demands fix.