what is a lemon......car?

Question

looking for a used vehicle and i dont know what a lemon really means, thanks =)

Answer 1

It usually refers to a vehicle that is plagued with problems. While sometimes people are to blame for lack of maintenence, a car is more likely to be called a lemon if it has problems from design factory defects that even proper maintenance cannot prevent.

Answer 2

A "Lemon" is a car that breaks down a lot. It is usually a used car and it will cost a LOT more to fix it than it would to get another car that is NOT a lemon.

You can reduce your chances of buying a "Lemon" by getting the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) found on the driver's side door jamb or the passenger side windshield right on the dashboard.

Next, invest $19.95 by going to CarFax.Com and look up the history of the vehicle you want. That should tell you everything you need to know about its history. If it is a relatively newer car and has had a LOT of owners, it's probably a "Lemon". If it was often registered in a state where a recent natural disaster occured, that's a good indication too.

The term "Lemon" originated to describe a model of Ford that was produced in the 50's called the "Edsel". The Edsel was a miserable failure because it was not well put together and tended to break down a LOT even when new. The Lemon reference referred to the front end of the vehicle that looked like a mouth puckered up like it had just eaten a lemon.

The other most famous "Lemon" was the AMC Pacer. It had a dramatically different (very cool, in my view) design, but suffered LOTS of electrical problems right off the showroom floor.

Hope that helps,
Gregory

Answer 3

In legal terms it is a reoccuring problem in one system of the car like brakes or engine or whatever.

It can also mean that a particular model or manufacturer makes unreliable cars or a specific model of a specific manufacturer.

All cars need scheduled maintenance and repairs from time to time. Things you can't plan on are water pumps and brake cylinders or hoses and radiators and gaskets and so on. You don't fix these things until they break or become a problem just like you don't replace a battery until the old one goes dead. Some batteries die before the warranty period ends and some will go many years past the warranty period. Same with other parts and pieces on a car.

A lemon in used car lingo would most likely be a car that has not been maintained and has very obvious mechanical defects. Most shops charge a flat rate to inspect cars and they will write down everything that is wrong with the car during the inspection.

An example of a new car being labeled a lemon would be a new and reoccuring problem or you have knowledge of a defect in a specific model that has been a cause for a recall.

Another example of a "lemon" title being applied to a new car or truck might be the fact that you have to remove the entire engine to replace the oil pan gasket or the entire dashboard to replace the heater core as is the case with most Ford products. This has cost Ford more customers than they will ever know and people who are "in the know" would never own a Ford product. (Tip of the iceberg)

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Lemons are cars that have persistent mechanical difficulties and are generally re-sold to an unsuspecting someone.

There are difference types of lemons:

Some cover entire models of cars (like pretty much every Ford Edsel made was a lemon, same with the Hyundai Pony and Stellar).

Some are very predominant in certain car models (Ford Aerostar, Ford Explorer, Dodge Caravans, Dodge Neon, most GM cars from the 80s and 90s).

But most are just an example of poor quality control (built on a Friday) and can affect any car make or model. Honda, Toyota, BMW, and Mercedes have traditionally built good cars, but recent reviews from JD Power and Associates have slammed the quality of these makes.

It is some part skill and some part luck to avoid buying a lemon.

Answer 5

Great question. A lemon is a car that breaks down over and over. There's really no such thing as a car that has the destiny. The problem is people.

Obviously, every car is made up of 20,000 pieces, and each piece has its own failure rate. There are some statistical differences, but the real problem with a lemon car is that it's surrounded by lemon people.

If a car breaks down twice with the same problem, you could easily stop that by understanding what the problem is. That's where you need a good quality person. If it breaks down 4 times with the same problem, then you're dealing with outright stupidity (people, not car)

Some unfortunate cars never get that quality person to fix them when they need it.

Answer 6

i agree. i bought this truck once, a dodge, and the second day i had it, the damn thing blew up!!! i mean, the engine, the rods, or pistons, or pins, or whatever were poking out (i hear your not suppose to see them), and i had oil on top of my hood!!! don't ask how! any ways, the person who sold me the truck, knew very well that the thing was broke, and that he sold it to me. he said at the time, "IT RUNS GREAT!" and with a stupid grin, i bought it for $500, stupid mistake. not the car, lemon people!

Answer 7

a lemon on wheels?

Answer 8

Most so called american cars ( made in mexico anyways).