Bought Used Car, Owner Lied About Problems and Wont Return Money. HELP!!?

I did not have to read all to know what they say in England is you have been sold a pup. First mistake was paying cash and did you get a receipt or anything with her name on it. Also she did not have her name on the paperwork so one day you could either find car was stolen or was in an accident and should have been sold for scrap. Very sorry but it seems you have no hope of getting your money back. Hoping you do somehow and be very wary next time. A genuine owner can supply papers and wo not mind many questions.

1. I'm having hard time shifting gears with my car, what could be the problem?

you may need to replace the clutch slave or master cylinders. how ever it depends what kind of car you have also. that is where we should start. so what kind of car is this? year make and model would help a lot.

2. How do I confirm it is a VATS or Passlock problem in my car?

Car does not have PassLock, it is VATS, two entirely different critters. Sounds like a broken switch wire requiring ignition cylinder replacement. A locksmith would be more familiar with the system than an ordinary mechanic. Not a DIY or for anyone unfamiliar with the system

3. Do Brazilians fear that Spanish will replace Portuguese as the official language in their country?

Speaking the ugly truth...Sadly, most Brazilians cannot even learn proper Portuguese, let alone any second language. Less than 5% brazilians speak any second language and we are linguistically, geographically and culturally isolated from the rest of the world, even from South America. Apart from the few people that live near the borders, most of us cannot even dream of ever traveling to any other country (because we are very poor and cannot even afford a bus or car trip from the coast to, let's say, Paraguay). We simply do not know what is going on at neighbouring countries, apart from a few news. People from the rest of South America can travel by car between countries (just like citizens of the European Union) because no passport is needed among members of the Mercosur, but even then, we can not afford that. Mercosur was something in the 1990s when we did have ties with other countries. Now it's over for us. If Spanish was required for anything, they would simply die of starvation

4. I want to buy a used car, but I do not know what to check. Can somebody advise me?

As long as the title is clear (no lien statement on it), there's no debt on it. Here's some rules you should consider when buying a used car (1) do not get sold on the paint job = meaning cars having good exterior, fancy CD radio, etc. (2) look for car with sound ENGINE TRANNY SUSPENSION. (3) test every button, knob, switch, slider, etc.. Ex: even in the summer test out the heater & even in the winter test out the AC (if you can). Slide the AC/heater to fan1, fan2, fan3, etc. then slid the vent to defrost, front, bottom, etc. Test the high beam, low beam, etc. Test (flip) the visor. Test the alarm. Test all 4 doors. Test the rear defogger. ***** TEST EVERYTHING. (4) BEFORE the first start, open the engine bay and see if the engine is already warmed up. Many engines starts well when already warmed up, but may have problems when cold (or cold start). (5) test drive with the sound system off and window down. Listen for weird sound coming from the wheels & suspension. (6) Look inside the engine bay to see if you can see see leaks, etc. It is normal to see some oil and grease. But too much means that the car is leaking oil somewhere. Too clean (really clean) means they just wash the engine bay - possibly hiding some oil leaks. (7) check the engine oil dip stick. If the oil is BRAND NEW CLEAN, the seller MIGHT be hiding something. If the oil is jet black and /or smells like gasoline (or burnt), you might have engine problem). (8) once you are satisfied with the above - you can NOW take it to the mechanic for the engine tranny suspension inspection. He wo not find everything, but he will find the obvious. Take it to a mechanic EVEN if you are buying from a used car dealer. They cars are NO better than cars you buy from ebay and craigslist.com. Just more expensive. good Luck...