My 17 yr old son bought a car from a private owner for $1300 almost 2 weeks ago. The seller told him that the transmission and engine were g...

Question

My 17 yr old son bought a car from a private owner for $1300 almost 2 weeks ago. The seller told him that the transmission and engine were great but that the gas in it had gone bad from sitting too long, and for him to fill it up with high octane and drive it for a while to run the bad gas out. The car was still running terrible (constantly stalling out) so we took it to a mechanic. We thought it had something to do with the spark plugs and wires. The mechanic replaced the plugs and wires and some other minor things for $215 then told us the engine needed replaced and it would cost more than the car was worth. So we just brought it home. Now it is sitting in the drive way and cant even be driven. Also, come to find out, the car wasnt even titled in the man's name that he bought it from. Is there anything that we can do? (Also - in case it matters, we bought the car in Ohio, but live in Kentucky)

Answer

You'd need to find an attorney in Ohio for this. I'd say your best case is that the guy didn't have clear title to the vehicle, and can't provide you with title. Ohio might have specific laws dealing with these kinds of consumer transactions.

In the future, *always always always* have a vehicle checked out by a trusted mechanic before purchasing it. That definitely goes for anything from used car dealerships. You can put into the written sales contract that you have the right to void the contract and get a full refund if there are problems with the vehicle.