Used Car With Shot Transmission, Trying to Take the Guy to Court
Tldr: Friend bought a used car that several independent mechanics later diagnosed had a transmission that needed to be replaced. The dealership stated over text “there’s no maintenance needed” on the car before the sale. We have asked for a refund but they won’t answer.
Questions: Do we have a case? What should we know about used car law? As-is contracts?
Listen, before I start, I know some people are going to say “the as-is contract is clear.” I’ve been looking into GA used-car law for a while now, I’m aware.
But I’m trying to exhaust every alley and Reddit is somewhere I might find kind souls who would be willing to give us information. Everything we can get our hands on is good.
So anyways, we’re two college kids located in GA, and this guy sold us a car. Major things associated with this case are:
-He represented it as personal sale on fb marketplace (didn’t sell it to us as a personal sale)
-He said through text and other mobile places “there’s no maintenance needed” and the car “works great” when asked directly
-Friend didn’t notice anything major during test drive
-He made my friend sign an as-is contract and gave them the emissions tests, all the legal bare-minimum
-After noticing something weird and taking the car to several places, mechanics independently identified the same problem
-Friend contacted dealership asking for a refund and they sent one text back and then never responded again
We want to go to small claims court for this, but as broke kids we’re worried we’ll spend another $300 we can’t afford on court fees to get our case dismissed. Is there any hope for us?
Car is a 2013 Toyota Camry for anyone asking.