Bought A Lemon Hybrid

I have not read all of the post ... maybe this has already been suggested.

Do not overlook acquiring needed components from a reputable "junk" yard. I have enjoyed success with that source for parts in the past (other cars). You will read on this thread that many responders have bought batteries.

Good luck.

 

It's all done, not the car or Toyota's fault. If you were a bigger entity you could get the government to "bail you out"
For future never purchase a used vehicle in private sail w/o title search and mechanic (not a friend who is handy) inspection. Especially not a car like the Prius that has special components.

 

Ouch, having done this in cash makes it very tough. Do you have the person's real name? If you do there should be some way to track them down through the title or license renewal process. Like a turtle, they have to surface eventually.

 

Yep, both of those shops seem to be very reputable and specialize in hybrid repairs (have never used either, myself). Art's happens to be in Berkeley which should be very close to you if you're in Oakland.

Here are their web sites:

Art's Automotive
Luscious Garage | Hybrid Specialists

I know that Art's have overhauled a ton of the Gen-I Prius (check out their blog, lots of pics!) so they should be able to steer you in the right direction to fixing your car in the most cost effective manner.

Let us know how it turns out either way!

 

Thanks - so are they going to be replacing the entire transaxle with a known good unit? I assume a junkyard pull to save money? Care to share how much different the quotes ended up? Just curious...

 

Please don't get all bent out of shape but:
The fact that YOU titled the thread "Bought a Lemon Hybrid" brings in people who are interested in the details of what would be a rare 2010 (or any generation new) Prius purchase. What about it caused it to be unrepairable after 3 tries and bought back by Toyota?? It could also cause a lot of consternation by people considering buying a new Prius: Lemon? The 2010 Prius is a lemon? I'M sure not going to buy one!

To find out that the generally accepted definition of a lemon does not apply AT ALL to your situation rubs some of us the wrong way as was noted in prior posts.

I wish you good luck, however given how much you paid for the car and the expected repair costs, I'm not sure it is possible. Check the Kelly Blue Book site http://www.kbb.com and find out what it will be worth with the repair done. You might be able to come out about even, I threw in an Oakland zip and 50K miles (not knowing how many are on the car) and it came up with a private party sale price of $9,430 in 'Good' condition, $7,155 for 100K miles.

In closing, yes I do feel for you, first car purchase and it is a horrible experience. You learned a lot the hard way, probably because you are an honest person and the concept that the sleazeball was any different didn't even occur. Only in hindsight do you see the red flags.

 

I would as a private seller of a car not accept a check from anyone I didn't know through a friend or in some other way. While writing a bad check is a crime in Maryland the police make it quite difficult to collect on them. For example if you don't have the check writers license # on the check they basically won't treat it as a criminal matter. You can take them to court of course. If they do a stop payment on the check often the police say its a civil matter.

 

While that all may be true, there is no reason not to accept a cashier's check -- though as buyer I would make certain the name on the cashier's check was exactly the same name as the one on the title, and, as seller, I would call the issuing bank to make certain the number on the cashier's check is one that the bank agreed was issued to the buyer.

 

The more I read your responses, the more I'm impressed with your ability to recognize the mistakes and mis-steps you've made, acknowledge them and look to learn from them.

Also, it appears you've learned more than you've cared to learn about the darker side of humankind. Primarily, of course, I mean to point out the disgusting actions of the seller, but I also refer to those rather strong accusatory statements made by some of us PriusChatters. There is no equating PCer's statements with criminal activity, but I'll admit we haven't always responded positively.

I think you're willing to acknowledge that the thread name has something to do with this - and I suspect you'd change it if it would help things. Too bad those options just aren't available to us.

Keep going and keep us informed.

 

Correct. Whether property, cars, or other big ticket items, I want everything above board. Some folks thought I was nuts for turning down Mr Assumed Big Time Drug Dealer's all-cash purchase of that property I had.

Now, how do you know that the cash is genuine? It's pretty easy to stuff funny money in with a real bill on the outside. It's funny money as it becomes funny with YOU are the one busted for trying to move fake currency

 

Toyota do monitor Prius Chat, that is why the Gen III is such a great car, they are reading what owners want in the next Prius right now. The people from Toyota are not shy in identifying themselves, they haven't responded to this thread as far as I can see.

I'm not trying to start or fuel a war however people who frequent Prius Chat have seen a good number of trolls come to disrupt our peace, a title like "Bought a Lemon Hybrid" is food and attractant for trolls.

Good luck sorting your Prius.
I hope this thread serves as a warning to others of the pitfalls of private car purchases. (I once bought a Mazda with a stuffed engine, the seller had used thick oil to quiet it but when hot it rattled like a babies toy box. If a vendor insists on cash because they need the cash for another purchase you can use that to get a better price or walk away, how brave are you? If you pay nothing they wont have any cash for the minivan, great bargaining leverage, desperation.

 

A stop payment can be issued for cashier's check and money order.
So don't count on it.

The safest way is to accompany the buyer to his bank and does a money transfer/wired to your account.

 

Likewise it is fairly easy to counterfeit a cashier's check. Floating fake cashier's checks is a central theme to many of the international scams. By the time the check bounces, the buyer is long gone.

Tom

 

Don't mean to continue the long trek away from the original topic, but . . .

The reason I suggested calling the issuing bank on a cashier's check is for precisely these reasons. The counterfeiting of cashier's checks has become amazingly common, so a call to the issuing bank to confirm the check number and the name of the person to whom it was issued it more than simply prudent.

 

The OP has been refreshingly open about what happened and where mistakes were made. Other than the unfortunate title choice, none of this indicates trolling, so it would be nice if some PC'ers would give the person a break. It is bad enough to get taken to the cleaners, by a professional crook who obviously does this for a "living," the person has already learned the lesson so what is the need to pile on?