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not sure if this is the best forum for this post, so mods, please move it if there is a more appropriate one (i couldn't find it).
ok, so i got screwed recently and this is how it happened. btw i'm in los angeles.
back in june of last year i purchased a used suzuki forenza 2008 for roughly $7500. prior to buying it i hired an inspection service that promised to do a thorough inspection.
on the day of the purchase, when i got to the lot the inspector was already in the office of the dealer, busy chit chatting with them. i asked him if he had done the inspection and he said "oh yeah i got under the car and everything, it all looks good". we then did a test drive and he again said everything looks good, but nothing that i couldn't have figured out on my own.
today, i found out the head gasket has blown and will cost $3000 to replace, and the radiator which has also burst will need $600. this is from my uncle who owns a car garage so i trust his word. there are also other gear shifting issues which happen intermittently and an oil leak which had to be fixed a few months back.
the reason i didn't take it to him for the very first inspection before buying is that his garage is quite a distance away from where i purchased the car, and at the time i was in a rush to get a car since i had started a new job.
do i have grounds to sue? i am so mad right now that i would like to sue both the dealer and the inspector, who i strongly suspect was in cahoots with the dealer.
1. This was a "Buy Here Pay Here" dealership. In other words, they specialize in screwing people over, and are experts at it.
2. There is more wrong with the car than you know.
3. It also has a salvage title.
You'll have to decide whether or not you want to fix the car, but the bottom line is that you'll be left holding the bag. This dealership has undoubtedly done this hundreds (or thousands) of times, and they have their butts covered. If you signed anything that said, "As Is - No Warranty" you're pretty much out of luck.
1. This was a "Buy Here Pay Here" dealership. In other words, they specialize in screwing people over, and are experts at it.
2. There is more wrong with the car than you know.
3. It also has a salvage title.
You'll have to decide whether or not you want to fix the car, but the bottom line is that you'll be left holding the bag. This dealership has undoubtedly done this hundreds (or thousands) of times, and they have their butts covered. If you signed anything that said, "As Is - No Warranty" you're pretty much out of luck.
1. yes
2. my uncle's garage mechanics have looked it over thoroughly and concluded that it's a total piece of junk
3. i did a carfax before buying and verified that it wasn't a salvage title
anyway, i suspect you are correct. at this point i want to just hit back in some way, but of course i don't want to lose any more money than i already have.
i'll certainly leave a bad yelp review, but can i cause them any sort of trouble? perhaps report them to the DMV or something? anything that would alert future buyers to not buy from them?
Beyond the blown head gasket & radiator problem, what all have they determined to be wrong with it?
they said it was "leaking all over", coolant, oil, etc. i didn't get a detailed listing of all the issues because in any case i'm not going to spend the money to fix up the car.
but if you think it would help me get some of my money back, then i'd be happy to listen to any advice and get a full listing of all the problems.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Read the receipt from the inspection guy, and no doubt it will have a disclaimer. He will insist that there was nothing wrong with it when he inspected it, but no one can predict a future failure. Sometimes reviews from other owners are helpful.
back in june of last year i purchased a used suzuki forenza 2008 for roughly $7500. prior to buying it i hired an inspection service that promised to do a thorough inspection.
today, i found out the head gasket has blown and will cost $3000 to replace, and the radiator which has also burst will need $600. this is from my uncle who owns a car garage so i trust his word.
I want you to take a good, long look at what you posted.
Here are the facts. You bought a car 8 MONTHS AGO, you developed a radiator leak during that time (plastic radiator end tanks DO develop cracks, I've had to replace the radiator on MANY of my vehicles) and ran the car without coolant, thereby leading the car to overheat and warp the head, and finally, blow a head gasket.
All because you didn't keep up with proper maintenance or monitor your gauges on the car.
Sorry, this isn't a particular dealerships fault at all, and you need to suck it up and either sell the car as it or repair it. This is entirely on you for not noticing a leaking radiator, or never noticing you needed to add coolant.
1. This was a "Buy Here Pay Here" dealership. In other words, they specialize in screwing people over, and are experts at it.
2. There is more wrong with the car than you know.
3. It also has a salvage title.
You'll have to decide whether or not you want to fix the car, but the bottom line is that you'll be left holding the bag. This dealership has undoubtedly done this hundreds (or thousands) of times, and they have their butts covered. If you signed anything that said, "As Is - No Warranty" you're pretty much out of luck.
You usually make good posts, but you are way off the mark on this one. He drove the car for 8 months and probably never so much as even popped the hood. You think that a problem that crops up 8 months later is a sign of a shady dealership???
You usually make good posts, but you are way off the mark on this one. He drove the car for 8 months and probably never so much as even popped the hood. You think that a problem that crops up 8 months later is a sign of a shady dealership???
you developed a radiator leak during that time (plastic radiator end tanks DO develop cracks, I've had to replace the radiator on MANY of my vehicles) and ran the car without coolant, thereby leading the car to overheat and warp the head, and finally, blow a head gasket.
All because you didn't keep up with proper maintenance or monitor your gauges on the car.
Where the heck are you getting your information?
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