People don't realize that most courts have the discretion to revoke a contract if it's terms hit that magic phrase "offends the conscience of the court" or words to that effect.

My father was a used car dealer. He said the 30 day warrantee that Maryland requires dealers to provide helped him sell more cars. People were reassured that the car they were buying would not break down immediately after driving it off the lot, and that within 30 days they could discover any major faults a car may have.

Sadly for every case where someone files a complaint and follows through, there's many many more sad stories where people just give up 🙁

Interesting house sale story. A coworker was buying a house in Colorado. Was suspicious that it didn't look well insulated. The seller showed utility bills for several years. He bought the house and the bills to heat the house were astronomical. Talked to neighbors and found out that the seller spent the winters in Florida.

Imagine going to a car dealer and expecting honesty .

I worked for a used dealer (as long as I could stand), and can tell you that they do some horrible things to these vehicles. They like to finance in house knowing that it will come back and sell it numerous times! The “warranty” doesn’t cover the issues they know about and usually only lasts a few weeks if that. I had to quit because as the service manager I was instructed to lie to customers about issues with the vehicles just so they could get the car back and sell it to someone else.

They sold this twice, once for $9000, and then resold it again for $8000 after it was returned.

I just had to hear this story, the headline amazed me! Yes! I am extremely happy for her, a Court that did something right? WOW

When I worked for a federal judge, we had a tampered odometer case involving a used car with a reconstructed title. The dealer failed to disclose the nature of the title or that the odometer had been reset to a lower mileage and the car had been in a serious accident. The judge awarded the buyer a substantial recovery of damages (about what he paid less an amount for use while in the buyer's possession) but what the seller really complained about was the attorney's fees, which exceeded the total damages by several thousand dollars. The case was affirmed on appeal and the Court of Appeals praised the district court's opinion.

I had a positive experience with a used car dealership. I knew the sales manager--he was not there that day. I wanted a white Chevy--they had one. Short test drive--seemed ok. I did not get an inspection--car was three years old with very low miles. I bought it. First time out at freeway speed, I discovered a shimmy in the front end. I went back to dealership and was able to speak with sales manager. After a bit of back and forth, he advised me to take car to their reconditioning contractor (3 miles away). Dealership provided a loaner. When I picked up the car, I was told "(Dealer) put four new tires on it." Apparently the car had 3 different brands of tires on it. With the new tires, car drove like a top. Replacement tires were budget brand but lasted 40,000 miles. So, I got lucky--and car still runs like a top 4-1/2 years later. Thanks, Steve.

Our daughter was house hunting about a year after our city had a 500 year flood. I specifically asked the realtor about water in the basement and received a noncommittal grunt. When we were outside, I asked a neighbor if the basements in the area had water in them. The realtor didn't appreciate that I asked the question.

A long time ado, my Mother-in Law's Chevy Malibu's engine was going bad. It wasn't worth replacing, so we sold it for scrap. A few days later we were contacted by a woman who had purchased it from the guy we sold it to, when it finally got to the point it would no longer start. He had misrepresented it as a good car to her. I never did find out what happened. I hope she got her money back.

One of my long-ago school teachers told our class about the benefits of looking at newspaper archives.... He and his wife had looked at a house for sale in a neighborhood that had partially flooded a few years earlier. The homeowners said the water came up to their front walk but no further. Well, the teacher went to the newspaper and found a front-page photo of those very homeowners rowing a boat away from the house (which was most definitely flooded). Needless to say they did not buy the house. The next flood in that neighborhood was 38 years later and it flooded again 2 months after that. So whoever bought the house at least got 38 flood-free years in it....

I think this is the first time I heard of a used dealer having to buy back an as is car.

This is why it's so important to get a pre purchase inspection. They usually run about $70 -$80 where I live but when buying a used vehicle, especially one that has a lot of miles on it the money you spend will save you in the long run both in your wallet & aggravation. If the seller (private or dealer) doesn't want to let you get it inspected then walk away because any reputable seller will have no issue with you having it done.

'The Lawyer could not be reached due to a family emergency,' ah, the defendant hired Richard Liebowitz I see.

I also know people who have also swapped the engines in their Terrain/Acadia. It's hard to believe a company that's been around for over 100 years can build such crap.

Sounds like this is one of those situations where bringing a mechanic along to evaluate the used car for you would have saved a ton of hassles.

5:05 the Dealership was truthful in saying “it’s a total fraud”.

Awesome video again! Love the fact that finally a judge said that just selling something "as-is" does not simply imply you can sell a lie just because of the "as-is" label.

That is an amazing story- crazy. Around here in the North East, used car dealers are required to sell cars with at least a warranty of inspectability. Of course, they can get around that by selling problematic used cars as "For parts only". Buyers don't even realize since its just another form in a stack of forms.

Years ago I bought a Jeep CJ7 from a used car lot. Within a week the engine quickly overheated and blew a head gasket. The dealer agreed to fix it. A few days after I got it back, same issue. The dealer refused to talk to me. After some investigation I found that the block was cracked and the crack had been filled with RTV and painted over. I turned the turn in to the state DMV fraud department and their license was revoked.

I noticed that almost every time I watch Steve's vids all the way thru, I wind up smiling with him. That's a nice talent. Thanks Steve!

regarding the house tangent, I am aware of a house that a guy had built along a flood prone river. he specifically built the house so that when it flooded every year, he could unscrew the bottom four feet of drywall, pull out the bottom four feet of insulation, mop out the interior of the walls, dry it out with a dehumidifier and put in new insulation and drywall.

You've described the house my parents bought on the banks of the Kishwaukee river in Illinois! Nice view & it came with a flat bottom aluminum boat & an ancient Farmall Cub tractor. I was a teen & thought it was fun.

Get well soon Mr Lehto Thank you for the great content every day!

Buying any GM product with the 3.6 engine that doesn’t have a warranty should be considered criminal lol

I like what Beau of the Fifth Column does and wear t-shirts related to the topic. In the spoof film "Mafia" the opening line is, "When you buy a used car, you're buying somebody else's problem." Advice I've taken to heart.

i got lucky i worked at a used car dealership as a lot person arranging cars keeping them clean and lined up well ect..... the place i worked at was actually honest not all dealerships act like this

Car Wizard has preached to stay away from GMC Acadias. Pre-purchase inspections are also very important. Scotty Kilmer and Car Wizard preach that heavily.

We were looking at houses for sale. When we got in the garage/basement area I said This has had water in it.” I was told no, it’s been fixed. I could only respond no it hasn’t the mildew is still here, I could smell it!

11:44 this was one issue I had with a house that I bought. I never explicitly asked if the water that the house was on, was actually part of the big east river. They said "river view". After I purchased the house I discovered that the body of the water it was on was landlocked and was a swamp rife with beaver fever, leaches, and even the town listed it as "warm water". I was "this" > < close to suing to negate the sale. I expected to be able to come home after work and take a dip in the river. I eventually sold the house and told the listing agent In NO uncertain terms do NOT say anything about river in the ad. Say "water view" if you want. She posted an ad saying "river view" and I immediately told her to take it down and re-write it......

I bought a used car 25 years ago and literally an hour after I bought it going down the interstate the engine blew up but the dealership sent out a tow truck towed it back. Put a motor in it gave me how are you loaner car fantastic great dealership.

I used to work in a used car industry and believe me they know everything that's wrong with a vehicle when they're selling it to you

I feel for people who get scammed by these horrible dealers. I had clapped out cars until I graduated school and started my business when I was 30. I could never trust whether or not my ride would get me from point A to point B without dying and most of that came from people lying to me about the condition of the vehicle they sold me. Predators lurk out there searching for poor people who can't afford to come after them when things go badly

"Don't worry. Expensive remediation takes care of most of it."

Lesson #1: Stay away from anything made by GM. Especially Used.

Years ago I looked at a house that was for sale. It was on 6 foot piers. There was a river about a quarter mile away. I put 2 and 2 together and walked away. Drove by a few months later, the house was gone. There was a sign on the property stating the property had been condemned and was not suitable for building due to frequent flooding.

After reading owner comments and reviews I would not touch an Acadia. True POS.

A GMC Acadia is a vehicle that is expected to break down and a large repair bill can be expected at any time.

my local auction house had two levels of warranty. items that he couldn't test on site, the buyer had a reasonable time to test it and be sure it worked. other stuff, he sold "as-is, where-is." and it was typically stuff that the buyer could check the condition of it before the auction started.

Love this channel. We need more stories like this so that people dont abuse the as is.... or at least sell a car for less and say that it needs repairs. People or salesmen should not be able to hide behind the "as is"

I had a Condo to Rent. A lady Separating from husband both looked at Condo. At some point, I mentioned, I Don’t Like Car Dealers. He mentioned he was a Car Dealer. My Response was, I still Feel exactly the Same. 😬👍

Steve, wear what ever you want! That’s why we live in America.

In my early 20's I worked as a car salesman for one of those buy here, pay here lots...some of the cars were real junkers that I tried to steer buyers away from when possible. One evening a nice guy came by and only had a few hundred as a down payment, so I showed him the two vehicles he could qualify for...I warned him that I would not recommend the pickup truck, but the car was ok...he selected the pickup anyway. We did the paperwork and he drove off after signing. About 5 minutes later, my phone range and it was him, he was distraught and said the truck just started sputtering, made a loud noise and died, that he had to coast into a parking lot and that there was now a huge puddle of oil under the truck. Without thinking I asked him if he could make it back to the car lot quickly and he agreed. When he arrived he started to say that he knew it was an As-Is sale, but if we could fix the truck he would pay if added to the financing. I said I had another idea and asked him if he wanted the other car I had shown him...puzzled, he said yes, but how if he had already signed. I explained that since he had just signed and I worked at the car lot alone and I had not notified the home office that the deal had been completed. If he wanted the other car I would just redo the paperwork, he could sign and drive home tonight...the man was surprised and very grateful...I told him that I knew the company would screw him over and charge him for what was most likely a blown engine and that didn't sit well with me, especially since I was in a position to make things right... I typed up new paperwork, had him sign and he drove off a happy camper, paying the car off in about a year...my boss was suspicious and came to question me about what happened, that he thought the guy had been delivered the pickup. I explained that yes, he was about to take delivery, that I had the paperwork all typed up, but that he had asked to take it out one more time on a short test drive and that the truck had broken down, but that it was lucky for us that we had another vehicle that he liked that I was able to convince him to buy...I know my boss thought he knew what I had done, but he couldn't prove it...when the truck was towed back to our garage and checked out, it turned out that the engine was blown...

We sold a car site unseen as is. It was a Audi coupe. We took it back after multiple engine and transmission issues and sold him a c200 instead. I'll never forget the look on the head of the dealerships face, you could tell we fd up. Edit: it was on the 30th day of sale as well.

I worked at a Chevy dealership for 6 months lol. The Chevy traverse, gmc Acadia and Buick enclaves are all the same vehicle. Every single one that came in for oil change had out of wack alignments and bald tires at less than 30,000 miles. The oil filter was jammed so close to the catalytic converter that it was impossible not to burn your hand and you could not tighten it correctly so a lot of oil filters were loose and leaking onto the cat when they came in. I think that was why alot of them burn to the ground.

Another example of why you MUST get a prepurchase (PPI) inspection before buying ANY used car.

This is obviously right in your wheelhouse. Very informative.

It’s cases like these where I class myself very, very lucky I have my dad (knowledgeable on cars) and my mechanic brother in law to come with me when I need to get a new car. I loved watching one sales guy’s face when my dad and bro in law asked for the hood to be opened and then pull out a Camera the see the brakes and start tearing the car apart (verbally). In their words…..it was a death trap and they where surprised it passed it safety tests. (Mot here in Scotland). At the time I had my baby son with me. That was almost 17years ago. I don’t think that dealer stayed open for very long after that. Not sure if they where reported or not. But I know they did close down soon after as they where located in the village my parents lived then and now.

In my misspent youth, I worked at a auto body shop, which would buy two totaled vehicles, same year and model, and then cut them apart on the factory weld lines, and weld the good parts back together. A few years later I was looking at cars at a dealer, and they tried to sell me a car with all of the signs of having been reassembled from two totaled cars, while claiming it had never been in an accident.

That’s why an independent mechanical inspection is so important when you buy a piece of junk like thisAll that dealership did was reset all the idiot lights and warning signs and sell it to somebody else.

Great video! I have a used van I am thinking of selling. I bought it cheap. However, I put around $5,000 into fixing it up to keep as my 2nd vehicle. It runs well and was in a hail storm and due to the severe damage on the hood and a few other dings on top and on the sides, my ins company totaled the van. I bought it back from the Ins co for $1400 and replaced the hood with a pretty new to me one and fixed a few of the more obvious dings. If I sell it I will be disclosing everything I know and have fixed and give someone a good deal on it. I have put around 18 months of time and money into the van and it's in good shape. The previous owner did not disclose that it had $3,600 front end damage and car fax didn't have it either. A different company had that info. This guy had gutted the catalytic converter and then lied to me about why it had a check engine light. The entire new exhaust system cost $1,350 and that was just the start. I have all the receipts for the major things I fixed or had fixed and they will go with the van, if I don't decide to keep it.

We ran into this with our 2017 Pacifica in 2023. A week after driving it off the lot it threw a rod through the engine block. Luckily we had bought an extended warranty through our credit union and the deal came through and paid half of the $800 for the "new" engine swap.

Dude I started dying laughing when you said "the neighbor swam out to meet him".

Sounds like this dealership needs to not just buy the vehicle back but give her double her money back as well. Then the oversight board (or whatever its called) needs to make sure the dealership has the vehicle destroyed....properly, according to whatever relevant environmental statutes are on the books. I hope the judge also slapped these guys with extra costs as well. Side note: Steve, I love the different shirts you always wear. It is actually nice seeing the different shirts cause you have ones I have never seen before.

Steve, just so you know, there is at least one company out there that will take your old t-shirts (in good condition & clean) and turn them into a quilt.

Over 20 year GM tech here...... do not, under any circumstances EVER buy a 07-2012 gm R/V platform vehicle. GMC Acadia,Buick Enclave, Saturn outlook, chevy traverse etc. These are absolutely some of the worst vehicles ever made. Dont get me wrong.... I'm grateful for them as I've made so much money on them over the years but they will financially ruin a owner. You cant make them good no matter what you do. They were junk new and 10 fold junk now.

So, at 18, I made a mistake. I bought a Nissan Sentra from a private seller for around $9,000, unaware of the "As Is" clause in the purchase agreement. When the faulty transmission needed a complete replacement, I went back to the seller, but got no response. Taking him to court was unsuccessful, as the judge simply saw it as a learning experience for me. Despite the horrible ordeal, I managed to sell the car to a dealership for $5,000, recouping some of the money. However, after accounting for the initial purchase price, car checkups, and legal fees, I still lost around $4,000. This experience taught me a valuable lesson: always be cautious when signing any paperwork, especially watch out for "As Is" clauses, which limit your legal protection as a buyer. PS> The transmission was at fault, and it required a whole repair… What a nightmare. ALSO, many dealerships out there have no warranty and SELL vehicles As Is. So, keep an eye out.

This vehicle was sold as "AS WAS".

1:00 "GMC Acadia". Those things are just generally awful. It shocks the conscience that anyone can get away with selling them.

I have it on good authority by experts in the field, NEVER buy a medium sized Buick or GMC SUV. You're better off buying a boat "that needs a little work". Sure it's half the sale price as the more reliable vehicles available, but you'll spend more than the price difference in repairs within a few years, especially with the higher mileage ones.

The dealership has the suv back again. What's to keep them from selling it as is for a third time?

I got a full refund and a free car two weeks ago! The dealership never gave me the title and after 13 months and a lengthy legal process I got my money back and sold the car in individual pieces.

So many thieves and scumbags out there. Finding a trustworthy mechanic or a moral used car dealership is almost as hard to find now as a new car being sold as MSRP nowadays.

Here in the UK we have the most crazy consumer law. There is no such thing as an "as is" sale for a motor vehicle if you buy from a motor dealer. Whether the car is £500 0r £500,000 there is a statutory 6 month period after time of sale that the dealer is responsible for all mechanical failures, which is good for the buyer but tough for the dealer. The only way a vehicle can be sold without warranty from a dealer is, if it is sold as scrap & it must be transported away on a truck.

Outstanding video! I’m a Canadian used car dealer and I’m sharing this with every dealer and customer I Know. The laws here are very similar in respect to misrepresentation and fraud but most dealers think “As-is” saves them from any liability and not disclosing known issues to potential buyers. They prey on the uneducated and trusting people that take there word “it’s an easy fixer upper”, then kaboom something major blows up. Hence why the dealer didn’t fix it up and certify it too make more $$$$. Thank you for posting this. I wish every used car buyer could see it. You’re the Man Steve :)

I think if a dealer hides a car issues then their committing fraud!!!

I literally see this ever day!! Not the lawsuit side but junk cars knowing sold to unsuspecting people. And they just get away with it.

Most educational videos for consumers on KZfaq! You are making countless people better consumers!

Hope you feel better Steve. Thanks for keeping us informed even while you are under the weather. I appreciate all of your insights.

We had a guy at work who drove an old beater of a car. The car died in the parking lot at work and sat there a few days until towed away. Now, he was walking back and forth to work. None of us could really give him a lift as he lived on the far west part of town and the rest of of lived on the east side of town or in another town to the east. It didn't help his case that he didn't bathe, smelled really bad and stunk up the office something horrible. He was new in town and we tried to tell him of all the car lots in town, don't go to ******* car lot. That one has a really bad reputation. So, what does he do, he goes to that car lot and buys a truck. Brought it to work and it was a nice looking, shiny black one. He mentioned he was only paying $100 every two weeks. How much did it cost? Ah, that's the only thing he didn't know he said. He had it for about a month and the engine died on the highway. He had a local mechanic work on it as ********** wouldn't take it back. Rather than put in a rebuilt engine as the mechanic recommended, he went a cheaper route and put in a used engine. This guy thought he was slight and gave the mechanic a post dated check without asking him. He kind of laughed about passing that off. He drove it to work and then to the post office about two miles down the road. There was a trail of oil and the engine seized. He was the born loser. He was now walking to work which was about five miles. He was fairly overweight and measured the distance not in miles but in how many fast food or convenience stores there were along the way where he could buy food or candy bars. This went on for a few weeks. It had been a long week of overtime and working a Sat. One of us felt sorry for him and offered to take him home. By now, he was bitter and refused. What he didn't know was it was raining really hard outside. Once again, the born loser. At Least that day, he got a shower.

I knew this would come down to failure to notify the consumer of known defects.

I was looking to get a used car not far from this dealer that was advertised "guaranteed to pass inspection". Lemon law actually required that it did pass. I had to put a deposit for it to be held a day until i could look it over the next day. Mostly good but had several lights out which any 1 would fail, so i told him he needed to replace them. He complained he may not have them but i told him i wouldn't take it unless he changed them because it was false advertising and the law. He found them.

I once bought a car as is, and it was the worst thing I ever did, if I see as is, I run away. However saying that I bought from an individual and I asked him what was wrong with the car. He said nothing was wrong with it that it had burnt valves and they had replaced the engine and just wanted out of it. I should have known I was getting a clunker. I found out after a couple of weeks that the engine was bad, was never replaced. I took them to small claims because it was less than 5k, I had to prove they knew that the car was bad. I had 3 folks who heard him say he had changed the engine, I was able to prove he had lied. The judge awarded me 5k the max, and another 3k because the guy was an idiot in court and the judge wanted to put the screws to him. I had to give that ford back. I took me a while to get the award from them, but when I went and put a lean on his house they had to act. So it does happen, but you have to prove the person knew they were selling a heap of junk , and did it on purpose, and totally lied and misrepresented what they were selling. You always need to ask what is wrong with it and make sure you get somebody who can attest to the facts in a court of law.

She bought an Acadia. Loads of problems with those.

I purchased a used Ford escape 10 years ago. The day after I purchased it the car jerked and the check engine light went on. I took it back and they said it was all good. I still have the car and it still runs fine.

The problem was buying a GMC Acadia. Get a 4 runner. Yes, you will pay a lot more for it upfront, but you will end up paying more with the Acadia for repairs. There is a reason the Toyota's go for a lot more money with the same features and miles.

She bought a 10 year old used GMC Acadia. The judge felt sorry for her poor choice in cars, no doubt.

The circle starts with a badly manufactured vehicle for starters.

Truth be told though... Any GM vehicle with the 3.6 is a ticking timebomb anyway. 🤷‍♂️

First-time listener. Appreciated how you spoke in everyday lingo. In search of more videos. Thank you for that info. Be blessed.

The 3.6 has a plethora of issues. When car hunting it doesnt hurt to do a search.

The house isn't flooded. That's the custom water feature. Oh the parrot you ask, he's just resting.

I bought Nissan Sentra back in the early 90's "as is" but dealer give a 30 day 1000 mile warranty on any used car. Took it back 2 days after I bought it told them there was someting wrong with the front end on the drivers side. Makes a lot of noise when I hit bumps in the road. (test drive was directed by sales guy and happened to be a really smooth road.) Dealer called me the next day and claimed it was fixed. Said it was a loose motor mount. (I was young 20, didn't know much about cars yet.) On my way home from dealer after picking up the car the drivers side front tire and spindle came off when the lower ball joint broke. Caused me to end up in an accident. I got 75k and a new car from the dealer after taking them to court.

In 1964 my dad bought a brand new Volkswagen Beetle. It was a great car he drove from coast to coast and up and down the west coast several times, so that by 1969 it was worn out. Having had such great luck with that car he bought a 1969 VW Beetle to replace it. This car was a POS, after the second time the engine blew up he did a minimal patch job to get the car running and traded it in for a brand new 1971 Dodge something. My dad was in the habit of pitting his name and phone number in the owner's manual of cars he had, and not long after he got the Dodge he got a call from a woman who was test driving is '69 Beetle. She asked about the car and he asker her if it was dripping oil, she she said it was he told her not to buy it. She thanked him and drove back to the dealer to return the car. There was a problem with the Dodge. The local police stated using that make and model and color as their police cars. It made it hard because everyone drove slow in front of him.

The Car Wizard has been railing against the Acadia and Chevy Traverse for years now, these cars are hateful for good, very expensive reasons.

Ben behind the 71 car.

That flood party sounds like a good time!🤣🤣🤣

Amazing what dealers will still try to get away with. I had one try to pull the old bait and switch on me recently. Found exactly the Durango I'd been looking for. They said that they had to look it over before I could buy it. 2 weeks later, I drive an hour to pick it up. When I get there the one they have is the same year but it's a base model and it has quite a bit of body damage to boot. They tell me that the one I'm wanting to buy is actually at another site and why don't I go look at this one instead. I told them I wasn't interested but they still wanted me to fill out all the paperwork without ever driving the one I wanted. I took my $ elsewhere as a result.

The *initial dealership **_assessing this vehicle for repair_* completely failed to diagnose the *actual problem!* That really steams me!

Ben trying to reach the transmit switch on Mic #3, Steve's LHS

Somehow I knew before clicking this video that it was going to be about an Acadia or Traverse. We do a lot of timing chain work on those 3.6s.

I’m going to send you a “BUY A RV! THEY ARE GREAT!” shirt 🤪

Steve, I absolutely love your opinions and commentary. Started watching your channel after an issue with my car. While your advice did not help me in that moment, the increase in knowledge I have for the future is valuable.

The judge should also make the car dealer destroy the suv so it can never be sold again.

The senior exec's of the dealership should be shunned by the industry for 2 years!

For some reason, I'm now intrigued by the concept of the "flood party." It _almost_ makes me want to buy a small place on a flood plain just for the excuse to throw a party regularly. 😛

I had a similar situation with a 2009 chevy aveo. I should have ran from the deal, the warranty in the lot was limited, but changed to as is, in the finance office. Also their website showed 5995, but on the lot it was 6995. They said they would fix it, but then almost had me sign paperwork for the 6995 price. Aveos from that era suffered bad gaskets, causing oil and coolant to mix, one was mine, and I feel like they knew. Car lasted a few months before my 5 year loan ended.

What OBD check was done. Common Law requires OBD check be performed with full disclosure of all fault codes.