Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General bad deal at the dealership

Yesterday (Saturday) I purchased a second car for the wife from a large dealership in Denver and I am dissatisfied with my purchase. I bought a 03 Nissan Altima with 60,000 miles on it. The car runs great but ther are some parts broken that do not seem to be normal wear and tear to me. I am taking Monday off of work to go down there and would like to return it or exchange but am not sure if I will run into a snag and get stuck with the car. I have run into problems before trying to purchase a car from a different dealership and don�t know an excessive amount about how dealerships are supposed to operate. Can someone tell me if the dealership should take the car back no questions asked or will I have to debate and argue with a rep at the dealership? Bellow is my list of concerns(noncosmetic) that I have noticed so far. They may just be little things but for an 03 this seems like a lot wrong with the car. I bought my 95 tour that came fully loaded paid $2,500 in 04 and the 9 year old car had less wrong with it. Thanks in advance for any advice or info that can be given.


Driver side door alignment seems off. When I pull the handle to open the door from the inside the door does not open. I have to push out on the door while pulling the handle to open it. Also when the door gets closed with the window rolled down it makes a horrible rattling noise.

Controls on steering wheel do not function with exception of the cruse control. (Controls for stereo, volume, trip, etc.)

Compartment in between front seats is broken. (Compartment has one compartment on top of the other and the do not latch to each other also seems like it is missing another part that slides out.)

Compartment in dash doesn�t stay closed. (Little stash compartment that has a door on it that is open all the time and can not be closed.)

Driver side headlamp isn�t aligned properly. (Pointing at an angle instead of straight.)

Vibrating sound comes from the back of the car while running.

When my father was driving it while following me at night the driver side headlamp was blinding me the whole time. Seems to me that if both the lights where straight they would either both be angled at my rearview or not. So I�m also wondering if the car maybe has been in an accident causing damage to the driver side that was not fixed right. Regardless this car doesn�t seem worth paying above blue book for and if it has been in an accident might be harder to get rid of later.

Better see what your states lemon laws are....this happened to me when I got my contour.....luckly for me...I was able to get a replacement contour that's in far much better shape than the car I paided $3,700 for.

At the risk of sounding like a jerk, didn't you test-drive this thing at all before you bought it? Seems to me that ten minutes spent messing with the car would have shown you most of these problems.

Since it is a used car w/ 60k on the clock, I'm betting you bought it as-is, no warranty. Which means that unless the dealer is feeling charitable, you'll probably be stuck with your purchase.

You'll probably be forced to sell it yourself or fix what you don't like. Again, at the risk of sounding like a jerk...let this be a little life lesson. Test-drive, and fiddle with EVERYTHING that can be opened/shut/moved/turned on/turned off in a car before you buy it. The time to force a dealer to fix these things is BEFORE you sign on the dotted line.

Good luck with it!

Well unless you go back, you'll never know. What they should do and what they do are very different. If things don't seem to be going well, ask to see the general manager. You might also file a complaint with your consumer protection department.

Document every issue with the car. Pictures, videos, etc. If you have a problem after that, at least you have evidence to take them to court.

Lemon laws apply to repairs that cannot fix something after 3 tries.

Used cars should have a sticker that eitehr says "as-is" or some kind of warranty, like 30 days, on it.

Used car purchases require due dillegence in inspecting the vehicle, and the old saying 'buyer beware' applies.

I would think if it was a large dealership as mentioned they would at least offer a 30 day warranty/grace period in case something like this happens.

Not sure about CO but VA has a 3-day contract cancellation clause. Check if CO has it.