I'm afraid it's not all that bad. I bought a used Buick Park Avenue several years back. Everything ran fine. I took my dash apart to put some new speakers in a few weeks after getting it and I noticed that one of the dash lights had electrical tape covering it. I took the tape off and saw it was the "Brake" light. I took it into the shop to have it checked out & they couldn't find anything wrong so I ended up just putting more electrical tape on when I put the dash back together, but I always had this nagging feeling that something was gonna happen with my brakes some day.

I bought a used Toyota from a friend for $500, not in great shape but it ran good and got good mileage. I already had a pickup and a camaro but this was a good little car for going to work as it got good gas mileage and I didn't put miles on my nicer vehicles. My sister and brother-in-law's car broke down and my brother-in-law asked if he could borrow the Toyota for a while. About 2 months later my sister comes with a message from her husband that he needs the title to the car I "gave" him as he has already traded it and their broken car for another. He was just that kind of fellow, didn't even have the nerve to come himself, he sent my sister. It's a long story after that but the car was gone and I eventually relented to save my sister some greif. p.s., he is no longer my brother-in-law, thank goodness. What a turd.

5 years ago when we first moved to Las Vegas, NV, we were without a car, and our credit isn't that good, so we went to a used car lot. The guy talked us into getting a car on a weekly basis. I can't remember the type of car it was. We were paying $100 a week, after 8 weeks we went to get the oil changed, we went to a Jiffy Lube, and they told us that the oil pan was welded and they couldn't get it open to drain the oil. We took it back to the used car lot, and they said that they would fix it. To give them 2 days, 2 days later we went back and it still wasn't fixed, they said to give them more time. At the end of that week when it was time to make a payment, we went in there and the car still wasn't fixed and we told them that we weren't going to make a payment till it was fixed. 3 days later on Monday, we recieved a letter in the mail saying that we needed to make a payment or they were going to reposess the car. We told them to go ahead and that we were going to report them. I called Comsumer Report Agents and they said that they investigated them and there was no wrong doing. Yea right. So we were again without a car and out $800.

In 1992 I had a friend who was 17 and had just passed her test. She brought a mini with one of her friends and unknown to her at the time it was two halves from two separate minis welded together badly. On a highway at speed the two halves came apart and there was a collision between the front half carrying the two of them and another vehicle and they were both killed instantly. The newspaper footage of the remaining wreck was horrifying. Went to the funeral - it was sad and tragic.

Back in 1988, I bought my wife a used 1984 Olds Delta 88. She was driving a pretty good distance to work each day and I wanted her to be comfortable and somewhat protected, (it is a bigger car). My father-in-law had driven the wheels off of 2 of them with not one problem whatsoever. I bought it from a new car dealer, and 1 month later, my wife drove up one day and radiator fluid was going everywhere. We checked it and it had blown a head gasket. The dealership fixed it, (free), and 1 month later, the exact same thing. I took it back to the dealer, and they refused to fix it this time. A friend helped me fix it this time and wouldn't you know it, about 6 weeks later, it blew the gasket again. This time I had a private owned garage fix it. The owner told me that there was a low spot on one side of the head that would keep blowing until the head was ground down level, which he did. He said the dealer should have done it the first time, and that probably all they did was stick a new gasket on it and let it go, without even checking it. Overall, I paid about $2500, between cost of fixing it, towing, car rentals, etc., and to this day, every time I'm in a car, I still smell anti-freeze, (because I think every car is going to break-down).I'm also on a first name basis with the automaker in Detroit. They couldn't get the dealer to stand behind his product, either.

I 've got a horror story , but, it was a new car, not a used one. I bought a 1983 Z-28 Camaro brand new , right off the lot. That car was the biggest hunk of junk known to man. It was plauged with computer problems, transmission troubles, electric troubles,interior noise & rattles, you name it.It was literally in the shop as much as it was on the road. When I finally got rid of it, I was so relieved , I swore I'd NEVER buy one of those turds ever again !! Live and learn. No wonder GM is in trouble .

I bought my son a 1995 Ford Taurus (terrible mistake in itself). The second day we had it I backed into someone but no real damage done. A week later my son gets rear ended by a potato chip truck and of course the insurance company wouldn't total it so it went into the shop for a week. About 2 weeks after we got it back, the car started acting up and a new transmission was needed (unrelated to the accident). Other problems started to arise so I said to hell with it and donated the car to charity within a year. I have never totalled all the expenses but the transmission alone cost almost as much as the car. Huge lesson learned!

i bought a brand new z71 chev diesal 4x4 truck. blew the tranny at 4000 kms. the kid at the front counter wanted 60 bucks to clean underneath , so they could install a new tranny (all under warrantry) i gave him the keys to it .. he asked me '' nobody told you, i said it was their junk,, fix it

I currently own a 2006 Kia Rio5, great shape and design for a car. I bought it used, and by the third day the clutch had gone out. So that night i had it towed back to the house and waited till morning. The next morning i called the dealership and they towed the car over there. By the afternoon, i got a call and they had to replace the clutch...and transmission. free of charge though. about a week and a half later i get my car back, ran smooth and better when i test drove it. the best part about this is three weeks later, i was driving home and getting off the freeway, going 60mph it slows down, i didnt even bother to downshift, the clutch went easy all they way down to the floor and the car wouldnt turn on. Called insurance to get car towed and have them look at it, the couldnt do ANYTHING because i was at fault. Funny thing is im 19 full time student and full time employee, how can one burn out a clutch in under three weeks? The dealership wouldnt stand by it. The car has been nothing but problems since day three. it's impossible for a clutch to go out that fast