Mom bought CPO car, found out it had accident, what should she do?

KingofMadCows

My mom just bought a certified pre-owned 2012 Nissan Altima, and found out today from her mechanic that it actually had been in an accident. Apparently in California, you don't have to report an accident unless there was an injury or the cost of repair is more than $750. Unfortunately, she signed something that says she won't cancel the contract. Today is the last day of the cooling off period.

Now the dealer says they can exchange her car for a new one, either the same model or something different. Should she go for the exchange or try to cancel the contract?

Any advice on negotiating tactics if she decides to exchange the car? What about trying to cancel the contract? Unfortunately, for some reason she didn't bring me or any of her friends with her to help with the negotiation, so she's by herself.

witch_ie

I think it depends on the type of accident. If it was a front end collision, I would definitely exchange the car. If there isn't another car she wants at the dealership, she should try to cancel the contract. I think it's somewhat strange that she signed something that said she wouldn't though - that's the point of the cooling off period. She's probably going to lose some money on it though if she can't work our an exchange.

If she's exchanging the car, I don't know what sort of negotiating tactics are really open to her besides canceling. She just needs to take her time and not let herself get tired or rushed. Also, she should be looking for the VIN stickers all over the car to make sure she doesn't get another car that's been in a major accident. The CARFAX will only have information if the accident has been reported, as you mentioned, but that's another to check it out.

KingofMadCows

I guess she just signed a bunch of stuff without thoroughly reading through them. She got bamboozled into buying a $2,500 extended warranty, $1,000 in something about car accessories, $500 in some optional security thing, and another $500 in some kind of 3 year car paint or upholstery protection plan. Basically, she ended up paying almost $22,000 for a car that was advertised for $15,000.

I don't believe the accident was serious, I think it might have been something resulting from a flat tire. I'm not sure about the details, but she said something about how the mechanic told her that some screws were obviously replaced and you have to push down a bit hard to get the hood to close.

Actually, she just told me that she didn't sign a something that says she won't return the car. I guess with used cars, you would need to sign a optional cancellation contract, which costs an additional $100 or so. She did not sign that.