Is Your Car A 'Lemon'?

Sooner or later we all must buy a car. And whenresearching pricing information for the obvious
we can, we buy them brand new.reasons.
However, most of us are stuck having to a buy aEverything from sticker price to customer rebate
used car from a dealer or private party at someinformation may vary from site to site. It's wise
point. The downside to this is that you can get ato cover all the bases. Whenever you are in
car that at first seems like everything you everdoubt, contact an auto manufacturer directly.
wanted, but soon becomes your worst nightmare.When it comes to the basics behind the lemon
What I have come to learn is that by the timelaws, knowing the basics can be the difference
that you begin to realize that you have a lemonbetween whether or not you get screwed or get
on your hands, it is usually too late. The car hasthe chance to recover the money that you spent
already outlived its 90 day warranty which ison the car.
often filled with loopholes for the dealer anyway.The state and federal statutes offer a wide array
What does this mean for you? If you're like mostof relief for consumers who get stuck with a bad
people, you're thinking to yourself, "it meanscar or truck after they buy.
you're screwed." However, read on.At the same time, these statutes provide buyers
Most people who buy their cars used know thatwith the chance for recovery of costs and
dealers set up their agreements in terms that willattorney fees which are a strong incentive for
serve only their best interests. Buyers alsoattorneys who would like to take up the cause on
assume that there is really nothing that they canbehalf of unhappy lemon owners.
do in order to get the most out of their money."Lemon laws" basically outline all of the procedures
But that couldn't be further from the truth.that are used in order to settle these sorts of
In fact, there is a lot that you can do to protectnew car problems.
yourself even after you have bought yourself aThese lemon laws differ from one state to
lemon.another, but lemon laws in general are designed to
That's right: as a buyer you do have rights asprovide the owner with a refund or replacement
well.vehicle should this problem occur.
In fact, there are laws that are designed toFor example, some states mandate a refund or a
protect you should you find that you get stucknew car if a large enough problems cannot be
with a bad car and a terrible dealer.repaired within four tries, or if the car has been
Did you know that now is the best time to buy aout of service for around a month within the first
car? There are very large cash rebates, dealeryear or 12,000 miles driven.
discounts and employee discounts offered justHowever, there are some exceptions to this rule,
about everywhere.such as; some states only provide you with the
The recent major drop in the car industry hadchance to make one attempt for significant
forced many people to steer away from buyingsafety related issues such as the brakes or
new cars and also has prompted some of thesteering.
best discounts ever from the dealerships. YouSome states do not even stop with just providing
need to do some online research before hittinglemon owners with either a refund or a new car.
the dealership and it could save you money andSome of them will, in fact, also let you recover
headaches.any sort of attorney's fees that you have to deal
Websites like Autoweb.com, Edmund's Automobilewith during your pursuit of getting some
Buyers Guide, Autolink, Autopedia, Kelley Bluesatisfaction from your purchase of a lemon.
Book and are just some of the sites that areIt is always good to know that you can get some
currently giving up to date pricing information onsort of return on your money when you buy a
new cars.lemon. It happens so often that eventually there
You should however make note of the dateswas bound to be some laws protecting the
when each rebate is set to expire so that youbuyers.
can take advantage of these special offers.What is sometimes sad about the lemon laws is
When you are looking for the best prices, youthat they do not necessarily help you. It all
want to visit several different Web sites whendepends on your specific situation.