Used Cars: buying and trading, ohio attorney generals office, attorney generals office

Question
i had a 1992 corsica and i went to a car dealer in the state of ohio and i live in west virginia....the dealer and i made an agreement that i would give him my corsica and four hundred dollars cash as a down payment for a 1999 sunfire and i would also owe him 1 balloon payment of 400 dollars in 2 weeks..ive only had the car for 5 days today and the cars check engine light is coming on and has a ton of other problems...i signed a contract stating i'd pay 212.00 a month for 12 months for this used sunfire now i want my old car back but dont know the laws...could u please help me out....the sunfire was sole as is...thanks

Answer
I don't know the laws in Ohio, but those are the laws that govern your transaction, unless superceded by any federal interstate trade laws which usually is not the case.  In Texas once the contract is signed and you drive off in the vehicle, the deal is done, some dealers may help you out since you just bought the car, we certainly would have.  However keep in mind it would only be voluntary by the dealer.  Was this a large franchise store like Ford or Chevy, or was it an independent?  You will find franchise stores are more willing to help since their success is based on building a repeat customer base, independents usually buy the cheapest car they can, patch it up and sell it, usually cheaper than a franchise store, but with no warranty.  Franchise stores sell older cars with no warranty but if you drove off the lot and the check engine light came on you would have more luck with them assisting you with your problem. Check with the Ohio attorney generals office and see if they have any laws that allow a return, or if dealers are required to warranty the car they sell for a certain time period, its a long shot, but some states do have this in place. Good luck. Just remember that being nice and explaining your concerns and problems will get you further than threats and yelling...

also... this sounds strange but if the check engine light came on shortly after you put fuel in your car, you may not have put the fuel cap back on properly, you would be surprised at how many people come into service and this is the only problem, try taking it off then putting it back on making sure it is lined up correctly and on tight.