Get away from a car that you're upside down on?

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Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
The system is setup so that you just trade this car in on a new set of problems and just carry the balance forward. You're supposed to follow this system. That's why they have such long loan programs, so you can at least make the payments. After a couple of cycles like this you'll be buried so deep you'll have no idea how much you spend on transportation.

As posted above, contact a lemon law legal office. Get out of the car and consider driving something you can afford, even if it's an older car. What you might save can be put toward a new car when you can better afford it. I've never financed a car in my life. I drove junkers lots of times and some of them I really liked. I purchased the Honda in my sig brand new and it's been a daily driver for 31 years and I have no plans to ever sell it. I've owned a lot of cars in my life, bought, fixed up and sold many of them. Look around. There are lots of very good older cars in the hands of private owners that you might just enjoy owning and driving.


The system ,lol. Just say it. Capitalism bad !!!
 
Take it as a life expensive lesson and try to sell yourself OR suck it up. Sucking it up will be cheaper. That warranty likely was a $500-$750 cost to dealer and they burned you. My point there is not salt in wounds but you overpaid and likely have shaky credit to owe that much.

Weigh out private value/trade in paying vs keeping it.

The $3000 car will cost you likely $8000+ in depreciation + loss of warranty $2200. That warranty is nearly worthless in resale.

I was once stupid too at age 22 and purchased a 95 Civic brand new I hated sattling myself with payments at 11% interest!!!! I hung on never liking the car and it turned out to be a money maker as drove lots as a consultant with 250k in 10 years trouble free past warranty and getting near 40 MPG when fuel was cheap.
 
ram man, I went to auto mechanics and had a service card. When I went to school all the teachers said steer clear of FORD.

Because it is a new car, you are feeling badly about it.

Cheapest thing to do, is fall out of love with it.

Yes, you heard me.

Keep it, but treat it as you would a 5 year old car.

If a problem comes up, hand the Ford dealer the keys and let them know what is wrong with it and let them fix it.

Be happy you got the extended Warranty. It isn't your problem if it gets you from Point A to Point B.

People just get sick when they own new nice things and that is the only issue that I see, as I know you are a mechanic.

Pay close attention to it, diagnose things as best as you can, and just give the Dealer the keys and say to fix it.

I feel the same way about my Honda Fit... It is almost like I count the days until I don't have to baby it anymore, and my car is a cheap car!!!

Also, maybe learn to love Toyotas and Hondas in the future. At least if you have to let them go they don't depreciate so bad.

Hang in there, and the lesson I can tell you (although hard!) is just don't care.

Taking a huge loss on it isn't an option in my books.

Oh, and here is a thought: with the extended warranty it is Ford's liability for a long time to come.

There WILL be a point were all the "bugs" will be ironed out of your ride and it won't cause headaches anymore.
 
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From what I've read you don't have a case for the lemon law. Some of the things you've had issues with are normal wear and tear, such as the seat. Most of what you have is buyer's remorse.

You're learning an extremely expensive lesson. The smart thing to do at this point would be to double down and get it paid off-you got yourself into a bad financial situation and it's up to you to get yourself out. Then if you really feel the need to rid yourself of it you can without a lot of trouble.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
That car sounds like a nightmare.

What you need to do is just make a phone call to a lemon law attorney and just talk to them about your situation. They charge the manufacturer, not you. You have nothing to lose.


+1.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
From what I've read you don't have a case for the lemon law. Some of the things you've had issues with are normal wear and tear, such as the seat. Most of what you have is buyer's remorse.

You're learning an extremely expensive lesson. The smart thing to do at this point would be to double down and get it paid off-you got yourself into a bad financial situation and it's up to you to get yourself out. Then if you really feel the need to rid yourself of it you can without a lot of trouble.


If the car was just not such a hassle id have no remorse. When the car is functioning properly i enjoy it . I dont mind a payment on a reliable car. But to pay monthly to have so many issues is tough tom swallow. Also the seat not a huge deal sure if ford will fix it great if not bummer that wouldn't be a make it or break it deal. The repeat trips to the dealer for mechanical issues is why i am upset.

Also the warranty pretty much covers everything even dents windshields everything. Im not saying it was worth the money but as far as warranties goes it's a pretty good one
 
Originally Posted By: Tdbo
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
That car sounds like a nightmare.

What you need to do is just make a phone call to a lemon law attorney and just talk to them about your situation. They charge the manufacturer, not you. You have nothing to lose.


+1.


Will be doing this today to atleast see where i stand
 
Calm down guys it's not like he financed a Lamborghini, take your lumps and move on. I learned the same lesson on a pos Malibu that ended up costing way more than it was ever worth. it taught me that i didn't always need a new car, my old Camry is more reliable than that pos 2009 Malibu ever was,And it's paid off.
 
Originally Posted By: ram_man
Originally Posted By: Tdbo
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
That car sounds like a nightmare.

What you need to do is just make a phone call to a lemon law attorney and just talk to them about your situation. They charge the manufacturer, not you. You have nothing to lose.


+1.


Will be doing this today to atleast see where i stand


It couldn't hurt. I went through it on a vehicle that I owned. In Ohio, from what I remember off the top of my head, I believe that it is the vehicle returned four X's for the same issue or a number of days. In my case, it was something in the vicinity of 54-56 days in the shop in the first year for a myriad of issues.
You don't need an attorney. I did mine myself and then it just came down to negotiation with a Mfr. rep. They agreed to buy back, we did not agree on money. I went before the board, which consisted of a group of dealer owners.
I ended up winning, the panel agreed with me and I received a financial settlement, dropped off the car, and walked away.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
From what I've read you don't have a case for the lemon law. Some of the things you've had issues with are normal wear and tear, such as the seat. Most of what you have is buyer's remorse.

You're learning an extremely expensive lesson. The smart thing to do at this point would be to double down and get it paid off-you got yourself into a bad financial situation and it's up to you to get yourself out. Then if you really feel the need to rid yourself of it you can without a lot of trouble.


+1. A focus is an inexpensive economy car, even if prices on these sorts of cars keep creeping up. The amount in the hole cannot be that great... I'd just get it paid to the point that it's not upside down and then consider options with a clearer head. It can only be a few thousand dollars at most, I'd hope....

I think the horrid dealers around make the problem far worse.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
You meet the buyer at your bank, you let the bank know ahead of time so they'll have the title at your branch. If your state does electronic titles this could be easier.


And also bring the remainder in cash/check, since it's upside down.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
From what I've read you don't have a case for the lemon law. Some of the things you've had issues with are normal wear and tear, such as the seat. Most of what you have is buyer's remorse.

You're learning an extremely expensive lesson. The smart thing to do at this point would be to double down and get it paid off-you got yourself into a bad financial situation and it's up to you to get yourself out. Then if you really feel the need to rid yourself of it you can without a lot of trouble.


+1. A focus is an inexpensive economy car, even if prices on these sorts of cars keep creeping up. The amount in the hole cannot be that great... I'd just get it paid to the point that it's not upside down and then consider options with a clearer head. It can only be a few thousand dollars at most, I'd hope....

I think the horrid dealers around make the problem far worse.

+2 With all the warranty on the car, just ride it out for a bit and just worry about the big problems for a while. The car should atleast get you places for a couple years and then you could sell it for more than you owe. Save up some cash during that time and take the proceeds of the sale and get something half decent used.
I would hate to pay $3-4k to get out of a car loan and then pay $3-4k more for a used car with lots of issues and no warranty...
 
Lemon laws vary quite a bit by state. I wanted to use NC's lemon law on a Town & Country we once had, but the various problems it had didn't meet the requirements of the state's law. My folks used the Virginia lemon law to force Jeep to buy back their Grand Cherokee. Documentation was essential. In the end, they got back everything they paid on the Jeep, PLUS all of the accessories they bought for it to make it towable behind their motorhome (towing bar, brake interface, etc).

Do your research on your particular state's lemon law. If your situation doesn't apply, then I agree with Pop_Rivit's suggestion to pay the car off as quick as you can. Then you have the option to make a change without losing a lot of money.
 
Originally Posted By: ram_man
How do you sell a car that has a lein on it? Ive never done that. I wouldnt mind fixing this issue if i thought this would be it. But its had several different issues. Thats my worry.
You have to pay off the lien in full, just like a home mortgage. The lien holder will provide a payoff amount and once paid, provide a title which does not show a lien.
 
Still no direct answer to the lemon law issue:
ram_man - have you repeatedly taken the car to the dealership for the same issue and they have repeatedly failed to correctly fix it?

Lemon Laws don't apply if various nit picks are wrong with the car. If they can't fix a repeated issue, that's usually when they apply.

As noted, check to see what your particular state covers. And despite the hassle, it may be better to keep the car, iron out all the issues now and hopefully it treats you well in the future.

Either way, good luck!
 
Based on your #'s you'd have to pony up $4500($16000k loan - $11500 private value) to walk away with NOTHING.

Your $3000 car with issues/maintenance required will end up costing $7500.

Hopefully your logic overrides your emotions here.
 
I think you have unrealistic expectations of what a new car is. Pay the note down and sell it off, Carmax might give you a good buck for it.


Or just suck it up and drive it for 100k miles.
 
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