Hi all. I've got a question that fares more on the legal side of things. Here's the deal:

On February 13th, I bought a 1993 Honda Civic from a local buy here pay here lot (an LLC business and certified dealer and inspection station if that helps). Today, February the 17th (4 days later), the car spent all day in the shop having its motor mounts replaced because they were completely dry rotted and one was even totally broken, meaning technically my engine could have fallen out at any point in the past 4 days.

Now, call me crazy, but I really doubt that all of those mounts got that bad over the course of 4 days, which leads me to believe that the lot I bought the car from (a certified dealer and inspection station) passed an inspection on the car despite the fact that it was essentially a ticking time bomb. Also, the mechanic found an oil leak, which the dealer negelected to mention at the time of purchase, while the car was on the lift.

A few important things to know:

• The car does not have a warranty.
• It came from a buy here pay here.
• I've had it for 4 days.
• The dealer told me nothing was wrong with the car before buying.
• I pointed out bad motor mounts before purchasing only to be assured that they were normal and that the car was in perfect condition.
• The lot/dealership performs repairs and inspections on site.
• One of the mounts was totally and completely broken into pieces. So much so that my mechanic said it was a miracle the car made it to the shop.
• I will have to go back and have my transmission mounts done as well because they are dry rotted too.
• I live in NC.

I don't even want my money back for the car, though it would be nice if I could get it and keep the car (Lemon Law maybe?). I just want to stop this dealer from selling anyone else a car they've patched through. Does anyone know what I can do in this situation? Thanks in advance.

 

UPDATE: 5 days after buying the car I've noticed the odometer is not functional. I paid so much attention to the faulty speedometer that I didn't even pay attention to the mileage. The dealer didn't write the number of miles on the paperwork when I bought the car, which I've discovered is required by law. The mechanic wrote the mileage on my receipt yesterday though. It has not changed since then. I'm so angry. Any help or advice here is very very much appreciated.