I recently bought my 2008 jeep patriot around June of this year "as is" well today I took it in to my local dealer (not who I bought it from) and they said that the cost in repairs is what I paid for the car 5k. They didn't know if you could legally sell a car that is unsafe to drive. The cars frame is all rotted out, steering fluid leak, transmission leak, struts are leaking, rear end is rotted out and making the tires worn down to the bead and it needs new bushings and sway bar links. All of which were covered up with guard thing that was hung up there with what looked to be wired coat hangers. I know I bought as is but is there a way around that seeing how the car should have been unsafe to sell? I've been driving around with my six year old son. Any thoughts or advice welcomed
What are your thoughts? Help
Kalirae
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I recently bought my 2008 jeep patriot around June of this year "as is" well today I took it in to my local dealer (not who I bought it from) and they said that the cost in repairs is what I paid for the car 5k. They didn't know if you could legally sell a car that is unsafe to drive. The cars frame is all rotted out, steering fluid leak, transmission leak, struts are leaking, rear end is rotted out and making the tires worn down to the bead and it needs new bushings and sway bar links. All of which were covered up with guard thing that was hung up there with what looked to be wired coat hangers. I know I bought as is but is there a way around that seeing how the car should have been unsafe to sell? I've been driving around with my six year old son. Any thoughts or advice welcomed
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3,403 Posts
You must not have purchased from a dealer. What state are you in ?
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1,597 Posts
I think your only recourse is an attorney. The "as is" clause will be very difficult to fight. Look for ones that specialize in automotive Lemon Law, even though yours is not this type of case. Dani Liblang in S.E. MI is excellent. They will give you basic advice before charging you anything. Maybe check with the Michigan Attorney General office. Document EVERYTHING.
It's very sad that you got taken advantage of this bad. I would not be surprised if this unscrupulous used dealer has a record of doing this. Many small time operators buy junk vehicles at the auto auctions for pennies, polish them up (without mechanical repairs), and pawn them off to unsuspecting victims. Hard lesson learned - next time have a trusted mechanic look at a car prior to purchase.
Sorry for your bad situation. Best of luck to you.
It's very sad that you got taken advantage of this bad. I would not be surprised if this unscrupulous used dealer has a record of doing this. Many small time operators buy junk vehicles at the auto auctions for pennies, polish them up (without mechanical repairs), and pawn them off to unsuspecting victims. Hard lesson learned - next time have a trusted mechanic look at a car prior to purchase.
Sorry for your bad situation. Best of luck to you.
Every used vehicle is being sold for a reason. Looks like the last owner got every last mile out of it before selling it. The leaks aren't necessarily expensive, and if the rest of the vehicle was OK, it would probably be worth the frame repair. I've seen numbers around $1200 +/- for that, but often there is other stuff that needs to be replaced at the same time and that can push the price up.
Unfortunately, it looks like a shady dealer took advantage of a trusting customer. When confronted they'll probably say something like, "It was OK when we sold it" or just hide behind the "as is" clause. "As is" usually means there is something seriously wrong, or the miles are way up there. I once sold a rustbucket "as is" but the defects were obvious and the guy that bought it only wanted it for parts. My conscience is clear. To sell a rolling disaster to an unsuspecting family who hopes to use it as a daily driver is just plain scummy.
Your best hope is to find a compassionate mechanic who may be able to work with you on the repairs and will be patient with your ability to pay.
Friendly advice to anyone buying anything used is to check forums like this to learn the make/models weak points (there are sites for just about every make on the market) and to have a trusted mechanic look it over.
Unfortunately, it looks like a shady dealer took advantage of a trusting customer. When confronted they'll probably say something like, "It was OK when we sold it" or just hide behind the "as is" clause. "As is" usually means there is something seriously wrong, or the miles are way up there. I once sold a rustbucket "as is" but the defects were obvious and the guy that bought it only wanted it for parts. My conscience is clear. To sell a rolling disaster to an unsuspecting family who hopes to use it as a daily driver is just plain scummy.
Your best hope is to find a compassionate mechanic who may be able to work with you on the repairs and will be patient with your ability to pay.
Friendly advice to anyone buying anything used is to check forums like this to learn the make/models weak points (there are sites for just about every make on the market) and to have a trusted mechanic look it over.
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34 Posts
Yeah it is my first car purchase so I've defiantly learned my lesson. The jeep mechanic is sending me a email with the list of everything that is wrong and even said I should try and get a lawyer. I'm just glad my family wasn't hurt.
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34 Posts
Do you think the fca might still
replace it even thigh it is 1 year out of the "ten year warranty"?
I believe that was for the original owner only, but its worth a try. Asking won't cost a thing.
If it hasn't been suggested already, try reaching out to JeepCares. They monitor this website and you can send them a PM. On this website PMs are now called "conversations." For sure they will want your VIN so you may as well have it ready.
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1,597 Posts
My opinion is that even with an "as is" clause, a used car dealer selling something with an extremely dangerous undisclosed safety defect (your frame) is approaching a criminal offense.
Check with your attorney general office. Check with your local TV stations - many have a service of publicly calling out scams in order to get a resolution. It just depends how much effort you are willing to put in. My wife makes people that do this horrible stuff crumble in fear, LOL.
Check with your attorney general office. Check with your local TV stations - many have a service of publicly calling out scams in order to get a resolution. It just depends how much effort you are willing to put in. My wife makes people that do this horrible stuff crumble in fear, LOL.
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1,597 Posts
Get all your ducks in a row, then go to see the owner in person, armed with facts, pictures, etc.. They have a good BBB rating, so I would think that they will correct their fault.
Get a few free consultations prior to visiting the dealer. They will tell you right away if you have a case. https://attorneys.lawinfo.com/auto-lemon-law/michigan/grand-rapids/
Tell them you contacted the local TV stations. They do not want bad publicity. Be very confident and assertive in a positive (not a-hole) way.
Get a few free consultations prior to visiting the dealer. They will tell you right away if you have a case. https://attorneys.lawinfo.com/auto-lemon-law/michigan/grand-rapids/
Tell them you contacted the local TV stations. They do not want bad publicity. Be very confident and assertive in a positive (not a-hole) way.
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12,339 Posts
Scrolled down a little further and found this review:
,,,
Breanna Miller
9 reviews
a year ago
Honestly I'm not even sure this place deserves one star. My husband and I test drove a car from here and we took it to a mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection, during which the mechanic called us into the back to look at the car because the frame was completely rusted out from the bottom and he said that the car should not even be legally drivable and that J&J should not have even let us drive it off the lot in the condition it was in. When we got back to J&J and explained what we were told, the person working with us blew it off and asked us if we wanted to test drive another car, to which we politely declined. The mechanic also told us that they FREQUENTLY get cars from J&Js to work on because the owners got suckered into it. This place is not as honest as they seem. Buyer beware!
,,,
Breanna Miller
9 reviews
a year ago
Honestly I'm not even sure this place deserves one star. My husband and I test drove a car from here and we took it to a mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection, during which the mechanic called us into the back to look at the car because the frame was completely rusted out from the bottom and he said that the car should not even be legally drivable and that J&J should not have even let us drive it off the lot in the condition it was in. When we got back to J&J and explained what we were told, the person working with us blew it off and asked us if we wanted to test drive another car, to which we politely declined. The mechanic also told us that they FREQUENTLY get cars from J&Js to work on because the owners got suckered into it. This place is not as honest as they seem. Buyer beware!
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34 Posts
A little update. I called the dealer owner and he says it probably isn't the frame it is probably the cradle. Bring it in and ill look at it. Well the cradle is the subframe and the car is not safe to drive. Couldn't my engine drop out?
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12,339 Posts
I think it's more likely to break apart where the front control arms connect to it:
m.carcomplaints.com
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2007 Jeep Compass Rusted Out Subframe And Spring | CarComplaints.com
The 2007 Jeep Compass has 6 problems reported for rusted out subframe and spring. Average repair cost is $2,250 at 141,700 miles.
m.carcomplaints.com
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34 Posts
I felt like he thought I was stupid calling the subframe a different name like it makes it better. The place is 30 minutes away. I already had someone look at it so why make me drive 30 minutes each way in a unsafe car to look at it and see the same thing.
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