Everytime I turn around someones trying to scam me.

1. 52

   kmackey32posted 14 years ago

   I sold my 1991 Dodge Stealth with over 200,000 miles on it about two months ago for $2,500 and now the people are calling me threatening that if I don't pay for things to be fixed on it they are taking me to court. The car wasn't inspected and they knew it had a bad wheel bearing, the car made a loud noise on the drivers side that couldn't be hidden. At the time they stated they didn't care because they were putting it in the school auto shop class to get worked on. The wheels alone were worth 3,000. I live in PA, can someone do this? They knew things were wrong with it and I didn't try to hide anything. Plus they have had the car for 2 months. I am beginning to think they bought it intentionally to try to sue me to have it fixed. I was sent texes saying they want $1,000 and that's a lot cheaper then me having to go to court. Does anyone know the law? I have a hub with the picture of the car, if there wouldn't have been anything wrong with it, I would have sold it for a lot more.

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   1. 62

      alexandriaruthkposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      if they bought it already, you dont have any obligation after, it is their take that somebody a mechanic should have seen it first, dont worry about it, did you sign something?

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2. 69

   TimTurnerposted 14 years ago

   You are fine and don't let them scare you.
   
   Unless you maliciously sold them a lemon, you are fine.
   
   If they didn't get a mechanic to look at it before they bought it, it's their fault.
   
   If they got a mechanic to look at it before they bought it and still bought it, it's their fault.
   
   If they keep pestering you, you can file a harassment charge.  But I probably wouldn't want it to get ugly.
   
   You are 100% ok and they cannot sue you.  I take that back.  They can ATTEMPT to sue you in small claims court but you will win in court.

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3. 52

   kmackey32posted 14 years ago

   That's what I thought. I sent them a text back saying I never agreed to pay for things to be fixed months later and they knew what was wrong with it. Did u see my pictures of the car?

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   1. 52

      kmackey32posted 14 years agoin reply to this

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      TimTurnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      No I didn't.
      
      Unfortunately, they took the risk of buying a car with over 200,000 miles on it.  They should've had a mechanic look at it and his advice would've probably been "don't buy it."
      
      But that has nothing to do with you.
      
      And it is odd they are contacting you months later.

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      Car Donationsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      truth is, whenever you are dealing with large amounts of money, always do your homework on the company or individual. There is always someone trying to earn a quick buck. Like timturner said, always get mechanic to take a look before you buy a used car!

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4. 52

   kmackey32posted 14 years ago

   I was originally asking for 4,000 for the car and went down to 2,500 because of the problems with it. I think the people really wanted the car but couldn't afford to fix it so now there threatening me to fix it.

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   1. 52

      kmackey32posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      And There was a garage right across the street. IDK about a mechanic saying not to buy it. The people said it needs $1000 worth of work, and its a beautiful car, I didn't want to sell it in the first place. I would rather buy my car back then pay them to fix it, that's why I sold it cheep.

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5. 61

   piscoposted 14 years ago

   Honestly i don't know how it is in the United States, but here in Portugal, there is no warranty in buying 2nd hand cars owner to owner, so assuming it is the same, don't let them beat you down as they have no legal backup for what they claim, probly just trying to scare you and get away with it.

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   Jeffrey Nealposted 14 years ago

   I don't think they can really do anything.  As has been said it was dumb of them to buy without getting inspected.  Unless you specifically give some sort of guarantee a used car is almost always sold "as-is", even when purchased from a dealer.  That's why they sell extended warranties.
   
   Anyway, they may try to lay the scare tactics on you, and there is nothing saying they can't sue you.  That said if they only want $1,000 it doesn't make much sense for them to sue since it isn't likely to go in their favor, and then they could be stuck paying legal fees and court costs leaving them further in the hole.
   
   I'd tell them they knew the car's condition and give 'em the shoulder.  If they want to escalate it, go ahead.  No worries.  Someone always wants others to pay for their mistakes.

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7. 63

   Lisa HWposted 14 years ago

   Here's a pretty good link on the Lemon Law, and it includes PA.  (It mentions used cars.)
   
   http://www.lemonlaw.com/pennsylvania-lemon-law.htm
   
   You may want to look up PA's Bar Association or court sites, or else search, "free legal information in Pennsylvania".  There's usually some lawyer or group that will answer questions about this type of thing over the phone.

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   buffalo wingposted 14 years ago

   the pa lemon law does not apply to a 18 yr old car with 200k on the odometer--nor does a private sale--the worst these people can do is file a small claim suit against you at the local magistrate where the transaction occured and you could end up in a 1/2 hour court session. you have nothing to worry about. besides ,any bonehead who buys a car with that many miles should know that they are going to have to lay out some $$ to make it road ready. not to be hurtful , but it sounds like you are being too nice to these people. i hope they were not friends of yours. good luck

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   readytoescapeposted 14 years ago

   Caveat emptor…….Let the buyer beware…
   
   Lemon laws only apply to dealers in most states, not individuals or private sales.

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    donotfearposted 14 years ago

    Don't worry. They're just trying to scare you. If you get anymore correspondence from them just respond with> "You bought the car as is, where is, no warranties expressed or implied". And leave it at that.

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    platinumOwl4posted 14 years ago

    Yes, People will try to scam you. How did you advertise the car when you were ready to sell it. For instance:
    
    
    Vehicle for sale
    2000
    call 000-000-0000
    Never the less it was a USED car. As many of the other Hub membes have said don't worry. If you sell a used car again make it plain in your advertisement "as is"

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12. 58

    darksideposted 14 years ago

    Tell 'em they're dreaming.
    
    If they continue warn them that you'll report them for harassment.

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13. 0

    Ghost32posted 14 years ago

    Kind of hate to mention this, but they may well think they can bulldoze you just because you don't look like...well, say, Hulk Hogan.  Pretty incredible how many people over the years have tried various dirty tricks on my five foot, 92 pound wife.  More fools they.

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14. 61

    Frugal Fannyposted 14 years ago

    If there was no legal agreement, in writing, between the two of you, then the people who are harassing you for money haven't got a legal leg to stand on.
    
    They are just trying to get a free ride, pardon the pun.

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15. 68

    MikeNVposted 14 years ago

    Used cars are always sold on an as is basis.
    
    You should always use a standard bill of sale when selling a car.
    
    Let them sue you.  It means nothing.  No judge is going to award them anything.  It's their responsibility to inspect a vehicle.
    
    In court it is your word against their word and without any contractual obligations there is NOTHING they can do.
    
    Used cars do not have warranties implied or expressed unless there is a written contract.
    
    All you would have to say in court is that when you sold the car none of the problems they are having now were present.
    
    That's it.  Case closed.  It's their fault for being stupid.
    
    The law does not protect stupidity. The only way you could get in any kind of trouble is to admit in front of a judge you made certain promises.  The best advice in front of a judge would be to deny anything they said and say as little as possible.  Do NOT try to explain yourself.  Just say simple things like the car was fine when I sold it.
    
    What I would do if I were you is call your local police department and file a harassment claim.  Get it on paper with the Police Department that these people are harassing you. Then if for some reason you had to go to court take the document.

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    Arthur Fontesposted 14 years ago

    You need to check the laws in your state.  In Massachusetts any car sold over $695.00 has to pass a safety inspection.  If the car was more than $700.oo there is a 30 day warranty period on all purchases in the state this is a limited powertrain warranty.

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    SandyMcCollumposted 14 years ago

    Yeah, just tell them every time they text you: Saving this for the courts to look at in our case that you're bringing. It may stop them, they have to know they haven't a leg to stand on. They can send you hate mail and hate texts, but it'll only serve against them in a court of law.

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    Dao Hoaposted 14 years ago

    Like everyone has said. They cannot sue you for even a penny if they knew it and you did not made any claim otherwise or PROMISED IN WRITING.
    
    They just prey on law-abiding citizens who do not know the commerce law.
    Lemon law only applies to car dealers who signed the bill of sales because they usually offer guaranties.
    
    They were hoping that you afraid of court case and give in.

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