Bought car from dealer, after two weeks, breaks down. Legal options.?

Question

I bought a 97 Pontiac Sunfire from a licensed dealer. No interest, sold as is, however there is a lemon law in NC that protects consumers from being sold bad cars. Anyway, the shifter cable snapped, and I called my dealer. He arranged for a tow truck and arranged to have the car fixed. I just now found out after the fact that the only part of the expense he's paying for is the replacement part which he is asking me to pay him back on. Not labor, not the towing bill. I also found out he charged me $185 for temporary tags which I shouldn't have been obligated to pay. I went to pay the first months bill yesterday and he gave me the figure $185 when I asked him what I owed him. After paying that he informed me that the sum was for temp tags not the actual car payment and demanded another $150 for the car payment. So now I have to pay towing, labor for the car, the replacement part, temp tags and this is all before the first payment was due. And now he's adamant that I pay the $150 when the car is currently in the shop. He hasn't alerted me as of yet on how much the repairs are going to cost or how much its going to cost for the towing to get it out. I've already put down a $750 down payment and paid the $185 for the temp tags and now I have all these added costs that I shouldn't have to pay for in the first place. What are my legal options to be reimbursed for these costs and do I have a case?

Really ? · Accepted Answer

What part of AS IS did you fail to understand? You own the car, repairs and all without a case of any kind.

xx_satanic_mechanic_xx · Answer

"I bought a 97 Pontiac Sunfire from a licensed dealer. No interest, sold as is"

ALL THE REST IS FLUFF.

Legal rights?  You have the right to fix it, not fix it, sell it, keep it, junk it, turn it into a modern art piece.

"added costs that I shouldn't have to pay for in the first place" - well who should pay for them?  You bought the car AS IS.  The dealer has no obligation to pay for anything.  Not even a light bulb.  Everything that is wrong with the car either happened (a) before you bought, and you accepted the vehicle with those flaws, or (b) in your possession, in which case you foot the bill.  In either case, no one has any legal obligation to pay for the repair bills except you.

You DONT have any legal grounds to get reimbursed for repairing YOUR car.

Want a warranty that covers everything?  Buy new.

There is a reason a 15 year old car is so cheap you know.

? · Answer

Sorry, but the Lemon Law does not have any effect on a Used Car.  They are Sold As Is, Where Is.  Also the Lemon Law is only for new cars, and not for one breakdown.  In order for the Lemon law to come into effect, you must have the same problem and have documented trips back to the Dealer Multiple times to have it Apply.
As for the other monies you have spent, it is your car now, and cars are expensive to maintain.  Next time you purchase a car, have it checked by a competent Auto Repair Shop in order to access its true condition..  $50-100. on an inspection can save you Hundreds later on.

Anonymous · Answer

None whatsoever. You bought a 15 year old used car AS-IS. You have no warranty, you are liable for the cost of repairing the vehicle. There is no lemon law that covers a 15 year old used car.

Old Man Dirt · Answer

Lemon laws are not for used cars. The fact is that you bought a car as is and with no warranty.
Here is a link that explains other issues that could be used:
http://www.lemonjustice.com/lemon-law/NC_lemon_law_used.php
As for temp tags charges and the like, contact some one that deals with consumer complaints and car dealership licensing.

David G · Answer

There is no case. You said it yourself that you purchased it as-is which means no warranty whatsoever. The Buyer's Guide you signed states, "YOU WILL PAY ALL COSTS FOR ANY REPAIRS. The dealer assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any oral statements about the vehicle."

? · Answer

You've been given bad information to go with your bad car.

Legal Options ? Do you want to spent $75-100 so a judge can laugh at you and throw the case out ?

Welcome to the real world of $750 down cars.

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Bought car from dealer, after two weeks, breaks down. Legal options.?

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