Lemon Law Myths and Misconceptions

Buying an automobile, truck, or sport utility vehicle is often a
daunting, stressful and expensive process. People pay more money for
their cars than for just about anything other than their homes. And
once the vehicle has been purchased, one hopes that it will run just
fine for the foreseeable future.

But sometimes things go wrong. For those situations, every state has
passed a lemon law, a statute that exists to backup the
manufacturer's written warranty that comes with the vehicle. But most
people don't know anything about lemon laws and rarely give them a
thought until something goes wrong. And once people start to given
lemon laws some thought, they often realize that what they thought
they knew about them is wrong.

Here are a few things about lemon laws that are often misunderstood:


Used cars are covered under state lemon laws. Generally, this is not
true. Most states' lemon laws cover the original owner of a new car
only. If you are the second owner of a car, even if it is still under
warranty, you may find that your state's lemon law doesn't protect
you. There are a few states that cover the car during the duration of
the warranty regardless of the number of owners and a few that even
have special lemon law for used cars. If in doubt, check with your
state's Attorney General's office.


If you buy a new car, you may return it for a refund within three
days of purchase. Again, generally not true. It may be true if you
buy a toaster, but for large purchases such as a car, once you buy
it, you own it. For that reason, make sure that you test drive any
new vehicle that you are thinking about buying. And not just one like
it - drive the exact car you intend to buy. If you are buying a used
car, have an independent mechanic check it out before you buy to make
sure that it is in good order.


The dealer must inform you if the vehicle has been in an accident.
Most states do not require this. Furthermore, it's not always
possible for a dealer to even know if a vehicle has previously been
in an accident. Dealers are, however, generally required to disclose
information about any known damage to the vehicle. Don't expect the
dealer to be forthcoming with information that he or she may not
necessarily want you to know. Be proactive and ask a lot of
questions. And again, if it's a used car, be sure to have an
independent mechanic look it over before you buy.

Lemon laws are there to protect consumers from defects in
workmanship and to make sure that the dealer and/or manufacturer will
repair any problems that arise during the warranty period. But a
lemon law is no substitute for diligence or research on the part of
the buyer. Know what you are getting into before you buy a car, truck
or SUV.

Copyright 2006 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of
Retro Marketing

Lemon Law