Purchasing a Lemon Buyback? Lemon Law Attorney San Diego Gives You Some Tips That You Should Follow

If you purchased a lemon car in California, the law requires that you be allowed a chance to get your money back. You have the right to have your lemon car evaluated by a trained technician who will determine if it is in fact a lemon. If the car is a lemon, the law requires the manufacturer of the car to repair it or replace it, or give you your money back. If the manufacturer can’t repair the car and replace it, the law requires a buyback of the car and a payment of the incurred repairs and any taxes.  These are some tips by a lemon law attorney San Diego that you should follow if you are purchasing a lemon buyback.

But why purchase a lemon buyback vehicle?

Well, lemon buybacks are sold at a heavy discount, more than thousands of dollars lower than its selling price. Consumers can buy expensive vehicles at a fraction of the cost of the selling price and get it fixed by repairing the vehicle by a mechanic. Although there are advantages to this, there are significant risks to buying a lemon vehicle.

Looking Up The Vehicle’s History and Warranty

The most important thing to know when buying a lemon law buyback is what made the vehicle qualify as a lemon. For a vehicle to be ruled as lemons, California's lemon law requires that the manufacturer must have made at least two unsuccessful attempts to fix what was wrong with the vehicle.

The first order of business is to key in the VIN number and see what other drivers have reported about the car’s history. This will show you if there was an issue that caused a manufacturer to offer a refund. More so, it's important that the manufacturer discloses any defects as part of lemon law because otherwise there can be another lemon law claim that they’ll have to face. A buyback is a risky purchase, one that won’t give you any problems or one that will take a huge chunk of the money after you purchase the vehicle. If the lemon buyback has an expired warranty, you should just stay away from the vehicle.

Most lemon buyback vehicles in California may come with manufacturer or dealer-backed warranties that typically range around 30 days to 180 days or 10 years of purchase. These warranties may also be contingent on the vehicle not exceeding 1,000 miles. A lot of dealers sell “as is” lemon law buybacks, which means there is no warranty in place and you’re responsible for any issues with it. Be sure to avoid any vehicle with an “as is” tag!

How to Avoid Buying a Defective Buyback Vehicle?

While some dealerships may do the right thing by repairing any defects that they’re aware of, many unfortunately don’t. While a dealership may advertise their used cars as having been lemon buybacks in California, that doesn't automatically mean the vehicle has completely had all of its previous issues repaired. The best way to determine whether or not your car still needs repairs is by having it inspected by an independent mechanic.

After your mechanic test drives the vehicle, they will be able to tell you exactly:

• What’s wrong with the vehicle?
• How long it will take to repair?, and
• How much will it cost?

It doesn't matter if you're getting the car for a steal or the deal of a lifetime. Trying to fix potential problems or those that are considered unfixable at any given time can harm you and other vehicles on the road.

How Not to Buy a Lemon Buyback By Mistake?

There are many signs that show that the vehicle is a lemon buyback vehicle:

• The title of the vehicle has lemon buyback mentioned in it as well as the registration.
• There will be a lemon buyback sticker on the vehicle.

If you are not sure if the vehicle is a lemon buyback, the seller has to legally disclose that the vehicle is a lemon buyback. They are also required to disclose all the problems that the vehicle has and also the repairs done on it.

Wrapping Up

Not every lemon buyback is a defective vehicle, sometimes the automaker’s own repair attempts have been inadequate or too expensive, so it would rather provide a few parts at a time while continuing to demand payments and then ultimately leaving customers with defective vehicles.

Buying a lemon buyback can also be a rewarding experience, even if you purchased a lemon from a private party. You have saved the money and time, and may even have received a very fair price for your lemon. But, if you are unsure about whether a lemon is still a lemon, and you need to know what to do next, then you should contact a lemon law lawyer in San Diego.