posted on May 27, 2001 03:41:56 PM
I bought a car on ebay which was described as being in excellent condition, as having 145000 miles, and as being an "8 1/2 out of 10". The car had transmission problems within 300 miles of the pickup point, requiring replacement of the trans, (an unsuccessful wrecking yard swap) and subsequent inspections reveal that the compression is low and uneven, the timing belt is soaked with oil from major oil leaks, the heater core had been bypassed, and worst of all, a carfax report says that this car had 198500 miles on it as of 06/06/08.So far, have tried direct contact with the seller, in which he refuted almost all my claims, I've tried Square Trade, to which he did not respond, I'm in the process of filing a fraud claim and a safe harbor claim, but I've not yet left any feedback. What should I do? So far I've spent well over $3000.00 trying to get this car to a point where I can sell it with good conscience, yet it still isn't right! (Fair market value is less than $5000.00)
posted on May 27, 2001 04:16:22 PM
it is definitely illegal to turn back the odometer on a car. call the police or local prosecutor in his area and you may be able to get some help.
you could file in small claims court due to that item alone and get up to 3 times your damages or the limit the state allows in small claims court.
posted on May 27, 2001 04:36:29 PM
Yes, it's illegal to turn back an odometer but you have to prove he's the one that did it. A car with 145k on it is sure to need work and if it's a small car it's probably near the end of it's useful life. I don't think you will find anyone willing to do anything unless he's a dealer. You can file a complaint with the state licenseing department then.
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