How do I return a damaged financed car? Should I have them reposses? Consequences? Should I fix it first?

Question

2 years ago I bought a 1999 dodge neon financed with Carfinco and was thrilled until I was having problems with it constantly..leaking lower rad hose, new breaks and calipers, tranny problems and a muffler issue. All this was a pain but I had warranty so it didn't bother me too much. I kept up with my oil changes and routine maitenence to keep my warranty until one day about a year ago Walmart made a huge mistake and stripped the drain plug ultimately resulting in a blown motor. They did provide me with a rental and replaced my motor with a 90 day warranty! Compared to my 5 year! But I was so very angry at the time I just settled with it being overwith(Stupid.. I know). Since then though, the timing has gone twice the crankshaft went. I have replaced the motor instead of fixing the crank and now the valves are bent in this one so I need a new head! I just want to be rid of this money sucking piece! $305/mnth plus insurance and all this maintence with 3 kids. HELP!

Answer 1

Never ever take your car to Wal-mart for anything. I'd fix it first before taking it back.

Answer 2

Ok, if you have been paying $305 per month and you have been doing this for 2 years, then you have paid $7,320 so far for this car. If you pay this for 5 years you will put $18,300 into the car, not counting insurance, repairs, gas, etc.

I did a bit of looking and a decked out 1999 Dodge Neon with only 10,000 miles had a max value of $6312. I imagine that 2 years ago, the price was a bit higher, but not by much. The average price of a 1999 Dodge Neon is around $5000. From the sounds of it, yours probably had quite a few problems with it on the used car lot. With what you described, I would put the value of the car much lower.

So, the question is, how much do you have left to pay on it? What kind of interest rate are you paying? How much was the car sold for?

Answer 3

Guess you don't know what it means to own a car. You don't just put gas in them and go, you have to maintain them.

Lower radiator hose always leaking is a bad lower radiator mouth, should of had it rewelded or a new radiator put in, this would of solved that simple problem. New brakes are common on every car on the road, on average you will replace all of the brakes every 2 yrs, depending on driving. Calipers are part of brakes, if you don't keep up on them like you should, they you start to damage other parts that shouldn't get damaged, this is caused by people not maintaining their car. Tranny problems is a given since its a Chrysler. Everyone knows they have had transmission issues since the 1980's and have never solved them. Muffler is like brakes, common basic item to replace during the life of the car. Since its a 1999, 6 yrs old, it was plenty due for it to be replaced if not the entire exhaust system replaced.

Your main major mistake, going to Walmart of all places for maintenance on your car. This is a store, not a garage, there you get 18 yr old kids who have no clue what they are doing working on your car, hence why they stripped the drain plug.....even a 5 yr old can take off and put in a drain plug...but this the type of stuff you end up with when you try to save a few dollars compared to go to a real mechanic or even jiffy lube for an oil change.

Would you take your child or yourself for surgery at a walmart? would you go to church at a walmart? Then WHY are you having your car worked on at walmart?!?!?!?!?!?!

Sell it, trade it in, something, its your only option now or continue to fix it. Your mistake was "walmart" then allowing "walmart" to fix it. Also doing all this without an attorney was past ignorant. Of course they wanted to make it hell for you....do you really think walmart was wanting to take care of you? no, they had the cheapest guy in town put in the cheapest used engine they could find...and since you didn't complain, they stuck it to ya.

I wouldn't be surprised if that engine didn't come from a junkyard with over 100,000 miles on the engine. Hence why they only did a 90 day warranty. Cause any engine exchange shop that does real work, will guarantee that engine for at least 1 year. As I have had one replaced in an old work van.

Get your dad, get your BF, get a male friend that knows cars step into this mess. Its gonna take someone that knows whats going ont to get this all cleared up and the Neon dumped. Hate to tell you that.

Answer 4

First, write a letter to WalMart Customer Relations, contact their head office. Write down when this occurred and attach photo copies of your receipts. Wait a few days and then call them and tell them the problem was cause because of their incompetence. You trusted them to do a simple job in keeping maintenance up on your vehicle. I'm assuming that their work is guaranteed. They are responsible for the cause of this dilemma and should be held accountable. Tell them you've been legally advised and they either fix it or you have no choice but to take legal action. However you have every right to doubt their work. Compensation for the value of your vehicle should be an option. Not only that but you are free to talk to the press about your misfortune with WalMart and tell your point of view. They will try to make you believe that this is not their problem, but they know it is, or they wouldn't have given a rental to you. Don't listen to what they try to hide behind. Be firm.

Answer 5

Had a simular situation, for me unfortuantely it got worse before it got better. You cannot total it out because your owe more than its worth so that's not an option. What I did was, I went and leased a vehicle for 5 years, as you know in a lease the payments are less, however because of my old car being minus in equity like your car, my payments were a little higher becasue they rolled the old payment into the new one. But on the brighter side I had a reliable new car for me and my family. After that lease ran out I was able to re lease a new car with a lower payment for only 3 years and I was way over in the mileage allowed on the first lease but when you release they eat the mileage so I won this time around.

Answer 6

Sue Wal-mart! they have to replace it with a like motor, so if they do that the 5 year warranty you had needs to stay intact. Don't let them repo it! It will kill your credit if they repo it, best bet is to get it running and sell it the second it is to get rid of it. Even if you have to sell it at a loss, or trade it in and roll your negative equity in to the new loan that way you at least get away from the maintainance cost of that POS. Good luck I hope this helps.

Answer 7

Trade it in NOW.

You're going to lose more money by repairing it over and over and over, than by giving some cash down on a new car. Of course, it sounds as though you've already used up the down-payment of a house on this vehicle.

Cut your losses.

Don't voluntary repo-it. It will actually KILL your credit instantly for many years and you will still be liable for money. Nowadays it has changed.

Answer 8

Your case of buyer's remorse has no bearing on what you agreed to or the contract you signed. Probably it was sold on an "As is" basis, and probably you didn't bother to have it checked by your mechanic before you signed for it, so you are stuck with it.

You have a couple of options. Returning it is not one of them. They don't want it back, and it isn't as it was when they sold it to you anyway.

Option 1, fix it and drive it.
Option 2, fix it and sell it for what is owed, and try again.

Believe me, you don't want a repossession on your credit report.

Answer 9

if it gets repo's your credit will suffer for YEARS to ome and it will be VERY hard to get a car to replace it.

Basically you have 2 choices, keep fixing it or take a HUGE loss on it by selling your lemon to somebody else unless you can prove Walmart negligant for the motor problems (again).

Answer 10

Talk with your insurance agent.And perhaps a lawyer.And for future reference get a tayota or honda.Very relaiable cars.

I dont think its a great idea to get it repossesed--could give you bad credit history!