frame damage

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Jurisdiction

Florida

I bought a used car from a person, not a dealer, she said nothing was wrong with the car. I drove it and heard some weird sound coming from the car. I brought it to a mechannic and he told me, he can not repair this car, it has frame damage that can not be repaired. The car is a loss. i tried to contact the owner to get my money back, do i have any rights

 

[Michael Wechsler]

You can try small claims court but you're going to have a very difficult time. I can't believe that you didn't even turn on the car and go for a drive in the car with the owner before agreeing to purchase the vehicle. We don't know what was represented to you, the type of damage the car has and whether the owner knew the extent of the damage. Others may have a different opinion but here is what the Florida State Attorney General has to say on used car sales. You buy a car "as-is" and without a written warranty or representation from a private car owner, you're going to have little or no remedies available to you.

 

[txls]

Hopefully you didn't pay much for it. You may be able to get a few bucks from a salvage yard.

 

[Highwayman]

The time to take it to mechanic is BEFORE you purchase it.

In general, private-party sales are "as is" so it's all your problem now.