contract-law
Can I cancel a car purchase if the seller does not deliver on promises promptly?
<p>I bought a used car on the condition that certain faulty equipment would be repaired under a "we owe" agreement. I have been unable to take possession of the car after buying it a week ago due to the fact that the faulty equipment technically makes it illegal to drive in my state in the U.S. The seller supposedly already repaired the equipment once but it was not working by the time I went to pick up the car, so I again left it there and they are repairing it again.</p>

<p>My understanding is that the normal 3-day "cooling off" period for consumer purchases does not apply to cars sold by a seller with a permanent physical sales location, so I know that would not have helped me even within the first 3 days after the purchase.</p>

<p>The "we owe" agreement expires 30 days after the purchase date so I would think anything close to 30 days is excessive for a seemingly minor repair, especially if they have had the car in their possession the entire time.</p>

<p>If I think this is dragging on too long with a seemingly simple repair, are there any terms under which I may be able to cancel the purchase even if I signed the "as-is car sale" agreement, and if so, what would be the shortest "reasonable" amount of time to allow them to deliver on their promises?</p>

<p>I assume this is a used car, and that your sales agreement doesn't have a 'time is of the essence' clause that specifies a specific deadline. In that case, they will have 'reasonable time' to perform the work. Unfortunately, there is no legal definition of what would be reasonable (the time necessary to repair a locomotive is much longer than the time needed to repair a torn screen door). Rather, the question would be, given the nature of the time, what you be typical, what would be surprising or shockingly long, and what extenuating factors are there. If you happen to know a lot of mechanics, you can get a ballpark figure. Let's say that it has been 3 weeks, then that is probably unreasonably long, so you could sue them for breach of contract. If it has less than a week, it's not so clear. You might simply ask then when they will get the problem fixed.</p>
