Help with Customer Rights Questions

I take it there was some sort of warranty they provided you with when they sold the car? was it classified as a "certified pre-owned vehilce"? If you are very concerned about this, you may want to contact a lawyer for better advice than you could get here. You should obtain their records for the car and see what you can find out about it from those.

 

Welcome to PriusChat. Too bad this experience is your introduction to an otherwise fine automobile.

If it were me, I'd take it back and ask for a full refund, including whatever you've paid in repairs. You were lied to, and the car is not as was represented. If they balk, let them know you'll be adding lawyer's fees to the refund, and go find one.

 

In addition to other advice I would suggest contacting the state Attorney General's Office. In some states they are fairly aggressive about trying to keep car dealers from cheating people to badly. You can most likely find them on the internet and either email or phone them.

Also don't forget the Better Business Bureau.

 

Here's a link (relevant to your situation) for the CA DMV:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/consumer/invest/inv172.htm

Before filing any kind of a formal complaint, you should make every attempt to resolve the dispute with the dealer, of course.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(freshencounter @ Nov 29 2006, 10:12 AM) [snapback]355281[/snapback]</div>

The bad news is that your experience reinforces my feeling about used cars; no matter where you buy them or what kind of car it is it is still a guess as to how that car is going to perform after you drive it off the lot. However, you have a 90 day (12 week aprox.)/3000 mile warranty. That means that if the car needs repair, as it may, then they are reparing the car on their dime. Get it in and get it fixed ASAP, that is better advice than trying to get them to take the car back. If you are uncomfortable with driving the car after it has been serviced try to private sell it and get it out of your hands.

Buying any car is cavet emptor, however I seriously doubt you have much of a leg to stand on with regard to demanding that they take back the car becuase you feel they lied to you about its condition. The car is too old to be covered under any state lemon law, and most lemon laws only cover new cars. I'm also not under the impression that the car is in bad condition. The report you got regarding the car's history was a major incident vehicle history, like Carfax. Carfax is not about repairs or maintenance, but about accidents and incidents that the vehicle has been in, or those which have been reported through various major channels. Frankly, Carfax reports are sketchy in terms of their completness because an incident has to be reported to be included in Carfax. Oil changes and vehicle repairs are not part of a Carfax report and never will be.

Since most dealership service departments are run as almost seperate business units from sales departments, the service writer you talked with who told you they had service records for your vehicle probably will still be willing to share with you the work that has been done over the years. Shareing that info with you may put a black eye on the salesman's reputation, but might give him brownie points for being open, honest and approachable. Get that info if possible.

I hope that this experience with your vehicle doesn't turn you off from being a Prius pilot.

 

Take a look at the California Attorney General Consumers - AUTOMOBILE DEALERS web page.