Lemon law?

Question

I bought a 1996 volvo 850 from a car dealer and the same day I bought it driving it home I stopped to get something to drink and the car wouldnt start and it had to be towed to a shop and now they're telling me it has all these problems, and I would like to know if I can get my money back through the lemon law or any other way. I live in washington state.

Answer 1

Sorry, dude...lemon laws are only for cars bought new. Didn't you have the car inspected by a mechanic before you bought it? Didn't the dealer give you some kind of warranty? If you bought a used car as-is from a dealer then...you're screwed.
I know other people think you have some legal remedy but the hard fact is you don't.

Answer 2

Check with the State Attorney Generals Office. The Lemon Laws are individual in/to each state. They should be available on the net, usually under the Consumer Protection Division. My neighbor used the law to get himself out of a new car that had nothing but problems, and actually broke down on him on his way to an important meeting about 250 miles away, resulting in his losing the job.
You should be able to view the letter of the law, and get information on how to use it. You also might want to consider viewing the laws in Washington on Warranties. I used the threat of filing a complaint at The Attorney Generals Office against G.M., over my 5-year -old pickup that had large rust-thru in both lower cab corners. They reluctantly had to repair the rust. The actual cost of the repair in the dealership was more than the book value of the truck.
Good luck. My best advice is to be persistent, and firm, with reasonable demands. You will probably win. Lesson to be learned, next time, take it to an independent shop, and have it evaluated before you buy it.

Answer 3

Washington state Lemon Laws apply to new cars only as far as I am aware. I am having the same issue with my Subaru and if you bought it "As Is " you are pretty much stuck unless the dealer is nice and will help you out.

Answer 4

As I remember the Lemon Law only pertained to new cars not cars that are 11 years old. Most of the used cars sold to day are sold "AS IS" unless you you purchase a extended warranty and with a car that old it could be expensive. On the bill of sale or contract it should mention that the car is sold "AS IS" .Did you read over and understand the whole procedure ?

Answer 5

not sure about the laws in wash. but before you buy a car you should always take it to a local repair shop and let them look at it with you there and let them tell you any thing they see wrong this way you know what your getting into and you can use this information as a bargining factor and the shop techs may tell you whether they think the car is worth it or not trust me i had to put up like 10 cars this week our customers have brought to us cause they were thinking about buying them and half of them i tokd them not to buy also a trusty shop will not charge you for this service we dont

Answer 6

No. Lemon laws only apply to new cars, not an 11 year old used car.

Answer 7

washington state has a lemon law if I remember correctly.
they (dealer) are gonna try to drag this out. I would have the care towed there and insist on getting my money back.
if they refuse...contact the authoritys... better business bureu ect..peace

Answer 8

LOL you realize there's no such thing as a Lemon Law? it was a slang term created on the sitcom How I Met Your Mother

Answer 9

Looks like you are going to need a lawyer. Here's help for your area.
www.autolemonlaws.com/washington

Answer 10

Ignore that first answerer, they don't know what they're talking about.

Now, you have a time limit, so get cracking. I know that it's a civil thing - the cops don't have anything to do with it. (I almost had to use it myself, but they fixed it, so I didn't - I wish I had, it's still messed up).

Check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_Law