So we were in the market for a used vehicle. We looked pretty extensively online and finally found an '05 Forester and for a fair price.
We test drove the vehicle and even took it to the local Subaru dealership to get a pre-purchase inspection done before we decided to pull the trigger. Afterwards they mentioned that there was some minor rust on the sub frame and that most Subarus this old tend to have some anyways. We were also assured that it wasn’t to bad and looked like a good purchase. With that we went ahead and bought the vehicle.
A few days after the purchase we found that coolant was spraying from the radiator so we took it to our local mechanic to get an estimate. When he got it up on the lift he found that the “minor rust” had/ was actually completely rusted through the sub frame and created a large hole.
Afterwards he told us that it never should of pass the Virginia state inspection to begin with (which it had been passed only 3 weeks prior: a 09/30 sticker is on the windshield).
When we purchased the vehicle we did in fact have to sign the “AS IS contract” but this feels an awful lot like fraud. The VA state inspector, the used car dealership and the Subaru dealership all had oppurtunities to not allow something like this through.
I thought I had done everything I could possible do (minus being a mechanic myself) on my part to make a safe purchase.
Now we have a $8k loan hanging over our heads for the next 5 years and a car that isn’t safe to drive, possibly indefinitely. Anyone have any suggestions on what I could do? Perhaps there was something else I should of done?
Thanks and sorry for the long post!