Just bought a 2000 LC - big problems

[creekcruiser]

After having it towed to a mechanic, he tells me that the brake and fuel lines are all bad and need to be replaced.

Did he give a quote on this work? If you can swing paying for that and the rear strut you can start driving it.

Is this a daily driver? If so you should not put anything into it and try to sell it to someone for whatever you can get and buy yourself a rust free toyota Rav4 or whatever gets you back and forth to work.

If its not a daily driver and the brake and fuel lines along with the strut work is not too big a price tag then wait a few weeks and get it fix. Yes you'll always be battling broken bolts from the rust but you'll still get some good years out of it.

Watch a few South Main Auto videos on youtube and you'll see that rust just makes things more difficult and expensive.

 

[Swampdawg1]

Did he give a quote on this work? If you can swing paying for that and the rear strut you can start driving it.

Is this a daily driver? If so you should not put anything into it and try to sell it to someone for whatever you can get and buy yourself a rust free toyota Rav4 or whatever gets you back and forth to work.

If its not a daily driver and the brake and fuel lines along with the strut work is not too big a price tag then wait a few weeks and get it fix. Yes you'll always be battling broken bolts from the rust but you'll still get some good years out of it.

Watch a few South Main Auto videos on youtube and you'll see that rust just makes things more difficult and expensive.

I didn't get a price for the replacement of the lines. It is not a daily driver; I have a Tundra that I usually drive so I am not in a bind for transportation thankfully.

At this point I don't have a lot to lose (except more $ if I pay for repairs). I have looked at the rear brake lines pretty closely and some portions are still good but probably 4' of each needs replacement. I am considering attempting to buy some new brake line, a bending tool, and a flaring tool at the auto parts store and seeing if I can replace the corroded portions. I may fail but I probably would not be out much $ at least.

If I succeeded at that, I would then have to learn how to bleed the brake lines.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

With full disclosure of the issues, selling your truck to folks in Canada might think the rust is not bad. It’s all relative ya know?

 

[Swampdawg1]

Honestly my first order of business is getting the hood open. The mechanic was able to do it with a screwdriver but I'll be damned if I can get it to budge.

 

[bentonrover]

Looks like a mess for sure. Here in CT mechanics have rolls of tubing and just run new line. Flare the ends and keep it moving. Cost more to rip the old ones out. See it all the time.

 

[creekcruiser]

Keep it. Run new fluids through it yourself, fix things when they break, do preventative maintenance when you have extra cash, drive it local with a big smile on your face while making sure your AAA membership is paid for.

 

[habakkuk007]

I actually spoke to the MS AG's office yesterday and they said there isn't anything they can do.

Attorney General's office is usually worthless. They basically told you there is no state statute that authorizes AG's office to act on your behalf. This does not mean you have no right of private action to sue for breach of contract, misrepresentation, fraud, breach of express/implied warranty or warranty of fitness for a particular purpose or actions under YOUR state's or the seller's state's consumer protection acts.

In states such as Massachusetts, under the Used Car Warranty law (aka lemon law), that dealer would have the option to fix that vehicle to the point that it passes inspection or buy it back subject to debits/credits related to reasonable use, taxes, insurance and registration fees. That same law allows our AG's office to interfere. However, suing the dealer will almost always produce better results (legal fees, treble damages, etc) It appears MS law does not have similar STATUTORY protections. This does not mean you can't go after that unscrupulous dealer under traditional theories of law I mentioned above in the 1st paragraph.

Big problem is that unlike statutory protections, traditional theories of law do not make provisions for treble damages or legal fees. Because of that, it will be harder to secure counsel unless you pay hourly rate which adds up and makes it economically unfeasible. But if you are willing to visit your local court's legal library and rig up a complaint, it might be worthwhile.

 

[97 AZ LC]

Yah, a lot of difference between Mississippi and Massachusetts consumer rights. But Mississippi does have a small claims court for up to $3500. It takes time but it's not rocket science. No need for a lawyer and fees are typically quite small. You have to enjoy doing it and want to extract some revenge. With the virus they will probably be holding virtual court so you may not have any travel. I think your claim is that the vehicle was grossly misrepresented and not even road worthy in either state. Do a search for "fraud in the inducement". I could see the guy settling for $3500 just to get rid of you. He probably knows it wasn't worth $4,000.

 

[planomateo]

With this Chinese virus, I am about to lose close to 5.5K worth alirline tickets! Guess.... when its time to go... its time to go.

gotta love that the airlines are gonna get bailouts, but are giving people credit good for a year vs a refund.

 

[planomateo]

I am somewhat hesitant to post the dealership's name at this point since I filed a complaint with the BBB. I'm not sure if there could be ramifications.

Is it gypsy lot or a dealership? If dealership, what manufacture? They are ways to escalate this through the proper channels.

At the end of the day, you bought as as-is vehicle, so you may be s*** outta luck.

 

[Patron100LC]

Hi, I’m a 100 LC owner, and a used car dealer.
I sold my first used car in 2007, and since I’ve been in love with the business.
I worked at 5-6 different dealerships since then, and each is very very different, from the scum to the really scummy. The reason I’m opening up here is bc I’m a 100 owner, car lover and I understand your frustration 100%.
Every state has it’s own rules and laws about used car purchasing, I’m speaking about FL, since I’m in Miami and I know FL sales only, not familiar with any other. But I’m pretty sure all are very similar.
There’s no cooling off period on used car sales.
All used car sales are final. All used cars are sold as is.
So.. what do you do if you buy a POS?
Used car dealerships are one of the few industries that are still human. You’re still dealing with people, and some of us still have a say on the sale transaction.
So YOUR attitude has a lot to do with the type of reaction you’ll get from that dealership.
They know exactly how bad or good the car is. They know they’re selling a garbage rust bucket car to an out of state person that signed on the dotted line. They know that you can’t do s#*€ about it, cause it’s a used car sold as is(again, other states might have other rules).
So, what do you do?
Well, that’s where you have to put on your kind mask.
If you go to a dealer that sold you the car in an attitude that they don’t really care for, they can tell you to go F off.
You can throw that into civil small cases, you will spend a bunch of money on lawyers, and the lawyer will be really happy, but you won’t get anything.
Since we’re in an internet/ search/ review era, they’ll care more about your bad reviews, than the lawyer’s claims.
But if you go in with an attitude of “ I’ll sue you, issue a bbb claim, write a bad review in every site” way, what you’ll get is a ... nothing.
Based on my experience. You should try and “touch” the person’s soft side.
It’s still a business that is run by people.
Just try talking to them, explain that it was your dream car, that you don’t want to harm them, but to get into some type of agreement with them. That your wife and family were waiting for the chance to finally have this...... whatever man, whatever you have to say or cry about.. we at the car dealerships are also humans, sadly not every car we sell is great... but we’ll try to make it better if you just ask nicely.
I do know exactly the reputation we have. It isn’t good, but that’s bc you’re buying used items. Did you ever complained about a used lawnmower bought at a pawnshop? Or a used tv you bought at a yard sale?

 

[habakkuk007]

I do know exactly the reputation we have. It isn’t good, but that’s bc you’re buying used items.

Just remember to tell your customers they are buying a POS when you know (or should know) you are selling them a POS. If you say that it is "practically brand new", this truck will run 100k miles before it will need any major work, "it had passed our 4756 point rigorous industry-standard exceeding inspection", when it is in fact a rust bucket that will not pass state safety inspection - the transaction is a sham.

 

[mongoose2231]

U know. I flew south to get my 100. Perfect rust free vehicle. I love it, it stays garaged in the winter. Trying to keep it clean. I live in the north east, so I knew to fly south or west to get a good rust free truck. On another hand, I would report the dealer. Call the tv people who do those news things where they shame them. They should take the car back! Are they kidding, brake line failure? What if you hurt someone, or worse, kill them or yourself.....

 

[Patron100LC]

Just remember to tell your customers they are buying a POS when you know (or should know) you are selling them a POS. If you say that it is "practically brand new", this truck will run 100k miles before it will need any major work, "it had passed our 4756 point rigorous industry-standard exceeding inspection", when it is in fact a rust bucket that will not pass state safety inspection - the transaction is a sham.

It’s an industry that exists, and it’s very strong and alive yet.
As I said, I did work for several dealers, and not all work in the same way, some are more transparent than others.
But it’s one of the very few that have human contact with customers, not like your cable, phone or any utility company, or even huge supermarket companies, where everybody is employed and decisions are made in a corporate office continents away.
For the Op, just try talking with the sales mngr, or general manager, whoever is in charge, they’ll listen if it’s in their hands, just don’t go in a hostile attitude because they can easily avoid you.

 

[greenscobie86]

Too bad about your dealership experience.
That being said it's also too bad that you aren't handy... Sure its not an amazingly clean southern creampuff of a truck, but if you got it cheap/expensive(depending on your sense of humor) enough and have some time on your hands you can clean up the rust and enjoy it for years to come. As some have said, brake/fuel line repair isn't a huge deal. The frame doesn't look like it has holes rusted through it. Just my northeastern opinion here lol.

 

[brownfox]

it’s rough for sure. Most of that will flake off with a needle scaler. Will suck to work on, but if it’s a hit you can’t take, run new brake lines, fix the shock, clean it up a bit and sell or just run the hell out of it on local trails that aren’t hard to hike out of. Lol.

 

[thegadgetguy]

What exactly were your intentions for this vehicle when you bought it?

Assuming you can't return it... If you wanted something to extensively build out and mod, I would say find another truck. The rust will make the experience so, so much less pleasant and harder in every way. If you were looking for something in good condition to keep for a long time, likewise, this is not your truck. That being said, if you just want to keep it stock and have fun driving it, I don't see why you couldn't spend a little money getting it roadworthy and just not worry about the rust. Sure, it's no creampuff, but there's plenty of vehicles driving around up north with more rust than that. Assuming it's not any worse than your photos show, it doesn't seem like the frame is structurally compromised. I'd say have your mechanic (maybe shop around) give you quote for how much it would take to get it roadworthy, and see if it's an amount you can stomach. If your options are spend $1000 more in repairs and get a driveable vehicle, or don't and junk it for $500, I say spend the $1k (this is assuming the frame is still reasonably sound, which is impossible to tell from three pictures), and have a vehicle that's fun to drive but you don't have to worry about keeping too nice. That's my $.02 anyway. Best of luck figuring out a solution in an unfortunate situation!

 

[saudi]

Holy sh*t! Is that rear shock not even attached????

If that's how you got it, the dealer sold you an unsafe vehicle.

I know we have different rules in uk but if it’s a trade sale no guarantee but if it’s a retail sale it’s a minimum of 3 months warranty, and must be road worthy!! . Surely it must be illegal to let someone drive a vehicle off the premises know it’s not road worthy?

 

[Swampdawg1]

Hi, I’m a 100 LC owner, and a used car dealer.
I sold my first used car in 2007, and since I’ve been in love with the business.
I worked at 5-6 different dealerships since then, and each is very very different, from the scum to the really scummy. The reason I’m opening up here is bc I’m a 100 owner, car lover and I understand your frustration 100%.
Every state has it’s own rules and laws about used car purchasing, I’m speaking about FL, since I’m in Miami and I know FL sales only, not familiar with any other. But I’m pretty sure all are very similar.
There’s no cooling off period on used car sales.
All used car sales are final. All used cars are sold as is.
So.. what do you do if you buy a POS?
Used car dealerships are one of the few industries that are still human. You’re still dealing with people, and some of us still have a say on the sale transaction.
So YOUR attitude has a lot to do with the type of reaction you’ll get from that dealership.
They know exactly how bad or good the car is. They know they’re selling a garbage rust bucket car to an out of state person that signed on the dotted line. They know that you can’t do s#*€ about it, cause it’s a used car sold as is(again, other states might have other rules).
So, what do you do?
Well, that’s where you have to put on your kind mask.
If you go to a dealer that sold you the car in an attitude that they don’t really care for, they can tell you to go F off.
You can throw that into civil small cases, you will spend a bunch of money on lawyers, and the lawyer will be really happy, but you won’t get anything.
Since we’re in an internet/ search/ review era, they’ll care more about your bad reviews, than the lawyer’s claims.
But if you go in with an attitude of “ I’ll sue you, issue a bbb claim, write a bad review in every site” way, what you’ll get is a ... nothing.
Based on my experience. You should try and “touch” the person’s soft side.
It’s still a business that is run by people.
Just try talking to them, explain that it was your dream car, that you don’t want to harm them, but to get into some type of agreement with them. That your wife and family were waiting for the chance to finally have this...... whatever man, whatever you have to say or cry about.. we at the car dealerships are also humans, sadly not every car we sell is great... but we’ll try to make it better if you just ask nicely.
I do know exactly the reputation we have. It isn’t good, but that’s bc you’re buying used items. Did you ever complained about a used lawnmower bought at a pawnshop? Or a used tv you bought at a yard sale?

This is good advice and I appreciate it. I have not been hostile at all. I have been very nice when speaking with both the salesman and the general manager. I have not gone full sob story yet, so that may be an option. I haven't threatened them whatsoever.

 

[Swampdawg1]

What exactly were your intentions for this vehicle when you bought it?

Assuming you can't return it... If you wanted something to extensively build out and mod, I would say find another truck. The rust will make the experience so, so much less pleasant and harder in every way. If you were looking for something in good condition to keep for a long time, likewise, this is not your truck. That being said, if you just want to keep it stock and have fun driving it, I don't see why you couldn't spend a little money getting it roadworthy and just not worry about the rust. Sure, it's no creampuff, but there's plenty of vehicles driving around up north with more rust than that. Assuming it's not any worse than your photos show, it doesn't seem like the frame is structurally compromised. I'd say have your mechanic (maybe shop around) give you quote for how much it would take to get it roadworthy, and see if it's an amount you can stomach. If your options are spend $1000 more in repairs and get a driveable vehicle, or don't and junk it for $500, I say spend the $1k (this is assuming the frame is still reasonably sound, which is impossible to tell from three pictures), and have a vehicle that's fun to drive but you don't have to worry about keeping too nice. That's my $.02 anyway. Best of luck figuring out a solution in an unfortunate situation!

I was not planning to mod it out or anything. I was hoping to keep it for a long time, but it seems like that's not going to happen. At this point I'd just like it to be driveable so I can have it to drive around town and such. Assuming I can get no help from the dealership, I am thinking I will probably just try to learn to do some things on my own.