Could I be at fault for selling this car on craigslist?

Question

First, we are expecting our 3rd child so we needed to purchase a family minivan. We found one on craigslist and bought it for $1500. As dumb as it was we did not test drive the car and obviously later found out it had a shake to it. We took it to a mechanic and he just drove it and said he would say it needed a front driver's side wheel bearing and axle. He didn't do too much looking anywhere else since we know him and just really wanted to know the shaking problem. Well, we were offered a van from relative that was nicer so we put our van back on craigslist to resell. Only 3 weeks later. Well, we took it to show someone who brought a mechanic who checked it out did find other problems they test drove it and he decided to buy it and we took $900 for it so we took a big loss. Well he calls today and says there are all these other problems which he found after having it looked at by 3 mechanics and says we sold him a dangerous vehicle and he wants his $ back plus he spent 800 fixing it today. He said that the 3rd mechanic found newspaper and glue holding things in but we knew nothing about this it was inspected and we drove our family around in it. It is a used car and he had a mechanic give him the go ahead are we really at fault somehow here? If it goes to court do u think we will be at fault? thanks!

Update:

2 wrongs don't make a right? I didn't sell him a bad car knowingly. I told him it had mechanical issues. I didn't think you could really buy a car for $900 and expect more. I don't think he will win in court since I am not a dealership therefore no warranty or anything is implied you are buying the car as is nothing else that is what i did.

Lux · Accepted Answer

You were responsible for maintaining it while you actually owned it, so it is somewhat your fault. However, the guy who bought it from you brought a mechanic with him and had it inspected. He should have known what he was getting into. Since the problems were also a result from the owner before you, he or she is also responsible for the vehicle and should be a defendant as well if any action is taken. I wouldn't give the guy the money back, because he should have known, and you're not a car dealer that offers warranties and service. Don't give the money back unless he takes you to court over this. If you give the money back just because you feel bad, he can still go after you, and you have him a free car.

gearhead4 · Answer

Caveat Emptor. This is latin for "buyer beware" which is the rule of thumb for all used car purchasers.
The buyer of that minivan has his chance to inpect the vehicle and apparently took advantage of it when he brought along a mechanic.
You cannot be held accountable unless you purposely hid a problem that you knew about. If it goes to court, the buyer must prove that you knew about the problem(s) or made false claims about the mileage, etc. That is very hard to prove.

The Auto Evaluator™ · Answer

Laws will actually vary per State, however if you did not know of the issues on the car prior to it's sale and did not attempt to conceal them, you're pretty much in the clear. It's a $900 car and he should have had the car appraised or evaluated prior to purchasing. It was HIS job. Good luck and I hope this helps.

Wade C · Answer

HE bought the car, even had a mechanic look at it and HE test drove and decided to buy it. you are in no way at fault. if you feel "guilty" you can offer to buy it back at what he paid for it but in no way pay for repair he already has done. its an as is vehicle. you bought it and lost out and He bought it and lost out. that's the way things go sometimes with CL cars

trevordawley · Answer

you are not at fault.  anytime you sell a used car via private party, it is considered sold "as is".  They buyer cannot do anything, because you did not promise any kind of warranty.  He is just gonna have to get over it and he can only be mad at himself for buying a broken van.

Hank Scorpio · Answer

Tell him to "F*** OFF".  He can yell at his mechanic if he wants to.  Basically he's trying to scam you.  

Newspaper and glue?  Holding what together?  Nothing.  Not possible.

hy · Answer

in case you agreed he ought to return the motor vehicle interior 24 hours, then you certainly owe the guy $2500. you should be sued. it is going to postpone in court docket because of the fact it has the climate of a criminal settlement. Now you be attentive to why used vehicles are bought "as is".

=) · Answer

Technecally you dont have to give him the 800$ he spent fixing it he used his money to fix it and it was his choice to fix it before he attempted to get his money back so therfor that is his fault but you should give his money back (the original 900$) and tell him that he didnt need to fix it if he was planning to try and get his money back so therfor it is his fault for wasting that 800 bucks

primalclaws1974 · Answer

Two wrongs don't make a right. And if you were the legal owner, it is your obligation to make sure it is legally safe enough to sell. To answer: Yes, you had better give the guy back his money or he could sue and get you in criminal court, as well.

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Could I be at fault for selling this car on craigslist?

9 Answers