An Overview Of New And Used Car Lemon Laws

There are new and used car lemon laws in many states that are a form of protection for the vehicle buyers that gets stuck with a vehicle that has many things wrong with it. Not every state has the same law, so you will need to research the exact legislation in your state if you happen to get stuck with a lemon when buying a new or used car.

Most states that have lemon laws in place to protect new and used car buyers require that certain criteria be met in order for the vehicle to be covered under the law. In most states, but not all of them, that have these laws, cars, pickup trucks, vans, motorcycles and some types of other vehicles are covered under the regulation. The most common criteria that must be met is that the report of the lemon vehicle must be done within a specific amount of time from the purchase of the transportation. Usually this is less than two years or before a certain number of miles have been recorded on the vehicle's odometer from the reading recorded at the time of purchase.

Frequently, the only vehicles covered under the lemon laws are those purchased from a new or used car dealership. In some cases, leased vehicles are covered but few, if any, states have lemon laws that cover a car, truck or other vehicle that has been purchased in a private sale between two private individuals.

Usually the vehicles covered under the lemon laws must have a specific purchase price or lease value. This is often in the range of $1,500 to $3,000 or more. In order words, if you purchase an older, inexpensive vehicle for $500, you will not have recourse under lemon laws if the vehicle has problems. At that low price, however, you would not expect coverage under these laws.

The vehicle in question must be used primarily for personal transportation purposes in order to qualify under all the lemon laws. Commercially used vehicles such as taxi cabs, delivery trucks and other transportation used for business purposes primarily are not covered under lemon laws.

There are some states, such as New York, that include vehicles purchased at auto auctions in the lemon law coverage as long as the vehicle in question is used for personal use by the owner. Even if the vehicle is titled to a company or business, as long as it is used for personal or household use as the majority of the mileages accumulated on the new or used vehicle, it is covered under most of the state lemon laws.

The exact resource and the process for seeking recourse under each state's lemon laws may different significantly. If you have purchased a vehicle, whether new or used, and have experienced repeated problems that have resulted in spending large amounts of time without use of the vehicle or have had to invest significant amounts of money in a used vehicle to repair it over and over again, you may be able to rectify the situation under these laws. Seek advice from a local attorney, car dealer or other person that is knowledgeable about the laws in your area to learn if there is help for you if you have bought a used car that is a lemon.

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