re: What's your worst experience with a car?

Bought a Honda Civic off a non-major dealership lot. It was the first and will be the LAST purchase I ever make at a non-affiliated car lot.

2 weeks later the car overheats and stalls out.

Turned out there was a massive 4" crack on the back/bottom of the engine block that was hidden by the transmission.

What's worse is that either the car lot or the previous owner "patched" the crack with J-B Weld.

They also opened the dash and covered the CEL with electrical tape so you could not see it turn on.

When I bought the car, I did a thorough visual inspection under the vehicle as best I could but I apparently should have placed the car on a lift. I should have also brought my dad's OBD-II reader.

Thank the Lord, Honda had a recall on the engine block and the repairs were performed free of charge. Had the J-B weld held for a month longer,the recall would have expired and I would have been out $6-8K

It was a wake up call for me to not be complacent when buying a car even if you think you are buying a "solid" brand. I also learned a tough lesson in why cars are put to auction rather than sold by the dealership who took the trade.