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well you can limit your exposure to a lemony car by
- buying a younger used car
- buying cars with dependable/reliable reputation
- have it checked out by a mechanic
- buying a car with full maintenance records
There's a reason why used cars cost less than new cars and that the gap grows with age and mileage: as an offset to the risk you take on when buying used. So in that way it sucks for the sellers too because they're only getting a fraction back compared to what they paid.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,551 posts, read 81,085,957 times
Reputation: 57750
Dealers are required only to ensure that a car is safe before selling it. Their price is based on bluebook and visual defects. Like anything you buy used, the responsibility to check it out is yours. The dealer is under no obligation to
research the service history, and has no crystal ball to determine whether some important part is about to wear out. Buying used is a gamble. You can help your odds by spending $75-100 to have a trusted mechanic to check it out but he won't have a crystal ball either. I have had both bad and good luck at times with used. If you don't want to take the chance, yes, buy new and spend a lot more money up front to save some later.
Heck, I bought a used car 4 months ago and I am in Afghanistan. I had the wife go 3.5 hours to get it. Am I worried, no. I own the same model already and this is a duplicate for a new driver, Its all about playing the odds I know the car and I know the likely hood of certain breakdowns.
BTW I did have a new car that I forced the manufacturer to buy back on a lemon law return. It was a vehicle known for its reliability, a Toyota Camry. I can personally attest to the hassle that a lemon law buy back is. I still but Toyota's but let me personally assure you that a manufacturer's reputation or a new car is not exactly a guarantee of sucess in the world of transportation.
Oh and durring a buyback process expect the manufacturer to all but call you scum of the earth and expect no apology for selling you a lemon.
So would YOU sell me your used car and guarantee it will run perfectly for a year and pay for anything which breaks including engine or transmission?
Dealers should have to. GOOD cars should last AT LEAST THAT LONG.
And private sellers should have to take the car back if there were non disclosed major issues such as engine and transmission problems.
If you take it off the lot or the seller's driveway and crash it into a tree, that's a COMPLETELY different story than the car having a bad motor one month down the line.
They really have to change the law on used cars.
As it is now, it's a game of "I've got suckered before, so you better believe I'm going to pull a fast one of the next sucker."
Dealers should have to. GOOD cars should last AT LEAST THAT LONG.
And private sellers should have to take the car back if there were non disclosed major issues such as engine and transmission problems.
If you take it off the lot or the seller's driveway and crash it into a tree, that's a COMPLETELY different story than the car having a bad motor one month down the line.
They really have to change the law on used cars.
As it is now, it's a game of "I've got suckered before, so you better believe I'm going to pull a fast one of the next sucker."
Unreal...
Actually, I'd be glad to sell you a used car that is fully warranted for a year. The only catch is that the cost of possible repairs is going to be built into the selling price of the car.
well you can limit your exposure to a lemony car by
- buying a younger used car
- buying cars with dependable/reliable reputation
- have it checked out by a mechanic
- buying a car with full maintenance records
Buying a Lemony car could definitely trigger a Series of Unfortunate Events, no doubt.
Supply and demand. Cash for Clunkers reduced the supply by a quarter of a million cars in order to benefit the (conservative) rich who could afford to buy a new car and wanted the (liberal) handout of hard earned tax money stolen from the responsible workers. They were all put in crushers (the cars, sadly, not the rich), including all their serviceable used parts, so people who need cheap transportation can't have them.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,551 posts, read 81,085,957 times
Reputation: 57750
One tactic that worked for me on a vehicle where the service department tried to rip me off by doing unneeded work. The sales manager, service manager and even manufacturer would do nothing. I contacted (e-mail) the sales manager at the radio station where the dealer did a lot of advertising.
Within hours I had a refund check waiting for me. They first offered to give me credit on my next repair but I rejected that as I would never go back.
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