[Saabeh]

My new Saab 900 SE turned out to be a lemon!! But, under MASS state law I got my money back because it didn't pass inspection. The check engine light was on, the thing was burning a hell of amount of oil and the exhaust leaked in tons of places. Once I got the car home I found quite a great amount of bondo! I was sad but I got my money back and I will buy another!

 

[DougR]

Did you run a carfax report before you purchased the car? Did you do any sort of inspection of the car before purchasing it? If you had questions about it's condition did you have a third party(aka mechanic) check out the car prior to purchase? Reason I ask is because I am interested in how such an awful thing could happen, more detail if you could.

Good Luck
Doug

 

[earthworm]

From whom did you buy this "lemon" ?

A few years back I bought an 8 year old Hudson from the local Ford dealer for several weeks wages(before taxes).
This car turned out to be a "gallon of oil and a dollars worth of gas" at each refueling !
I checked nothing professionally.
No service history
No mechanics report
Barely a road test
Thought I "knew it all", actually I knew nothing !
Life is a learning process.

 

[JMarkert]

Well, the good part is that massachusetts law covered you. Keep looking, you'll find a decent one and now you know a few more things to check. I think there's a buyer's section in the FAQ as well. Don't be in too much of a hurry, and ask us questions if anything seems strange.

I think massachusetts has a good rule, and I wish more states had it. Basically, it says that a seller has to promise a car will pass the state inspection before selling it. In other words, they have to promise that it's legally a car. If it can't then they either have to fix it or take it back. Even private sellers. Sure it's a drag when you're selling a heap, but it takes a lot of the worry out of a used car, particularly for emissions issues. Here in ohio, the one "demand" i made from the seller is that they took it to e-check first. A healthy emissions system is a good indicator that the engine and engine management aren't fundamentally flawed.

Another hint (and I've gotten tricked by this when i bought my c900). Make sure the check engine light lights up when you put the key in. Certain sneaky folks sometimes "fix" a check engine light by taking out the bulb.

 

[DougR]

In my case, I did not take my car to a mechanic. The car I got was 1 owner off lease, 3 years old since first owner took delivery. The place I bought it from offers a free carfax report, a 3 month 4500 mile warranty(car was just out of manufacturer warranty), and they also have it inspected by another garage prior to handing it over to you. Granted none of this is "great". But I think it was enough to ensure that I was not getting a total junker. These things combined with a thorough inspection inside and out, and a thorough test drive, I felt confident in the purchase. So far things have been going good, so I will keep my fingers crossed.

I guess my point is, you don't need to be a "car guy" to buy a used car. You just need to have a little common sense, and work with someone you feel comfortable dealing with and trust. If at any point you feel like you are being duped, tricked, misled, etc, you should take your business elswhere. There are plenty of cars out there.

 

[900t]

From whom did you buy this "lemon" ?

A few years back I bought an 8 year old Hudson from the local Ford dealer for several weeks wages(before taxes).

How many years back was that? 50?

 

[earthworm]

How many years back was that? 50?

One more year, 900T, one more year..:cheesy: :cheesy: :cheesy:

 

[Saabeh]

Well, my father is a mechanic, we looked at it at night (bad idea) and it was just a great looking car. It had the bright woodgrain on the inside ad such. take a look, http://www.fortresshalo.com/wlan/gallery/1996-Saab-900-SE. I didn't do a carfax because it is 30 dollars a year and I dont want to do that because I am only buying one car. I have a 1994 9000 CDE FPT. The inside seems to be more comfortable and inviting than the 900. I dont know.