Used car nightmare! Are there any laws protecting me in CA?

I am a German student here in CA to study English. I needed a car, so I decided to buy one used. I found a car on craigslist for $1600. The ad said the car was in "better than fair" condition, and that everything worked. When I drove the car this all seemed to be true. CA law says that the seller has to SMOG the car before they sell it to the buyer. I ended up taking the car to be smogged, and it did NOT pass. Turns out that only 5 of the 6 pistons are firing. I had a mechanic look at the car. He said that there was nothing that he could do. Is their anything that I can do to recover the $1400 cash that I paid for this car? I am losing my mind over here. Any advice is welcome. Thanks for your time!

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There have been other similar posts here where the car owner was paid...

You could try to ask for a full refund saying that the vehicle had major structural damage etc. from the beginning, and it has never been fixed properly--but it will not be an easy case if it went to small claims or other court, and some courts may say you should have had it inspected at the time etc. If they knew of the problem in any way however and hid it from you they could be liable and even be penalized for bad faith--that may be the best argument for you to make--They also likely do not want any bad publicity so even the threat of a lawsuit could help persuade them.