Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
1. Come on man it said "Fleet." should have been a red flag. Others will try to explain to you that it is a company fleet car. That could be, but I know for a fact in Oregon a friend bought a former rental car 2011 Outback and the Carfax listed it as a fleet vehicle. People telling you it has to specifically listed as a rental, do not know what they are talking about. I know the car business well, fleet can mean anything from corporate fleet car abused by employees to rental abused by tourists. Either way that car has had many drivers. but...
2. He did not lie legally it is a one owner car. It had one owner registered. Just many many drivers.
3. You really do not have any legal recourse at this point. Americas laws (well laws in general) are not based on what's right or moral, they are based on legal technicalities, definitions, and carefully worded contracts that once you sign means you have no recourse. Do you think you are the first person to unwittingly buy a rental car. Where do you think all the rental cars go?
4. In my opinion it doesn't really matter. All used cars are a gamble. Some of the worst cars I have ever owned were certified one owner cream puffs. I have also had many lying thieving private owners do their best to cover up major problems.
5. What ever he said or put in an email passes the legal smell test in a court of law (technically) these guys are not dumb, they are told day one what words they can never use. What is on that contract you signed trumps all. I'll bet you did not read it.
6. Brakes are cheap. Those are wear and tear items. Unless the car has under 30k miles you should expect to replace brakes anyway.
7. I have a former fleet car. U.S. Government. a 2011 Edge. So far it hasn't need a single thing but brakes and tires in 2 years so...yeah and we got it for a good price. Like 3k less than the lowest price for a similar SEL model.
8. You could threaten to take your story to social media. That may sway them. Just make sure if you do have the to get froggy and hop you dont say anything that could get you in trouble with their lawyers.
9. Do you like the car? If you do then this likely is not worth the trouble. Fix the brakes enjoy the car and toss this experience in the old lesson learned pile. And look for "fleet" and take freeway drives. Bring an mechanically inclined friend. Look for maintenance records.
While reading for the user manual, I found another document that I didn't see the other day. This was the registration with a VIN and it was registered to Enterprise. Enterprise does have a corporate fleet division where they handle car maintenance, insurance, etc...and contracts the cars to companies. The dealer didn't believe that it was a rental because the VIN # was not on the previous documents that I showed him. The VIN# was on this document.
You're all probably right, it's no worse than a one owner vehicle. But now there's another issue. There's a feature where you can set max speed, max volume, etc. You need an admin key to change it. They didn't give me the admin key. So now I either have to track it down or pay $200 minimum for a new one. I guess that's my fault too, eh? Last car was a beater without a computer inside so I didn't know.
Call Enterprise with the VIN and see if they can track down the key for you. Or take it back to the dealer and tell them you need them to provide the admin key (or at least turn off all the limits for you) that should have came with the vehicle. Shouldn't be too difficult.
You'd be surprised at how many individuals lose a set of keys and trade the vehicle in with one key. The dealer typically sells it with what it came in with. But if you're nice enough about it, sometimes they're willing to help.
The only recourse I can see is if the state you live in requires a title to be branded as a rental. There are a few states that do require it and if the title was not branded, you have documentation that you asked, and you can prove the dealer knew and did not disclose that information, then you may have legal recourse.
The reality is that after the contract i signed, your options go out the window for most issues/concerns. While it is unfortunate, it is a reality. I have advised many, many people - Get a copy of the title and read it prior to signing a contract for a car. I have bought with confidence off the internet from over a thousand miles away because I had a copy of the title in my hand and can verify the history of the vehicle. Internet sites and Carfax and blah blah blah are all only as good as the info entered. A title is the legal document that identifies the car. Nothing else matters at the end of the day. Title and contract.
Call Enterprise with the VIN and see if they can track down the key for you. Or take it back to the dealer and tell them you need them to provide the admin key (or at least turn off all the limits for you) that should have came with the vehicle. Shouldn't be too difficult.
You'd be surprised at how many individuals lose a set of keys and trade the vehicle in with one key. The dealer typically sells it with what it came in with. But if you're nice enough about it, sometimes they're willing to help.
I called Enterprise and was told that they don't even have the admin key when the vehicle is purchased.
The dealer's service department said it would cost $225 to have a new key made.
Still trying to get ahold of the manager at the dealership
The only recourse I can see is if the state you live in requires a title to be branded as a rental. There are a few states that do require it and if the title was not branded, you have documentation that you asked, and you can prove the dealer knew and did not disclose that information, then you may have legal recourse.
Did some digging online but I don't think there is. Might contact a lawyer to find out for sure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rynldsbr
The reality is that after the contract i signed, your options go out the window for most issues/concerns. While it is unfortunate, it is a reality. I have advised many, many people - Get a copy of the title and read it prior to signing a contract for a car. I have bought with confidence off the internet from over a thousand miles away because I had a copy of the title in my hand and can verify the history of the vehicle. Internet sites and Carfax and blah blah blah are all only as good as the info entered. A title is the legal document that identifies the car. Nothing else matters at the end of the day. Title and contract.
So if a question is answered with a lie in an email, that would not hold up?
Also found out that they key they gave me would not allow me to disable settings (speed limit, volume limit) set by the rental company. So that's another $200+ to have an admin key made.
You: "Your honor, I was specifically told the car was not a rental car by the salesman."
Dealership: "Your honor, we bought the car at auction and didn't receive any history on it. We ran an Autocheck report and it didn't show as a rental car. To the best of our knowledge, it was not a rental car. He seemed to like the car, because he went ahead and bought it. By the way, here's the signed purchase agreement and we didn't make any representations or warranties about the history of the vehicle."
Judge: "Please demonstrate how you have been damaged by the fact that the car was a rental car at some point."
You: "My feelings are hurt!"
Judge: "Grow up and learn to do your research BEFORE you enter into a binding legal agreement. Case dismissed."
You: "Your honor, I was specifically told the car was not a rental car by the salesman."
Dealership: "Your honor, we bought the car at auction and didn't receive any history on it. We ran an Autocheck report and it didn't show as a rental car. To the best of our knowledge, it was not a rental car. He seemed to like the car, because he went ahead and bought it. By the way, here's the signed purchase agreement and we didn't make any representations or warranties about the history of the vehicle."
Judge: "Please demonstrate how you have been damaged by the fact that the car was a rental car at some point."
You: "My feelings are hurt!"
Judge: "Grow up and learn to do your research BEFORE you enter into a binding legal agreement. Case dismissed."
Grow up and learn to do YOUR research (i.e. actually read the posts) before making a snarky comment. Reply dismissed.
Whether you have made the full payment? If yes , then you have to talk with the salesman from whom you have buy the car for his earlier misleading statement. If he does not agree, you can knock the doors the court for cheating by the salesman and for this purpose it will be better for you if you take the advice of professional civil lawyer, who has full knowledge on the subject.
Just curious what research you are saying he should do?
(i.e. actually read the posts)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
