Today we purchased a used car at Carmax and gave'em our trade in. After they came back with the appraisal, they told us that the car we were trading in had frame repair and numerous other things. When we purchased the car we traded in, we were not told that the car was in a collision of that sort and had frame work done on it, which from what I hear is illegal to withold such information when a dealership sells a used car. Now what I'm wondering is, can we take legal action against that dealership, or am I just screwed?

I personally that my fiancee has a VW that was under factory warranty, as well as extended pre-owned warranty, and it had collision damage that the dealership did not disclose. VW of America, as well as the dealer, seem to not care.

I did a lot fo searching and couldn't find any meaningful info, maybe if you contact your local Better Business Bureau, state Attorney General, or the DMV they might be able to get you the info.

you're screwed. used cars are sold "as is"

It's all going to change, resale places like carmax actually have standards, so the old cliche of used car salesmen will disappear. Sorry you got screwed.

One think I do before unloading a car (and certainly would do if I was contemplating buying a used one) is run a CarFax report on it. If I were buying from a dealership I would demand that they produce one before I buy it. Private sellers should have one available too but if they don't, definately run your own.

All that said I don't know that it would have helped in the OP's case... "bad frame repair" gives me the impression of a backyard job which of course wouldn't show up on the report. One thing a coworker does whcih is a PITA but WOULD have helped in this case is pay a dealership or other shop $50 or $100 to look over the potential used car and list issues.

virginia has a 3-day right of recision rule in which you can go back on a contract within the 1st 3-days. you might want to talk to a lawyer because i dont know all the specifics of that rule.

Trog,

I have known several people who have had the exact same experience with CarMax. Got an appraisal from them, when it came time to purchase the "new" car, all of a sudden the car they were trading in had been in an accident. I'm wondering did they still take your automobile and offer you substantially less? On average, you can realize $1,000 to $5,000 more on a car you sell yourself than trading it in. Another dealership trick is to wait until you're ready to sign the final paperwork and pump the interest rate up a 1/2% or so for some miscellaneous reason. By the point in the buying process, most people are exhausted and don't bother to argue.

Good luck.

Does Your Mother Know You're Out of Bed and on the Computer?

Actually I really wouldn't be surprised if Carmax was telling the truth in this case. The car we traded in was a 2000 Neon, baseline really, not fancy at all. The place we bought the Neon from was EXTREMELY shady. I think it's Auto Express out on the way to Manassas Park. At the time our credit sucked so we were having a hard time getting any financing. At the time we sold it, the blue book on the Neon was about $2500 (without us knowing it had bad damage), Carmax gave us $1200. We actually bought the car at 1000 or so under blue book, so who knows.

We both already knew that we shouldn't have told them we had a trade in until we got the #'s set but at the time my wife was still recovering from a trip to the hospital (and it was her car so she HAD to be there). And we couldn't really sell it ourselves because at the time it's our only car (the AC compressor in my car is totally seized and busted the S-Belt). So we really didn't have a whole lot of options. Either way, I'm much happier with the car we have now, and all in all, I was happy with the experience I had at Carmax. I'm just pissed the previous place didn't tell us the Neon had frame welds and other things done to it.

It really sucks to know you've been taken and there's nothing you can do about it. In Maryland, a car that has been salvaged (totalled previously by an insurance company) is sold with a SALVAGE title. This is not the case in Pennsylvania, I'm not sure about Virginia.

I realize it's all water under the bridge now. Sometime's it's easier and healthier to choose the path of least resistance - nothing wrong with that. Sounds like you've got your priorities squarely in order. Take good care of the wife!

don't mean to be an ass but you actually purchased a dodge neon. what do you expect

now now. I knew better. But the wife thought the Dodge Neon was "cute".

I have rented Neons before for travel... fine for that but not something I'd want to drive every day in.

CERT love to be screw... OK if car dealer!

Here's the tip: Before you go to the dealership, it is always better to get pre-approved on an auto loan and do some homework. You can get some help with a website I used. Sellers are always pressuring you to buy on your first visit, and you also can do that for those who have already done your homework. How many times have you expected more details about a pre-owned or new car and turned to an online search on ”auto financing credit?” Your search is over, all the details you must have is located at CarDealExpert.com! This is to shun that incident from happening again.

A used car dealer ripped someone off. So what else is new?

Are you a troll? I cant imagine how anyone could be stupid enough to a) buy a Neon b) buy a car from Carmax c) buy without first checking a history report.

Thats a stupidity trifecta of please dont breed proportions.

A lot of carmax vehicles are past rental cars. Cars which ares used and abused.


Carfax + craigslist + mechanic + cash = winning

Better prices, no BS fees, and you can meet the past owner. If it's an arab or nig, I don't even bother taking a look at the car. Arabs are the worst.

Don't bother with the Better Business Bureau. They have no power, they can write negatives on their website, but ripoff report is better. Also, businesses can pay them for favorable ratings.

We traded in our Toyota to purchase a new one. The Carfax report stated that it had been in an accident 2 years prior which was completely inaccurate (I think I'd remember an accident). The dealership told me it was next to impossible to get a Carfax report corrected. Google it and read the numerous reports about Carfax inaccuracies. It's all a racket and nobody ever admits to an error.

Trogdor the Burninator Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Today we purchased a used car at Carmax and
> gave'em our trade in. After they came back with
> the appraisal, they told us that the car we were
> trading in had frame repair and numerous other
> things. When we purchased the car we traded in,
> we were not told that the car was in a collision
> of that sort and had frame work done on it, which
> from what I hear is illegal to withold such
> information when a dealership sells a used car.
> Now what I'm wondering is, can we take legal
> action against that dealership, or am I just
> screwed?

Being screwed by a used car dealer is not newsworthy. Not being screwed by a UCD is!

Advertising Troll of the Century :: Jessica Compton

She takes a thread from 2005 and re-posts to it

just to promote her website. She could not find a thread from 1997 to hijack?


NICE !! Please delete her from existence...