Local dealer here in the Mid-West has a California Lemon Law Buy Back for sale. I’m waiting for more information on what was wrong. The dealer claims if a car is returned twice for the same problem, California requires the company buy it back under their lemon law. ANYWAY, is it worth thinking about this type of car? The price is right.
I don’t know… if they can provide documentation of what the problem was and what was done to address it and you have it gone over with a fine tooth comb by an independent mechanic, it could be a good deal.
When something is officially “lemoned”, it usually means that it’s been back to the dealership a certain number of times with the same problem. These days, this is often more a reflection of a service department that just can’t figure out a difficult issue than necessarily an indication of a car with chronic problems.
Never buy a buy-back car unless you can afford to spend at least $4,000 dollars on it soon. If you can handle the risk and the money is in the budget, then go for it. The price is wrong if you don’t like walking.
To offer an answer to oldschool’s post (even if oldschool misses it); the car may have been bought at auction or directly from the original dealer. You never know where a car will end up in this national economy. It used to require a computer to really foul up; now it requires a computer and an internet to make some questionable money. Lemon buybacks should be donated to trade schools. A dealer takes considerable risk to its reputation by selling those cars.
Try to come up with circumstances that make a CA buyback end up in the Mid-West for sale. Usually when a car on a Dealers’ lot doesn’t sell in a certain time period a location change is one of the first things to happen,but why so great of a distance?
Something with disclosure laws reguarding a buyback in CA made the car hard to sell in CA?
It would be nice to know the details of the buyback.
I wouldn’t believe anything the dealer says about this car. It was a buy-back, that’s all you need to know. Why would you even consider such a car? Don’t walk, RUN away from this vehicle.
What are the year, make, and model?
Are you going to drive the car or use it for parts?
What is the asking price?
How many miles are on the odometer?
Given the limited amount of information you have provided, I think you should buy it, take it apart, and sell the parts on eBay.
Write down the VIN and contact the Cali DMV and see if you can find out why the car became a buy-back car. Once you know that, find out what the reseller did to fix the problems. Also, what warranty is there on this car? Does it still have the new car warranty? Will they throw in a 60 month-60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper extended warranty?
Research be damned, RUN AWAY as quickly as you can. Unless, of course, you’re a gambler.