What to do after buying a car from a liar?

Jeremy Donohue: The vin (vehicle identification number) of the car should help in tracking the former owner of the car. It is also highly illegal to try to disguise the actual mileage of a car, or to disable any emission control devices.Contact your secretary of state, and your states attorney's office.

Gregg Hagge: Chalk it up to "your bad".You bought "as is" and anything you found out afterward is just too bad for you. (With the exception of a previous salvage title that the seller didn't tell you about)You could sue but its far from certain you would win. You cant prove much of what you say and you certainly cant prove he knew about it.Even if you were to win in court, it doesn't mean you get your money back. It means a judge says the guy owes you.Then its up to you to try to collect. The guy doesn't have a pot to pee in ? You don't have much chance of collecting.Its all on you. When you handed over your money, you accepted it in as is condition.Your chances of! getting any or all of your money back are slim & none....Show more

Elbert Donatelli: Private party car sales are always "as is" transactions in the absence of a written warranty from the seller. It is the buyer's responsibility to determine the condition of a vehicle BEFORE buying it. "As is" means no warranty, no refunds, and no recourse. The seller didn't scam you. You allowed yourself to be scammed.It's your right to sue the seller, but you aren't going to win. The law is in the seller's favor....Show more

Julieta Suleiman: Normally, your only remedy would be to sue (presuming you can locate the seller), and then collecting would be another matter entirely. However, depending on the state where you live, he may have committed what some states consider to be a serious crime by tampering with the odometer. You may want to contact your local police.You're not likely to recoup any cash. In fact, any car bought and sold at a gas station is likely to cost you s! everal times the price to pursue damages unless you happen to ! have enough time and determination on your hands to go through the motions, even if it happened to be a criminal matter. However, if he's caught and convicted, restitution may be part of his sentence.Unfortunately, I think the moral of this tale is that people generally get what they pay for. Buying cars through conventional means (dealerships) may cost more, but they tend to come with much more security and far fewer problems.Best of luck!...Show more

Houston Venezia: Sorry to say, but its your fault. Its the buyers responsibility to inspect the car himself or have it inspected by a mechanic. Also, when you buy a used car from a private party, you by it "as is" with no implied warranty. You could have had the car inspected by a mechanic (they would of scanned the PCM and found a check engine light). you could have gotten a carfax report (would of indicated the true mileage). Sorry, but you SOL...Show more