I am interested in a car with a lemon title. Does anyone know how to find out why it is classified as a lemon?

Question

I have done a vin search and the only info is that it is cateorgized as a lemon/buyback. I will be having a mechanic look at the car but can I find out what caused that label? My mechanic told me it could be big problems or small bothersome(not dangerous) problems.

Answer 1

Your mechanic is correct, a vehicle could be bought back by the manufactuer for almost any reason, as long as it meets the qualifications of a lemon which vary slightly from state to state.

I've seen vehicles bought back for what appears to be insignificant problems because the buyer felt it wasn't up to standards.

Some of these issues may bother one person and not another, so it really depends on what problems the vehicle was bought back for.

Here's what to do to find out:

Call a dealership, or even the manufactuers toll free number, simply explain to them that you are considering purchasing the vehicle, you know it's a lemon buy back, ask them to run a "Warranty History" report of the repairs that were performed.

These reports list every repair that the manufactuer paid for, they usually have repair codes and a brief description of what was done.

Any service department should be familar with these reports and could at least give a brief explanation of repairs. It may even help to ask for the service manager and explain to him/her as to what you need it for.

A sample General Motors report is at the link below, take a look at the "Claims History" section and you'll get and idea before calling.

As a last note, I teach this in my course of "How To Buy A Used Car The Smart Way" and recommend anyone considering buying a late model used car to find out the warranty history beforing purchasing, it can often times prevent someone from buying a car or truck that's had multiple problems or major repairs.

Jerry
http://www.usedcarwise.com

Answer 2

Lemon Title

Answer 3

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Answer 4

A lemon buyback means that the original purchaser had significant problems with it shortly after buying it new. It probably spent at least 30 days in its first few months out of service.

The only way you'd likely find out what the reason was is to contact the manufacturer's zone office and ask them. They may or may not tell you why it was done and I'm not aware of any law that requires them to give you that information.

Keep in mind that once a lemon buyback title is issued, the remainder of the factory warranty (if any) is cancelled. It's also highly likely that you will not be able to get any type of service contract on it either.

Your mechanic is correct that it could be a major headache or something annoying. It's also possible that it could be something relatively simple to resolve permanently if he's REALLY good with that make. The problem is that it's a crap-shoot and you will have NO recourse if it turns out to be a headache.

The final consideration is the value of the car. Many lenders won't touch a lemon or salvage title. And many insurance companies will only issue liability coverage. If they offer any coverage on the vehicle itself, you'll probaby have to agree to no more than 50% of ACV for a similar model with a clean title.

Personally I wouldn't touch a lemon buyback -- especially a Mercedes; some of them were absolutely horrific. If I gave it any consideration at all, it would be no more than 50% of book value and probaly closer to 20% of book value.

Answer 5

2

Answer 6

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RE:
I am interested in a car with a lemon title. Does anyone know how to find out why it is classified as a lemon?
I have done a vin search and the only info is that it is cateorgized as a lemon/buyback. I will be having a mechanic look at the car but can I find out what caused that label? My mechanic told me it could be big problems or small bothersome(not dangerous) problems.

Answer 7

But, then there are the good lemons. I remember a dodge viper bought back after 3000 miles because the motor puked. The motor has to be sent out to be repaired or replaced and typically takes longer than 30 days.

So this viper has a new motor and is probably 20g less than new, never had the nagging problems, just the one that took too long to fix.

Personally, i would never buy one though for any reason, i don't think it's worth it. Pay the extra $$$ and be safe.

Answer 8

It means the manufacturer had to buy back the vehicle pursuant to the Lemon Law because whatever the problem was, they couldn't fix it after a reasonable number of attempts (usually 3-5).

I would steer clear of lemon vehicles because there's no guarantee that the problem was ever fixed.

Answer 9

The absolutely free reverse vin check sites generally provide fake information. To get real information, money will have to be paid. The free searches provide fake information so they can get your email address to send spam.

Stay away from shady reverse vin check sites, most likely you won't get any information after you make the payment. Not to mention you won't get a report and you won't get an answer if you try to call for a refund. Stick with a reputable reverse vin check site like http://www.reversevincheck.net that has been around since 1995.

Answer 10

Lemon laws do not apply to used cars. Most dealers will not sell a car with a salvage title. If they do, they have to tell the buyer beforehand. In California, the car has to pass MOT.