Used '93 explorer dead after 5 days of purchasing

[explorerscope]

Last week I made a downpayment on a Used 1993 ford explorer 4x4 automatic trans. V6 .Now I'm not very knowlegeable about vehicles but before getting the ford I checked out all I know and even test drove it twice and found no problems with it...so I decided to take it since we badly needed a vehicle and visited several car lots for months before choosing this one.

About earlier this week it felt as if the auto trans. gear were slipping in and out when I drive over 55mph (RPM goes up to 3100 and dives down to 2000 constantly) and from that day seems like it was all down hill from there.
The vehicle pulls sharply to the left when I step on the brakes, I discovered the front left tire to be cutting(worn) on the inside. Took it to a mechanic and the front wheel bearings were loose and there is excess "play" on the front tires. The steering is not centered.

Ok so it needs alignment but the next day we saw that there was no coolant fluid in the radiator so I had it drained and refilled with mixture of water and coolant as directed and about an hour or so after the temperature guage flew to H and the radiator bubbled up and poped the top of the cap on the plastic fill container(the one that has washer fluid in it also). I looked under the hood saw the container was empty thought we didnt put enough water so I filled it halfway as directed but same thing happend...the temperature guage went up and seem seemed to back pressued into the container. Took it back to my mechanic, found out that lots of debris was stuck onto the thermostat, and apparently the coolant wasn't cycling properly to cool off the engine. We flushed out the radiator left the thermostat out and was back in opperation, we didnt bother to mix in more coolant fluid.

The next day the vehicle stalls at the bank, well I'd just about had it. The starter tumbles , lights come on the dash but the dang thing won't start. I shifted to neutral and pumped on the gas and it starts for a bit then cuts off...I figure its a problem with the fuel lines. Today Christmas day we are still stalled in the garage I guess my mechanic can fix it.

So here's a summary of problems:
1. Automatic trans not shifting properly over 55 seems to be strain on vehicle and slip in and out
2. Vehicle pulls to left especially when braking
3. Needs alignment
4. Radiator/cooler system needs to be flushed and I need a new thermostat
5. Vehicle currently stalled and not starting
6. Oh the Check engine light also comes on and off

It been exactly 7 days since I got the vehicle. I need advice on if I should carry this dang thing back the the used car lot or is it worth fixing up? My mechanic says the trans is the main problem and it may not be worth it to keep this.
I visited the Car lot I got the vehicle from yesterday pissed off as ever and said I want another vehicle instead of the crap they gave me and they said they can't do that and can't transfer my deposit to another car. I also saw on my deposit receipt the owner wrote "non refundable deposit" but I did not sign to that on any of my contracts nor did they disclosed to me the deposit was non refundable.

Can I fight this and get back my deposit??? They gave me the old 50/50 warranty on it but all work mush be down at the car lot and to bring it in Monday to have it repaired but I know I will still pay full costs..duhh! So I decided if I cant get my deposit back I gonna fix it on my own with a trusted mechanic and to heck with that 50/50 warranty crap.
I still owe the car lot $2900 ($4000.00 is fulls cost after all payments) Yeah I know I probably got ripped off for a crappy car. Anyone think I should get a lawer do I even have a case? or will it be worth fixing the piece of junk.
I live in Florida and I dont know the laws of florida concerning used car sales but I think I want my deposit back especially since I may need new transmission(worse case).

If I don't have a case to get my money back should I carry it into a Ford service center and have a full diagnosis and maintenance checks done? I dont trust that car lot on fixing my car properly. Any advice is appreciated, we only been married 9 months are desperately need this to get around. What are my best options?


Scope

 

[matey]

that sucks dude here if you pay more than 5k for a car they must provide a warrenty

 

[Bill Kemp]

Get rid of it ASAP. Take it back to the lot and get your money back.

 

[davidmmm69]

Oh my god 1993 for $4000 wow that is so steep.
I just bought my 2002 cash and still have my 1995 sitting in my driveway for sale, waiting till i hae time to take a picture but i am not even going to be asking that much for a much better vehicle..
I just moved from florida and there are alot of low lifes down there,One reason i left and too many buy here pay here car lots because for one people have no credit in florida and two no one has any money to buy a vehicle cash anymore,.
Just my 2 cents.

Get your money back now!!!!

 

[svande8952]

dump that POS ASAP. Make the car lot give you your money back. Most have a 30 day return policy. Don't let them bully you around.

 

[2002BLGT]

the tranny and pulling to the left are simple , replace both calipers and hoses on the front , its one of them sticking , that extra strain will keep the OD from kicking in , and its probably the right side sticking and getting hot (not working) and when you hit the brakes its pulling to the left because thats the only side that is grabbing good ....stalling and not starting , does it have gas in it ???? fuel pumps and sending units are bad about going out on these things ... overheating , do good flush but be weary of a blown head gasket or cracked head ..... either way i would talk to the dealer about any kind of warranty on it because seems like they overcharged on the vehicle slightly ....bought my 91 for 1400 bucks with only 91K miles on it , from a dealer ......had same problems with brakes on mine (I thought my tranny was gone too ) , fuel sender quit working on mine but it went to empty after a fill up so I figured the float had a hole in it and when it got submerged from the full tank it filled it up and sure enough 3 dollar float fixed mine........I would also advice doing a complete tranny flush if you keep it .....IMO....they arent bad vehicles at all most have been neglected badly though....

 

[explorerscope]

93 explorer dead after 6 days

Ok well most people are telling me to get my money back, but how do I do that?
I signed all the contracts and stuff, but the dealer didn't tell me my deposit was non refundable, but he wrote on my receipt "non refundable deposit" I really would prefer to get back my money tho cause every one says its too much for a 1993...I guess I got caught...I not an american either so I thought it was a good deal cause it was about same as the book value I checked, not knowing much about american car dealers.

What steps can I take to get back my money? My mechanic(a friend of family) is willing to tow it back to the dealer for me, he says its a waste of money. How do I get money back if it says "non refundable" on the receipt???

Scope

 

[jeff96]

isn't there a lemon law?

 

[Eneurb]

Call a lawyer...

 

[spindlecone]

isn't there a lemon law?

Not on used vehicles, Call a Lawyer? forget it.
If the dealer will not take it back, you have learned a hard lesson.
Not being car savvy means nothing in a business deal where you signed all the paperwork.
Sorry for your problem

 

[Broccoli1]

You are a little screwed here: there is no 30 day return policy- dealers only offer that possibility if they want to.Most dealerships post signs everywhere stating that there is "NO COOLING OFF PERIOD". Once you sign that contract you are locked in. Lemon law only applies after the dealer has tried to repair the problem- they get a few chances and in this case the dealer has offered to repair the vehicle, yes with you paying 50% of the repairs it sucks. The only thing you can really do is keep bringing the vehicle to the dealer so that you become such a pain in the ass that the 4000.00 sale isn't worth it to them. IF you can prove that the vehicle had problems AND that the dealer knew of these problems then you would have a case against them but this will cost you time, and most likely money, to prove this. You can threaten them but I doubt they will flinch, these guys are pros at selling used cars- They know the law and they know the pecentage of someone actually filing a claim because if you only have 4 grand for a car you probably don't have the cash & time to take them to court.

 

[explorerscope]

Ahhhhh!!!

Maybe I should just drive my truck thru the lot and everything else in my way :roll: :fire:

To whoever posted before, the lemon law is not on used vehicles in the state of Florida.

I know one thing for sure, if I can't get back my deposit I ain't carrying my dang car there to be fixed cause if it wasn't working good when they sold it too me why would they fix it good after making the sale? Screw them and the so called 50/50 warranty...I read that if a job costs $50 they will charge me $100 and ask me to pay 50% which is $50 to begin with, to heck with them, but I am certainly going to file reports with the better biz bureau and DMV and a few TV stations....there's nothing worse for a business than bad publicity. I hope there sales go so low that they can't even afford to buy a roll of tissue paper to clean up their ****.

 

[TSTONE]

try replacing the tps(throttle postioning sensor) it'll probably cure the rpm jump, it's cheap & easy to try

 

[jeff96]

if you got alot of spare time on your hands you can sit outside there buisness and protest them. Show everyone that goes on the lot your great car deal. And also file at the better buisness burea. And just a word of caution, never finance a 11 year old car.

 

[davidmmm69]

if you got alot of spare time on your hands you can sit outside there buisness and protest them. Show everyone that goes on the lot your great car deal. And also file at the better buisness burea. And just a word of caution, never finance a 11 year old car.

never finance any car...
Do you know how much money you would have at retirement if you take the average car payment of close to $400.00 each month and put it into things other than something that goes down in value every day. I changed my ways about 5 years ago and I have a house that is almost paid for...
It is amazing one you sit down and think about it,
I just bought my 2002 exlplorer 4wheel drive outright yes it was a low price but it was still $9500.00
that is so nice not giving some bank half a paycheck every month.
Just my 2 cents..
not trying to rag on anyone either but why would anyone ever even think of financing an 11 year old vehicle...
let me put it this way as i convinced a friend this way. take your car payment of $400.00 and sve it for 1 year and bam you can get a fairly decent vehicle, and you are not paying for the next 3 years..

 

[marragtop]

I would call the dept of motor vehicles, state police, and BBB. You may have some recourse if the vehicle is unsafe. The trans won't fall into that category, but if it's pulling to the left then it has front end and/or brake problems which means they sold you and unsafe vechicle. You might want to give the dealer once last chance to do right by you by threatening to do the above.

 

[gixxer7]

Did you buy the car "as is"? Most dealers put that on older cars. If so, that gets tricky in a court room but due to the price you could go to small clam's court. We are normally more lenient on the indignant party. My Two Cents.

Hey David, get your arrogant foot out of your ass. He needed a car quick, we have all been there. Yes, most of us understand that interest is not a budding asset. I think my 9 years old nephew already gets that, so sit back down before you hurt yourself.

 

[svande8952]

I argree, never borrow money to buy a car? That is ludacris. I guess we should all just save every penny we ever make and not enjoy life at all.

 

[explorerscope]

Well its wee to late to be advising me not to finance an 11 year old car and all that, I need realistic views, cause fact is I already got the vehicle and need to know what I can do now, not what I should have done. The funny thing is my in-laws saying the same thing but didn't offer to help me find something good and they know I been needing a car for months now. Facts are:

1. I did finance the 93 explorer
2. It droke down
3. I'm not even american (been here 1 year only, from the Caribbean)

I'm a qualified technician, stuck in a dead end fast food job and need a truck to get a good paying job and working at a fast food for over a year saving for a vehicle dosent sound like fun to me so the only way I could get one was saving for a deposit.

I've been to several car dealers...and three word come up...Credit, credit, credit. How the heck would I have Credit if I just came into the country? I wasn't even familiar with this Credit system, but from what I know now I can't get **** in american without Credit and thats really stupid. My wife who is American didnt have Credit either, hence our reason for a buy here pay here option ok guys and gals.

Yeah I learnt a lot about american car dealers from this and don't make the same mistake twice but what done is done, I can't go back in time and change this.

Update: I called the Department of Motor vehicles and they said once I signed the form there is basically nothing I can do and the car dealer legally does not have to give me my deposit back. They also stated that used car dealers can sell a car in any condition( i don't know about it being unsafe) and if it breaks down 1 hour after purchase it's fully my responsibility. All they said I can do is carry it there for repairs and pay them half cause I got a 50/50 warranty. But from the facts I got here I already will overpay on the purchase price and I got no garantte that they will fix it properly.So so much for the DMV helping. Well lets see what BBB can do.

And you know what....I don't really care about the money, it's the principles and lack or morals of some of these dealers that get to me...if I don't get my money back ...it dosent matter as long as I can get word out on them is enough to run them out of business or change.

Scope

 

[TSTONE]

so we can get away from the rant - start some new threads dealing with your specific issues and we'll try to help you diagnois and correct them