Bought a used car yesterday - in shop today Mn.

[deettah]

I know Minnesota has a Lemon law for dealers but I bought a used car yesterday from a private party. I brought my brother along to make sure that I was making a sound purchase. We both test drove the car, which seemed to run ok, but the clutch was diffiicult to push in. I chalked this up to every manual shifting car being a little bit different. Less than 8 hours later the clutch went out, it is now in the shop and I am told that not only was the clutch bad and has been for a while, that there are other repairs that need to be done, so far totaling $500 and will probably go up as there is a transmission issue. We both specifically asked if there were any issues at which point the seller told me there were none. Even to the point of stating that he wished he could keep the car.

I have notified the seller who seems to not want to help in any way. Do I have any recourse at all?

[GotSmart]

I just bought a used car myself. I figured that it would cost me an equal amount as I paid for the car to get it mechanically where I wanted it to be.

It was funny listening to the private party tell lies as to what had been done on it. I came out ahead as I only had to spend $2300 total to get a car that will last another 100,000 miles.

When you buy from a private party, what you are told is worth the paper it is written on. (nothing) If you are serious about wanting that car, take it to a mechanic BEFORE paying for it. There is no recourse once you hand over the money.

[deettah]

I see that this same "gentleman" has three other vehicles for sale since January 31, 2011. I suspect that he does this regularily. Under MN law, anyone who sells more than 5 cars a year is required to be licensed. And because of that, he is required by law to provide me a Basic Used Car Warranty. The law states that The Used Car Warranty Law covers used cars purchased primarily for personal, family or household purposes. The terms and length of the warranty will depend upon the mileage on the car at the time you buy it. For cars with fewer than 36,000 miles, the warranty applies for 60 days or 2,500 miles, whichever comes first. The parts covered under the warranty for cars in this mileage range are:

•Engine: all lubricated parts, intake manifolds, engine block, cylinder head, rotary engine housings, and ring gear.
•Transmission: automatic transmission case, internal parts, and torque converter; or, manual transmission case and internal parts.
•Drive axle: axle housings and internal parts, axle shafts, drive shafts, output shafts, and universal joints. (Secondary drive axles are covered on automobiles and passenger vans, but are not covered on other vehicles mounted on a truck chassis, such as utility and off-road vehicles.)
•Brakes: master cylinder, vacuum assist booster, wheel cylinders, hydraulic lines and fittings, and disc brake calipers.
•Steering: steering gear housing and all internal parts, power steering pump, valve body, piston, and rack.
•Water pump.
•Externally-mounted mechanical fuel pump.
•Radiator.
•Alternator, generator, and starter

For cars with between 36,000 and 75,000 miles, the warranty applies for 30 days or 1,000 miles, whichever comes first. For cars in this mileage range, the warranty covers the parts listed above, except for the following parts that are NOT covered:

•Rack.
•Radiator.
•Alternator, generator, starter.


So my next question is, how do I find out how many cars this guy has sold in the last year and if he is licensed by the state?

[CatBert]

Good luck with that. If this guy is a true scam artist, he'll be selling five under his name, five under his wifes name, five under his brother, and so on and so on.

The alternative to that is simply never transferring the title of the car into his name, so he never has to report the sale.

[deettah]

I just had a conversation with a mechanic who stated that he tried do sell him a piece of junk last September. SO atleast I have some witnesses that can state to the fact that this guy is a con.

I'll be calling the MN Attourney General.