Lemon laws are laws that provide protection for purchasers of new cars, the laws, although a little different state by state are applicable in every state in the union. It is far more common for a purchaser of a pre-owned or used car to end up with a defective vehicle or to get stuck with repair bills that total more than the value of the car.
Any car which has a repetitive defect which cannot be repaired after a given number of attempts can be seen as being a lemon. Even though the vehicle sits idle, the purchaser is still stuck with making payments. Just about every used car dealer has an arbitration clause but the clause is very one sided, benefiting the dealer and unfavorable for the purchaser, it is this lop-sided clause that keeps may used car purchasers from taking the case to court. In many cases the purchaser will have to prove that the defect was in existence before he or she even bought the car, these and other roadblocks make it a difficult situation for the consumer.
What are lemon laws that apply to used cars?
The severity of problems found with used cars and the number of them have led some states to pass lemon laws applicable to used cars. Although there are few of them, six to be exact, the laws are such that the used car is sold with a statutory warranty which is based on either the age or the number of miles on the vehicle. In the event the car proves to be problematic during the specified warranty time the dealer who sold the car is given the opportunity to repair the defect, if, after several attempts the defect cannot be eliminated, the dealer must either refund the purchase price or provide the buyer with a replacement vehicle.
Preparing for battle:
Although there are a few states with lemon laws that apply to used car purchases they are still very limited in their scope. In most cases the number of days that the buyer has recourse under the used car lemon law is limited as is the number of miles that the new owner can put on the car.
Regardless of whether you are setting out to buy a new car or a used car the best form of protection is information. When you want to know what are lemon laws in your state, you are advised to check with a lawyer that is intimate with the applicable laws.
Go to the site YourLemonLawRights.com for more information.
