Suing a dealership for knowingly selling a bad car?

Yeah good luck with that. I predict you lose based on the actual facts of the case.

You may have a chance in a small claims court atmosphere, depending on the judge.

If this dealership has bad reputation in the community, has a history of being sued and/or if they send some smart-mouthed employee that is going to tell the judge what the law is, then you have an outside chance of some reimbursement.

3 major things working against you

1) You would have to prove that they knew there were faults with the car before selling it to you.

2) You bought a car 'as-is' and waived the right to have an independent mechanic inspect it.

3) You get what you pay for. $4000 doesn't buy you a 'worry-free' car. This seems excessive, but as soon as you drove it off the lot without a warranty, everything is legally on you for future maintenance and repairs.

Next time negotiate a warranty or get it inspected before agreeing to purchase.

"It's a 2000 so it's not too old" Ha, it's a 13 year old car.

Let's cut through the crap. You bought a 13 -year old used car in "as is" condition. As a buyer, it was your responsibility to determine the condition of the vehicle BEFORE you bought it. You have no recourse against the seller. You expect a $4000 used car (really a $2000-$2500 car if you account for the dealer profit margin) to be as dependable as a new car. It ain't going to happen.

The key phrase is "knowingly selling". You don't know that the dealership knew anything about the car. Most dealers don't, and it's very difficult to prove. There is a risk when buying any used vehicle, the older and cheaper the price, the higher the risk. There's no law against selling a piece of crap car. The rule of law that applies here is "buyer beware".

It's not illegal to sell a piece of crap car. You must prove in court that the seller knew of these defects and intentionally misled you regarding the condition of the car.

Knowing full well that ALL used cars are sold AS-IS the buyer has very little recourse when it comes to making the wrong choice when they purchase a used car.

How could ANYONE buy a car with a bad transmission and not know if during the test drive. Transmissions just don't fail on an instant.

In all fairness,they couldn't have known all those things were going to go wrong when they sold you the vehicle. Second hand cars are always sold as seen which means you take responsibility for anything which does need fixing. The law may be different where you are but here in the UK,you wouldn't have a leg to stand on when it comes to suing. There is always a danger of buying a pup when you get a used vehicle and you can't necessarily judge by its' age..

You bought it "as is." Also, you said that when you go home, you "went to reverse and there was no reverse." Do you mean that you couldn't put the car into reverse? How did you miss this during the test drive? Yeah, I don't think there is much you can do except take this experience as a lesson.

About the only help for you is that you need to fix your van.

Out of all that you typed, nothing proves your case against that dealership.

Not that you had one.

Sounds like a trial for Judge Judy...

You signed a statement stating, "As is-no warranty. You will pay all costs for any repairs. The dealer assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any oral statements about this vehicle."

Just show me the car fax.

You need to contact a Products Liability lawyer familiar with the laws of your state. We can't answer your question as the liability laws vary with each state.