Lemon Law for Crappy Used Cars

If you have an automobile that continually misses certain measures of quality and performance, then you might want to listen up. I personally have been had by a lemon car before, and it's a very painful experience. You feel tricked and betrayed, and there you are on the side of the road miles from anywhere. It's not a fun experience by any stretch of the imagination.

For me, I was stranded two days before Christmas. I had to walk just over four and a half miles in shorts and a t-shirt to the nearest store. It was under 30 degrees, and the wind was blowing hard. There was heavy sleet for about two-thirds of the walk but that slowed down a bit. That was one of the worst experiences of my life, but it could have been prevented if I had known about the lemon laws in my state.

Lemon laws are laws in the United States that offers help to consumers of automobiles with such problems. While each state has an individual lemon law, there is also a federal lemon law that applies to all states, also known as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. However, this federal lemon law applies to anything mechanical, not just automobiles, as does the California lemon law.

You should be careful about a used car if you have one. With used cars, there are two scenarios that the lemon law might be useful. First, if you have any warranty left over from the automobile manufacturer when you bought the vehicle, then you will probably be entitled to cash or other benefits of the lemon law. Similarly, if you purchased an extended warranty that was backed by the automobile manufacturer, then might also qualify. The second scenario is applicable if no manufacturer's warranty exists.

If there isn't a warranty, you might have rights to compensation via consumer protection laws. These consumer protection laws might allow you to receive compensation if your automobile was involved in a flood, was stolen, stripped and rebuilt, or was previously wrecked. These laws vary state to state, so you should contact an attorney from your own state to find out more information about this.