Purchasing a California Lemon Law Buyback
If you own or lease a vehicle in California that is still under warranty, you are protected by California’s Lemon Law. If you identify a covered defect, you have the right to a repair, refund, or replacement. If you get a refund, that essentially means that the manufacturer has purchased your vehicle back from you. What happens to the vehicle at that point? Manufacturers/dealerships have no interest in wasting lot space on a defective vehicle; they often turn around and try to sell the vehicle. Is there ever a good reason for you to purchase a California Lemon Law buyback vehicle? Read on for a discussion about buying a Lemon Law buyback, and if you’ve been sold a defective vehicle, call a dedicated California Lemon Law attorney for help getting your money back.
Lemon Law Buybacks Are Cheap
Although it may seem strange to buy a car that has been diagnosed with a defect, Lemon Law buybacks are likely to be significantly cheaper than new vehicles. The price may be discounted by thousands of dollars, even though you’re buying a vehicle that is practically new. If the defect has been fixed, you might be able to get a relatively new vehicle on the cheap.
Buybacks Might Still Be Defective
There’s a very important caveat when purchasing a Lemon Law buyback: the defect might still be present. Manufacturers are legally permitted to resell Lemon Law buybacks even if they have not fixed the problem. Legally, they are required only to disclose that it was a Lemon Law buyback. You can (and should) ask what the defect was and whether it’s been fixed, and the dealership cannot bald-faced lie to you. However, there are plenty of auto dealers that will try to sell off a broken vehicle while misleading customers about the presence of a defect or the severity of the defect.
Avoiding a Defective Lemon Law Buyback
If you are considering whether to buy a Lemon Law buyback, there are steps you can take to protect yourself. You should never purchase a buyback that has not been fully repaired; you’ll be left with a vehicle that is undrivable for some reason, with an issue that could not be repaired the first time around in a reasonable time. To protect yourself, make sure you get the dealer to tell you absolutely everything about the vehicle: What was the defect, did it get fixed by the manufacturer, is there any risk the defect reappears, etc. The dealership might not be required to affirmatively disclose all of these details, but if you ask, they cannot lie to you. If they lie about a vehicle’s history of defects and you discover the problem after purchase, you can sue to get your money back and possibly additional damages.
If you learn that the vehicle had a major defect, especially a safety defect, it might not be worth the purchase even at the discounted price. Even if the vehicle has been repaired, the problem could reappear. For example, if there was a major brake failure, it might not be worth taking the risk that the brakes will not fail again. If the problem was more minor–a defective windshield wiper or some such–then it might be worth the risk that the problem reappears.
Call a Seasoned Lemon Law Attorney at Nita Lemon Law Firm for Help With a Defective Vehicle Claim
If you are experiencing problems with your vehicle, I would like the opportunity to evaluate your lemon law claim at no charge to you and discuss your legal options. For a free, no-obligation consultation, please call me toll-free at 877-921-5256, submit a free case evaluation on my website at www.nitalemonlaw.com, or email me directly at nick@nitalemonlaw.com. Either way, I will personally evaluate your case and promptly respond to your inquiries. I look forward to hearing from you.
