Tips on Buying Cars: 2006 Mazda6 - cigarette odor covered up, cigarette odor, better business bureau

Question
bought for $15,000. dealer covered cigarette smoke up with deodorizer; have taken car back 5 times; smell comes back. dealer will not take car back; can i sue him for criminal intent? covering up odor to sell the car??? bought car 8 weeks ago? 9 cigarette holes in seat. they fixed that. the car sneaks and i don't want it.

Answer
It would probably be difficult (read: Expensive) to sue a car dealer... let alone prove they knowingly covered up the smell... you should report them to the Better Business Bureau in your area - and before you do that... threaten that you will report the dealership.. maybe that will get them to come around. Smoke is not an easy smell to get out of a car, but perhaps you could work it out that they will pay to have it professionally detailed and cleaned. A respectable dealership would fix it for you (or cover your cost to fix it), or take the car back. If they aren't respectable... you should've found a different dealer.  Unless you can prove they knowingly covered up the smell, you bought the car AS-IS. Some states have a 30 day return policy with dealerships... you can check with your local DMV for that one. Otherwise, you will have to pay for it to be professionally cleaned yourself - and then invest in a few air fresheners... Good luck.. and definitely check with your local BBB - they can even bring up a lawsuit for you if it comes to that.