| Buying a car or truck is an expensive | | | | best determined by courts of law or |
| proposition. With new cars often costing | | | | arbitration panels; don't let the dealer |
| more than $20,000 and car loans averaging | | | | scare you away by telling you the problem |
| nearly six years in duration, it only stands | | | | isn't important. |
| to reason that consumers expect those | | | | |
| vehicles to work reliably when they buy them. | | | | Suggesting that the defect is not actually a |
| Sometimes they do not, and for those cases, | | | | defect. In this case, the dealer suggests |
| each of the fifty states has passed an auto | | | | that the problem is common to all similar |
| lemon law. Those laws were passed to | | | | vehicles. It's not a defect, so much as a |
| simplify the process by which a consumer with | | | | manufacturing problem. It's not your car, |
| a habitually defective vehicle could seek | | | | the dealer will say, they are all like that. |
| relief in the form of either a replacement | | | | If they are all like that, then the problem |
| vehicle or a refund of the purchase price. | | | | can't be a defect, can it? Yes, it can. |
| Understandably, dealers and manufacturers are | | | | Don't fall for this one. |
| often reluctant to hand over the money or a | | | | |
| new car, and frequently offer a variety of | | | | Suggesting that you haven't qualified due to |
| excuses for failing to do so. | | | | an insufficient number of repair attempts. |
| | | | Each state has its own rules for the number |
| Here are some of the more common excuses | | | | of repair attempts that qualify a vehicle as |
| offered by dealers when presented with a | | | | a lemon. You should check with your state's |
| defective automobile: | | | | Attorney General's office to find out how |
| | | | many repair attempts qualify a vehicle as |
| The vehicle is neglected or abused - All | | | | defective in your state. Don't take the |
| fifty states offer exemptions for vehicles | | | | dealer's word for it; he isn't looking out |
| from their lemon law statutes if the vehicle | | | | for you. |
| has been abused, neglected or modified by the | | | | |
| owner in a manner that is not approved by the | | | | It can be difficult, time consuming, and |
| manufacturer. There are certainly cases | | | | frustrating to file a lemon law claim. Under |
| where neglect or abuse may apply, but dealers | | | | the laws of your state, you are entitled to a |
| often suggest these problems right away in | | | | replacement or refund if your vehicle |
| order to chase the owner away. If you know | | | | qualifies under the law. Don't expect your |
| that you have not abused, neglected, or | | | | dealer to go out of his or her way to offer |
| modified your car, then you know that you | | | | your refund; you will have to insist upon it |
| still have a valid claim. Don't let the | | | | yourself. But if you do have a case, make |
| dealer chase you away by simply declaring the | | | | sure that you stand your ground. |
| vehicle to be misused. | | | | |
| | | | ?Copyright 2006 by Retro Marketing. Charles |
| The vehicle's defect is not a significant one | | | | Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a |
| - The laws declare pretty clearly what is and | | | | firm devoted to informational Websites, |
| is not a qualifying defect. Such defects | | | | including LemonLawHelp.net, a site devoted to |
| need not, by definition, be significant; they | | | | information regarding lemon laws for |
| need only adversely affect the safety, use, | | | | automobiles and Car-Insurance-Help.net, a |
| or value of the vehicle. These things are | | | | site about car insurance. |