However, this does happen – albeit on a small scale -
and there are laws in place – both federal and state,
to force the manufacturer to replace, repair or
refund.

But what do you look out for when you are buying a
used car? Sometimes the fault is very obvious.

Maybe you can see a kind of ripple effect down the
side of the car when viewed from either end. This
could mean that the car had collided with something
forcing the metal body to warp in ripple like
patterns.

Or perhaps the car is a different color on one side or
at the back or front. Careful here, this could denote
a "cut and shut" type vehicle which is highly
dangerous.

The car is literally two vehicles welded together.
Maybe the car (or part of it) was stolen and has been
passed off as being legitimate.

Most times faults are not obvious and great care
should be taken to check out the history of the
vehicle.

Remember the old adage – buy in haste repent at
leisure? – well in this kind of case your grandma was
right.

Never buy in a hurry and get some kind of organization
to check out the vehicle for you. It may cost a little
more in the long run but you will be assured of a
reasonably safe vehicle and avoid litigation.

Buying in good faith, unfortunately, has become a
thing of the past and every care should be taken when
buying the second most expensive item on the shopping
list – that is, the motor car.

The United States brought in the "lemon law" to
protect the consumer against unscrupulous dealers who
will sell just about anything to an unsuspecting
public.

When it applies to cars and motor vehicles it is
supremely important since these vehicles can in some
instances be death traps.

Unfortunately, this law is interpreted in different
ways in different states.

The lemon law forces manufacturers to buy back
"lemons" and replace the vehicle or refund the buyer
by way of compensation.

However, as mentioned earlier, not all sellers are
good guys. Did you know that the lemon you sold back
to them can be back on the market in a relatively
short time devoid of its dubious history?

It merely stores it for a short time and then sells
through a "dealers only" auction and the history does
not follow the car.

The next person to purchase it will be opening a
virtual Pandora's Box of problems.

It really is a case of "buyers beware" whenever you
make purchases, but perhaps in the case of cars then
extra care should be taken.

It may be wise to take along a trusted professional
mechanic to check out the vehicle before you make that
all important decision. A little extra cost at this
stage may save your life in future.

If this is true, you just might have purchased a
"lemon". When it comes to purchasing cars care should
be taken because lemons exist in this area too.

But what constitutes a lemon? Simple defects don't
always add up this description. For example, if paint
peeling occurs, or a lock needs a good jiggle to get
it to work then all you have is minor faults.

Perhaps the best way to describe a lemon is to say
that if the car has faults that endanger the occupants
or others then for sure it can be classed as a lemon.

Imagine a door flying open whilst the car is in motion
or gasoline dripping from below the fuel tank. Either
of these would qualify the vehicle for this dubious
title.

If any faults appear on your vehicle within the
warranty period – or within a reasonable time from
purchase if it is a used vehicle – you must give the
manufacturer or previous owner an opportunity to
correct the fault.

Should the same fault keep appearing time after time
then of course this will also qualify it for the lemon
award and you will have grounds to pursue legal action
for compensation.

Help is at hand in most states of America.
Unfortunately, there is no standardized test that can
be applied since most states have different rules
connected to this phenomenon.

Some unscrupulous sellers will hide the true state of
the vehicle hoping that the innocent buyer will simply
accept the faults and struggle to get them fixed.
However, some states have laws protecting the victim
from such shoddy acts.

In all cases, if you are not machine minded, it is
better to take someone along who knows about engines
etc., to give the vehicle the once over. Don't be in a
hurry to buy and take your time asking pertinent
questions about the vehicle.

If the car looks like it has been around for a while
and yet the miles clocked up seem low chances are that
this car has been tampered with. Similarly, uneven
wear on tires from right to left or front to back may
also be revealing something unsavory.

Once the vehicle has been purchased it is good to get
into the habit of noting all defects as and when they
occur. Take care to note all down time' suffered and
keep receipts of necessary vehicle hire to replace
this vehicle.

Check with your state laws to see if the lemon law has
been legislated in your area. Each state differs on
what is and what is not considered a lemon. If the
lemon law does not apply in your state perhaps it is
time to lobby your congressman!

What to do next? Well, naturally, you take it back to
the seller and show him the faults. Give him time to
remedy the faults but make sure that certain criteria
are followed.

If the same fault keeps re-occurring make sure that
your repair order form states exactly the same fault.
Under certain lemon laws you must prove that the fault
keeps occurring. Simply stating that brakes are faulty
may not be enough to prove a re-occurring problem.

Ask for a receipt even if there was no charge for the
repair. Many sellers will not want to do this but this
is your proof positive that your car was off the road
and out of your possession.

Take notes of mileage etc., so that you can prove you
are not using the car. This also stops the seller
using your vehicle for his own purposes – crazy but it
has been known to happen!

Many of us blindly trust that a new car will be
perfect. Unfortunately this is not always true. Make
sure to check out your state's lemon law before you
buy if possible. This will give you great pointers
about what to look for when buying a new or used car
and the remedy, should it be necessary, to obtain
compensation.

Should you find your vehicle repeatedly throwing up
defects, large or small, it is imperative that you
note times, dates and hours wasted so that should you
press for compensation you have a full history of
events to "persuade" the dealer with.

For example, what happens if you break down on a busy
highway? Note the defect, the time, how long you had
to wait for assistance and lastly the cost and nature
of repair. It is also a good idea to note how all of
this made you feel since you could claim for distress.

Of course small defects may not be enough in some
states to warrant the "lemon" label. In other states
just one defect will be adequate. Unfortunately, state
laws differ widely on what constitutes a lemon but you
should not give up the good fight and accept shoddy
goods.

Details of all states and their criteria for classing
cars as lemons are available on the internet and it is
easy to look up any particular state.

Some companies have a "buy back" scheme for cars
classified as lemons so you should pay particular
attention to their requirements.

If all else fails then of course, once you have enough
evidence, you can follow the litigation route to try
for compensation. This can be both expensive and time
consuming.

Unfortunately, many cars sold today have been
repaired or restructured and have a somewhat dubious
history.

For example, did you know that there are dealers out
there that will take two similar cars which have been
damaged – one front end and one back end – and
literally weld the two halves together to make one
car?

In the trade this is called a cut and shut' and
is highly dangerous. The car can virtually fall apart
when involved in even the slightest impact.

The lemon law also forces manufacturers to buy back
any cars deemed to be in the lemon category. Although
there is a common law to all states, most have
different interpretations of this law. Check it out
before you part with your hard earned cash.

Also be aware that any used car has a history. Finding
this history is not always easy especially if the car
has been shipped out of state or out of the country.

Make sure the engine and chassis number match up with
the paper work and try your best to check if the
vehicle was ever involved in an accident.

Remember, these laws were introduced to protect you,
the consumer. If you can arm yourself with a little of
this knowledge, you will be protecting yourself from
untold misery. After all, life is too short to spend
it in the hospital or courtroom!

This applies even to vehicles and motorcycles.
However, there are different rules in different states
and it may be a good idea to check these out before
you make that all important purchase.

In all states a lemon would be classified as such if
it has been repaired up to four times for the same
fault, or up to eight times for the entire object, in
the warranty period.

This could also be deemed to include the "add-on"
warranty period sometimes sold with the vehicle.

Some states decree that three repairs in one calendar
month with the vehicle being out of service deems it
to be a lemon while in others it is thirty working
days. This may appear to be a slight variation but it
could make all the difference to a claim.

Some states have a "one defect" clause if it is deemed
to be life threatening. This means that it is only
allowed to be repaired once and should the fault
reoccur then it is labeled as a lemon and you can
proceed to the compensation claim.

Others state a time line of one or two year for this
fault to appear or up to a certain mileage.

Unfortunately, all the states have interpreted the
lemon laws in their own style. Check out your states'
laws before you buy.