Lemon Laws Helpful for Car Buyers | DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog

Are you in the market for a new or used car?   If so, use extreme caution.  Even the most luxurious of cars can be lemons. In 2005, the state of Florida reported 12 Jaguars and a $600,000 Lamborghini “bought back” by manufacturers under the Florida lemon law.

There are a few tips everyone can follow to avoid buying a lemon:

• Rember that the car salesmen you are dealing with is a seller. The salesman may not give you complete information about your car.
• Research. Research. Research. Check out automobile review sites online to know what problems typically plague the type of car you are interested in.  More importantly, check your state’s database (you can find out how many of your type of car has been “bought back”). Also search www.kbb.com and www.edmunds.com for values of the car you’re considering and the value of the car you’re trading in.

When purchasing a used car, search for the vehicle identification number (“VIN”)  on your state’s database of “bought back” cars. You can also get the vehicle history from www.carfax.com once you know the VIN.

It is important to note that when you buy a car, you are often not just protected by the lemon law of your state, you may also have rights under the Uniform Commercial Code and Federal Unfair and Deceptive Practice Rules, as well as any other applicable warranties you may have purchased.

For more on regional lemon laws you can visit:

• DC
• Maryland
• Virginia