Used car. does it count as a lemon law?

Question

i bought a used car in illinois and 4 days later my trans light comes on, the trans start s******g up and the antifreeze light comes on even tho its filled. i dont have a warranty and was wondering if it could be considered a lemon and what i should do. the car has been sitting since i brought it home so i'm paying for a car that i cant even drive. i havent made any repairs just in case i can get the dealer to cover them. maybe its their fault. i dont know

Answer 1

Lemon laws protect the purchasers of new cars from serious, repeated manufacturers defects, what you are describing is problems associated with a poorly maintained used car. Most likely, the car was sold to you "as is" and the dealer isn't going to cover anything - they don't have to.  

Answer 2

In Illinois the Lemon law applies to the first owner of a brand new (previously untitled) vehicle only and is applicable for the first 12 months or 12, 000 miles of ownership.

If you bought the vehicle from a reputable dealer, they would have had a "Buyers Guide" affixed to the window of the vehicle.

And you would have been given a copy of the "Buyers Guide" too

The Buyers Guide has one of 2 boxes to "check" by the dealer.

The first box says:

AS-IS

This means that the vehicle is sold exactly as it is with NO warranty written or implied.

The second box says:

WARRANTY

if this box was checked it will explain the warranty policy and coverage.

(usually at least 30 days/100 miles., with limited liability)

My advice:

First look through your paperwork for that document.

It is a law in Illinois that the dealer MUST display it.

Secondly, even if the box said "as is" please call the dealer to discuss.

The dealer is NOT obligated to a single thing for you, however, some dealers are willing to work with you on this or perhaps even allow you to trade in the vehicle.

NOTE: talk to the dealer calmly & nicely, they don't HAVE to do anything at all FOR you so it will not help your case to be demanding anything.

In fact , my dealer always gives a 3 day exchange policy & will always work with people if a problem happens after the sale, providing that the customer is decent & honest and acts in a civil manor.

Transmission problems, btw, rarely give a clue that they exist until the last minute . Then they just happen.

They rarely are pre-existing problems that someone can predict.

HINT: If the dealer is NOT a reputable dealer, they may not have obeyed the law by displaying the "buyers guide".

This is something that you can legally persue.

i hope this helps

Answer 3

You MUST contact the dealer immediately.  You say it started acting up four days after you bought it but how long ago was that? How long have you left it sitting? time is working against you. The longer you let it sit the weaker your case will be.

This car does not qualify under the lemon law.  Lemon Laws only apply after repeated attempts to repair the same problem have failed to fix the issue. This car has not yet been repaired once, let alone repeated times.

A car purchased without a warranty places the responsibility for the cost of all repairs on the buyer not the seller.  But if you just bought the car and only a few days have passed and the car has multiple problems then you need to drive it, drag it or push it down to the dealer and begin negotiations with them for getting the car fixed.

Answer 4

Illinois lemon law is applicable to new car in the period of one year or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the date of the delivery of a new vehicle to the consumer.

Illinois lemon law will be applicable to used car also but car should be under warranty.

http://www.yourlemonlawrights.com/state_...