Used car woes

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monkeysgirl

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I hope I'm posting this in the right forum...
My brother bought his first car from one of those "buy here, pay here" places for people with bad/no credit that is actually owned by the same people who own the local Lexus dealership (big mistake, but he had no credit due to not buying a car from a dealer before or owning a credit card). The cars come with a 6 month/6,000 mile warranty that they brag about covering everything. These cars "supposedly" go through the same "rigorous" inspection that pre-owned Lexus go through (as advertised on TV and radio). He was told that if he ever had any problems with the vehicle, he needed to speak with the salesman that sold him the car. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for him to start having problems with it. He tried contacting the salesman several times. He was put off for 5 days, during which he had to go get the car repaired ($150) elsewhere due to him having 2 jobs and needing the vehicle in working condition. He thought it was shady that the salesguy blew him off, but he let it go (he did let them know about having the car repaired due to them not calling him back).He started having different problems with the car 2 months after that, and once again, contacted the dealership. Again, his calls were ignored. Again, he had to have the vehicle fixed out of pocket. Now, he is having serious problems with the vehicle. This time, he went to the dealership and demanded to talk to the manager. The manager says that the salesguy is no longer there, they had numerous problems with him, but they aren't going to correct his mistakes. And now, "Because the car is now right at the 6,000 mile point, we can't do anything for you, but don't worry about your wheel flying off on the interstate, you'll hear a thumping sound before it does and you'll have time to pull over." I kid you not, this is what the manager said. Nevermind the fact that my brother has documentation from various mechanics showing that the car had problems prior to the 6,000 mile limit, and nevermind the fact that the person he was supposed to be dealing with avoided his phone calls. The transmission is going out, the engine is whining, it leaks antifreeze like crazy, the brakes are going out, among other things. All on a car he bought 6 months ago with a warranty, from a company that supposedly put it through a highly detailed inspection.

He has been sent from person to person within the company, and today, he was given two options:

1. He can have the car inspected (by their company), and they will repair it and put the cost of repairs at the end of the note, or,

2. If the repairs cost more than the value of the car, they will take the car back, sell him another car, and get this, put the remaining $4,500 he owes on the piece of crap on the note for the new car....even though he would have to give it back!

To me, this is absolutely ridiculous. Am I wrong to think this? Does he have the right to the original inspection that the company did? Does he have any legal ground to stand on? I know that since the car is used, the lemon law does not apply. My issue is with the way they won't stand behind a vehicle that was not sold "As is." He's young, and made the mistake of not car-shopping with somebody with experience in this. The manager actually told him, "Look, we can't go back and fix what the original salesguy did, but we're trying to move forward and help you out here."

Sorry so long... Thanks in advance.
 
He could try a suit in small calims court, but first I would contact you local TV news. They love this kind of thing. And the problem is that even if he does win in court, it won't stop them from doing this to other people.
 
I'm in the same boat. Car financed by "reputable" company who knew the car had frame damage and is worth basically ZERO! And I still owe 13k on the car. I am now unemployed, paying on a worthless vehicle that is dangerous to drive and has other problems too. AND the dealership went out of business weeks after I bought the car! I'm stuck and if I find out anything I will post it here. Anyone want to join in a class action suit?
 
The manager's statement would be laughable if it was not so serious. He is THEIR EMPLOYEE they absolutely have responsibility for what he does. Sue them based on your Limited warranty and then they will be more reasonable when they come to the table to negotiate. If you don't know how to do that respond and I"ll give you some detail.
 
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