Can a Honda dealership legally sell a used car with bad or shot struts?

I bought a used 2006 Honda Civic Sedan with 90,000 miles on it a week ago. After buying, I brought the car to my mechanic for an oil change. He informed me the front struts were shot and that they needed to be replaced. I had only had the car 3 days when I found this out. That means the dealership sold me the car with bad front struts and one of them is actually shot. They are claiming that the warranty doesn't cover the repair because it's considered "wear and tear". But does that matter if they sold me the car in that condition? It's not like this happened 2 months down the road, I just bought the car and these problems were there when they sold it to me. Isn't that illegal to not fix it free of charge? No, the car was not bought "as is" either.

Yes

You need to consult with an Attorney that specializes in product liability laws.

Each state passes their own laws on consumer protection. In my state, it would be legal for a used car lot to sell you a defective car and not tell you about it. The laws of your state may be different.

Not where I live don't you have road worthy condition reports where you live if the struts are shot the thing isn't roadworthy so it shouldn't be on the road to sell a car it must have a roadworthy before it can be registered and driven by the new owner there's a $50000 fine for any roadworthy inspector caught passing a dud vehicle.
Find out your local laws Name the dealer that sold you the said pos. Sounds like you are having buyers remorse as you didn't look at the thing well enough before you brought it as you've had it 2 months the repairs are now your problem.

This is in New York State by the way!

Depends on what you paid and how nice you cxan be to the salesmanager and convince him the it a safety issue and it should be repaired by the dealership…

Sure they can, it's a 12 year old used car. All used cars are sold "as is". Just like if the tires need replacing, struts are a wear item. Neither are covered by any warranty.

Sorry! You're done! Anywhere in the US of A, all used car sales are considered "AS IS" whether the sale is between private party's or through a dealer! So you should have taken the car to your mechanic BEFORE you laid down your greenbacks! You may consider that possibly your mechanic is lying to sell you new struts! Struts usually last a lot longer than 90,000 miles… And both are shot? It all sounds suspicious to me. Get a second opinion on the struts before you pay out $$$!

Its 12 years old. You could have had it checked out.

I dealt low end cars for a dozen years. I suspect many if not most of my $1500-3000 clunkers had bad shocks/struts. But its a 12 year old car. If you didn't notice it when driving it, it can probably go another 12 just like it is.

Its arguable over what exactly defines bad too.

I had an old Nissan way back when. A mom was buying a car for her daughter and wanted Nissan to look it over which was fine with me because I knew the car was sound. For a $2000 car.

Well, they gave her a list of $900+ worth of work it needed. So she didn't buy it and I suspect thought I was trying to rip her off.

Guess who bought it that night? The mechanic from Nissan. I asked him if he was going to fix all that stuff. He said he was going to drive it just like it was.

But as a mechanic, They tell him to advise everything to make the car 100%. New struts aren't needed on old cars.

I hate it that the lady wasted her money paying Nissan. But, I was fairly new at the time or I would have told her to just ask about major components. And the motor & transmission were sound.

All that said, if you bought It from a new car dealership. Ask for the general manager and ask him to split the cost of replacing them. He might go for that… But only if you have it done at their dealership. Which charges twice what your mechanic would. You might get him to cut you a check for half what your mechanic charges but I doubt it. They don't owe you anything. But, if they made a nice chunk, they might do it just to make you happy. Particularly if you mention you are going to leave an online review if they don't do something for you. But ask your mechanic if its a serious safety issue. I'm sure its not. If they cut you a check, just keep it. Then if the struts but you later on, you can replace them but I doubt you'd need to.

When I drove an old cheap car, every time I drove on certain lots, Id blame the old cars shocks. But my much, much newer car does the same thing. Its the lots, not the struts.

Yes, they can as long as it isn't an imminent safety issue that they knowingly hid from you (it isn't). The law is "buyer beware" so unless a used vehicle has a warranty that covers specific parts, it is up to the buyer to determine the condition of the vehicle BEFORE they purchase it. Unfortunately, most people are too trusting and either not educated enough or not intelligent enough to do a proper pre-buy inspection, which is why it is recommended that a qualified independent mechanic take a look at it.

So, the bottom line is that the dealer who sold it to you is not required to fix it or to pay for it. However, it would be worthwhile to confront them about it and try to negotiate some kind of deal, like a couple free oil changes and tire rotations or wheel alignment, good discounts on other work or parts, free seat covers or something like that. Bottom line is, you didn't bother to do a good inspection. That's your fault, not theirs. If it wasn't covered by a warranty or a "certified used" plan, you in fact did buy it "as-is". Read the sales contract fine print.

Did you get a second opinion on those struts?