Does my car qualify for Lemon Law?
I purchased a used 2001 Jeep Wrangler just under a year ago. A few months after my purchase I had a problem with it I brought it to my mechanic and he told me the entire frame was rusted and was no repairable damage. I kind of accepted the fact that I got screwed over and there was nothing I could do about it until now recently I ve learned about the lemon law. The Jeep is now off the road, I was told it s unsafe to drive the frame is cracked and could prossibly cause I fatal accident. I also learned that the Odometer was also turned back by the previous owner. The Odometer reads approx. 145,000 and the car was purchased just under a year ago. Do I qualify to submit a lemon law application or am I just screwed? Thank you
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There is no "Lemon Law". Rather, the term is generic for collection of state laws designed to protect the consumer (buyer) against products (car, in this case) which fail to meet standards of quality and performance.
To qualify for your local Lemon Law, you would need to have purchased the Jeep from a dealership. Used cars, in many states, purchased from a registered car dealer, have a state mandatory 3-month warranty to cover these things, regardless of the "As-is" condition clause. You are already past that time frame.
A few other things:
1) There is a very popular expression "Caveat emptor", or Buyer Beware. It means it is your responsibility to make sure you are purchasing exactly what you are expecting. Have a look here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caveat_emptor
2) Although the cost seems substantial at this point in life, in the big scheme of things, it's not; consider it a good investment in your life's education. Hopefully, you will learn an important life lesson from your experience.
3) If the seller misrepresented this vehicle, AND you can prove it, you do have legal recourse, usually through small claims court. You can call a local lawyer and they should tell you whether your case has enough merit to move forward. The initial call should be free (and brief).
4) Part it out and recover some of your losses.
Good luck, and don't try to sell it to someone else as you would be culpable/ liable for damages if the buyer gets hurt knowing the issues.
Hi what with a 16 years old jeep no it does not so in those 16 years it has been used and abused and all sorts have been done to this old beast. what some expect is simply amazing.
In order to qualify as a lemon under most state laws, the car must (1) have a substantial defect covered by the warranty that occurred within a certain period of time or number of miles after you bought the car, and (2) not be fixed after a reasonable number of repair attempts.
I doubt such an old car had any kind of warranty...
The Lemon Law only applies to new vehicles.
Next time go to the mechanic with the vehicle to have it inspected BEFORE you buy it!!
It's a 15+ year old vehicle. No, there is no Lemon law coverage on it.
If you can prove that the previous owner did what you claim and knowingly deceived you regarding the condition of the vehicle, you can sue the previous owner but that is a difficult case to prove/win.
see what your state law says. a couple of states have lemon laws on used cars but I don't think this problem falls under a lemon law. most sales fall under a "as is" sale and you might be out of luck on trying to recoup any money on that. next time bring or take the car to a garage for a inspection before buying. lesson learned. try selling parts off the jeep to recoup some money
No Lemon Laws only cover new cars not a 17 yo Jeep.. The time to inspect the car or have it inspected is before you buy not after.