My life was destroyed by a used car dealership in Wixom, MI (named Wixom Motors).

I unknowingly bought an undriveable lemon for my full-time job as a rideshare driver. I now have to pay for a $20,000 car, with a 23% interest rate, and higher insurance rates due to unexpected bad credit from 14-year-old student loans. Without a car, I'm unemployed. On top of that, the lease on my apartment needs to be renewed soon, and I have little savings to prepare for that.

If you don't have money to donate, at least donate some words of encouragement or practical advice at Dave.Duncker@gmail.com. I'm desperate, and my options are limited.

Here's how the events occurred:

Alerts went off in the car within seconds of me driving off with the vehicle after the sale; no alarms were raised during my short test drive. The dashboard console displayed a problem with the parking assist sensors, a problem with the blind spot sensor, and a check engine light. A few hours later, I noticed shaking at highway speeds. Then there was shaking while applying the brakes. Then there was shaking when driving up hills. A few days later, my local mechanic scanned my car's systems, and immediately figured out that I was sold a lemon.

This was despite the fact that:

1) The salesperson told me that they inspect their cars before selling them.

2) The mechanics performed an Uber and Lyft inspection; they certified that the vehicle is safe for ridesharing.

I was taken advantage of. I pulled an all-nighter to readjust my sleep cycle so that I could show up to the dealership at a reasonable time. During the sales process, I found out that a 14-year-old student loan suddenly reappeared on my credit report this January (it should have stopped impacting my credit after 7 years; that's an entirely separate can of worms that I'm trying to deal with); also, my work as a rideshare driver meant that not owning a car means being unemployed.

I was careless, for sure, and I should done more research when my old vehicle became unsafe to drive. Nevertheless, I am in the situation that I'm in now, and I don't see any easy way out.

There are a few glimmers of hope. I only drove about 400 miles out of the 2400 mile warranty; but the car is in such bad shape that more problems will appear after that warranty expires.