hi friends, im in a bit of a pickle.
location: Connecticut
i made a massive rookie mistake and bought a used car without getting it inspected and without getting a printed carfax. its a 2020 with 56,000 miles with a six month warranty, and was last registered in New York, if any of that info is helpful. i brought it home and my stepdad took one look under the hood and pointed out a list of things wrong, including panel gaps, over a dozen missing fasteners/bolts/screws, a bent hood lock hook, and after market parts for every panel on the front end. theres also detached weatherstripping and the top part of the grille was literally just pushed into place and pops out everytime i drive.
naturally the first thing i did was buy a full carfax report. lo and behold, there were three accidents on the report, all involving the front end. one of the accidents caused the airbag to deploy. the dealership said it had a “clean carfax” when i went to view it, and i was stupid enough to take their word for it. i know, im young and dumb, please dont yell at me, im stressed enough!
now that ive brought up my concerns theyre claiming they gave me a printed copy of a VIN report. they emailed it to me today after bringing up my concerns, but they never showed me that report prior to the email. plus, the report they gave me only mentioned one accident, not the other two. they said theyre not responsible for repairs made by previous owners, which i understand fully, but the fact that they sold me the car with so many issues and didnt provide me with a printed carfax feels so fishy. even fishier is that they immediately got nasty and defensive when i brought up some of my concerns, insisting they didnt do anything wrong multiple times. i asked for a report of the inspection they completed and a report for the repairs they made, but theyre refusing. they DID disclose today that they painted the hood; with the damage under the hood, it wouldve been virtually impossible to miss when painting, unless their mechanic is completely incompetent.
unfortunately, i was so excited to finally buy my dream car after having such a difficult few months in my personal life that i didnt even notice these defects. now im stuck in a crappy situation and i feel like a fool. i dont know much about consumer protection, so any guidance on what i should look into doing is appreciated. thank you in advance!!