Purchasing a car from a private seller. Nightmare.
Selling cars with an open title / title skipping is illegal in some states, so check your laws there.
If it is illegal in IL, that alone may give you grounds to demand a full refund.
Exactly. You may also want to check laws in your state regarding the purchase of used cars. In some states there’s something called a “cooling off” period that allows the buyer to return the car. That usually applies to businesses and dealerships, but here’s the deal. You met Bob at his business to view the car, and his name isn’t on the title. So, this could easily be construed as a business sale. Not to mention, if his business doesn’t have a dealer license, there’s another avenue to pursue.
Unless Bob is immediately willing to take the car back and refund your money when you call him, I would tell Bob he can take his car back and return your money, otherwise your next calls will be to the local police, the DMV, and whatever regulatory body that oversees the license on his repair business. And that the story will be the owner of this business is running an illegal used car dealership trading in illegally obtained vehicles. See how that sits with him. Maybe that wasn’t his intention, but your story of events certainly makes that a possibility. Could very easily be a fly by night car flipper based on the description of his shop.
All things considered, it sounds like the price was still in the ballpark. I'm no appraiser though.
Are you serious?
He paid $9k for a car with a bent and damaged frame that may get a salvage title when he registers it, or worse, could be stolen. The price is not “in the ballpark”. The word you’re looking for is “fraud”. Doesn’t matter what the price was.
And if the frame is damaged, it’s not a $9k car anyway!
