Is there any law that protects consumers when buying used cars?

Answer 1

Here's what experience taught me:
"AS IS" means you're stuck with what you get...whatever you thought it was, it ain't.

Answer 2

Normally used cars are sold on an "as is" basis. WHich means that the condition you buy it is the condition you have to deal with, even if it breaks down within a week. Its not the sellers problem, but the buyers. Used cars are often "buyers beware." However, if you got a warantee that garantees the car to work for a certain amount of time you`re safe. If you had the car checked out before you bought it with a machanic and he found no problems with it, then you are also stuck. However, if the car was advertised as in good condition or whatever and you happened to buy the car on this claim then you are entitled to the costs of getting the car fixed because it is in fact false advertisement, which is illegal. Or the costs associated with the purchasing of the car/the car if its this case. With the "as is" clause of the law, idk what you can do unless your state has another law for used cars. Just research the laws in your state.

Answer 3

Yeah, The Lemon Law:

Lemon laws are United States state laws that remedies to consumers for automobiles that repeatedly fail to meet certain standards of quality and performance. These vehicles are called lemons. The federal lemon law protects citizens of all states. State lemon laws vary by state and may not necessarily cover used or leased vehicles. The rights afforded to consumers by lemon laws may exceed the warranties expressed in purchase contracts. Lemon law is the common nickname for these laws, but each state has different names for the laws and acts.

WHAT ABOUT THIS:
Used car purchases
If you purchased a used car there are two situations in which you may be qualified for cash or other lemon law benefits:

Situation #1: You may be entitled to compensation for breach of warranty if you had one of the following Warranties:

Any warranty left from the manufacturer when you purchased your vehicle (for example, almost all vehicles sold with less than 36,000 miles will have this. But if the warranty is longer, you may have even more time).
Your vehicle was "Certified" by the Manufacturer (in which case it came with a short Manufacturer's Warranty, typically 1 year).
You purchased an Extended Warranty backed by the Manufacturer (typically 5 years or longer).
Normally, these types of cases fall outside the scope of the state lemon law but are covered under special federal lemon laws.

Situation #2: When No Manufacturer's Warranty Exists If you do not have a manufacturer's warranty of any kind you may be entitled to compensation for violations of consumer protection laws that fall outside of the lemon laws. The following is a list of some of the problems and/or issues which may be present in your vehicle. Your vehicle may be/have a:

Laundered Lemon (or prior history of mechanical problems known to the seller);
Previously salvaged or wrecked;
Fraudulently rolled back odometer;
Rental car, police car, taxi, etc.;
Stolen, stripped and rebuilt; and/or
Involved in a flood.
Online resources such as americanlemonlawcenter.com or kahnandassociates.com provide additional and expanded information to consumers regarding lemon laws across the United States.

"As is" purchases
If you knowingly purchase a car in "as is" condition you accept the defects and void your rights under the lemon law.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_law#Used_car_purchases

Answer 4

Better Business Bureau..

But the biggest thing that will protect you when buying a used car, is YOURSELF. How? Do your homework on the kind of car you're considering and become an educated consumer. It won't guarantee that you're not buying a lemon, but you'll decrease the chances if you know what you're looking for.

Answer 5

Depends on which state you live in. Massachusetts has excellent consumer protection laws.
Do a search for consumer protection laws in your state

Answer 6

Generally no. The lemon law only applies to new vehicles. Most used cars are sold as is, which means just exactly that. Always check things out before you buy. If it isn't written down, it doesn't exists. Or, "Let the buyer beware."

It's amazing the people here who saw "And after I bought it, I found out the ... was bad." Well, it didn't just suddenly go bad, if you found it out after the fact, you could have found out before and saved both money and aggravation.

Answer 7

most lemon laws are for new cars w/ manufacturers warranty on them, and dont apply to "used" cars. each state has their own laws on the sale of used cars. those laws also apply more towards dealers than personal sellers. buying a car from a dealer very often protects you more than buying from a personal seller. often when you buy from a person, its buyer beware and most of whats said or agreed to is verbal which is hard to prove, where as most of what is done in dealerships is put in writing or they can put it in writing.

Answer 8

NO. Only you can protect yourself, and the only way to do so is to do an independent inspection by a LOCAL(!) company specializing in pre-purchase inspections.