Purchase advice, lemon law camaro
#1
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Purchase advice, lemon law camaro
I have put my a4 camaro ss up for sale in the hopes of finding another like it with a six speed and without rs ground effects. I found an 01 SS that really catches my eye and I thought it was too good to be true. Unfortunately the car is registered under the title history as a lemon law car. There have been no reported accidents or damage of any kind to the car. The owner informed me of this before I ran the vin and I checked it out. This was all in the lower comments of the Carfax under the first owner:
Maintenance inspection completed
Oil and filter changed
Tires rotated
Tire(s) balanced
Thrust angle alignment performed
Two wheel alignment performed
A/C and heating control assembly replaced ***(issue)
Wiper arm/linkage adjusted
Wiper switch replaced ***(issue)
Tilt steering adjustment rod replaced*** (issue)
The driver window motor was also replaced three times (common problem I know) as well as the starter.
All of these parts failed before 2003 when new(ish), have been fixed and haven't had issues since, I would be worried if it was the electrical system. These seem to be not that big a deal for a car that is already 12 years old, maybe not for a new owner. The current owner has had the car for over 8 years with no real issues. Just wanted to know if you guys would go for it or not in my position. Sorry for the wall of text.
Maintenance inspection completed
Oil and filter changed
Tires rotated
Tire(s) balanced
Thrust angle alignment performed
Two wheel alignment performed
A/C and heating control assembly replaced ***(issue)
Wiper arm/linkage adjusted
Wiper switch replaced ***(issue)
Tilt steering adjustment rod replaced*** (issue)
The driver window motor was also replaced three times (common problem I know) as well as the starter.
All of these parts failed before 2003 when new(ish), have been fixed and haven't had issues since, I would be worried if it was the electrical system. These seem to be not that big a deal for a car that is already 12 years old, maybe not for a new owner. The current owner has had the car for over 8 years with no real issues. Just wanted to know if you guys would go for it or not in my position. Sorry for the wall of text.
Last edited by goatfishbird; 07-24-2013 at 11:16 PM.
#2
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Depends on the price I suppose. That car definitely had some issues in the past that were electrical in origin such as series of bad grounds or back-feed issues.
#4
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Sounds like this poor car went through the assembly line at quitting time before a 3 day weekend!
IMO I would treat a 'lemon' car the same way I would treat a salvage title car. Simply put, a car to avoid unless you know the car's complete history or the owner himself. The price would have to reflect that as well. I'm not going to get into it again with the professional sellers of these salvage title cars that post here. Their opinions differ wildly from what I believe. They have to 'spin it' or they wouldn't be in business.
You decide.
IMO I would treat a 'lemon' car the same way I would treat a salvage title car. Simply put, a car to avoid unless you know the car's complete history or the owner himself. The price would have to reflect that as well. I'm not going to get into it again with the professional sellers of these salvage title cars that post here. Their opinions differ wildly from what I believe. They have to 'spin it' or they wouldn't be in business.
You decide.
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Thanks for the info, I really don't know too much about the whole lemon title thing, never ran into a car like this one before. The seller is asking 12, 500, its an 2001 SS slp car with 52k. Also have my eye on a 99 WS6 with the same mileage and a little cheaper so that might be wise to get instead. Just curious to see if anyone here ever bought a used lemon, I know sellers are a bad source of info. Thanks again.
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I wonder if there's a way to find out more details on the specific reason for the manufacturer buy-back? This would be the first thing I would look into.
This is a good sign, assuming the current owner has actually been using the car over those 8 years and giving it a chance to have issues, if it was going to. I can't see someone keeping the car for this long if it really was an always-problematic lemon.
In the end, any used car is a gamble. You might pass on this car thinking it's going to be a hassle, then buy one that was never labeled as a "lemon" but that has a bunch of issues shortly after purchase simply because it's old and/or wasn't as well maintained as you had hoped.
I would look at this as a red flag to investigate further, but not necessarily a sole reason to immediately walk away. Having said that, the price is too high considering this information, in addition to the year and mileage.
In the end, any used car is a gamble. You might pass on this car thinking it's going to be a hassle, then buy one that was never labeled as a "lemon" but that has a bunch of issues shortly after purchase simply because it's old and/or wasn't as well maintained as you had hoped.
I would look at this as a red flag to investigate further, but not necessarily a sole reason to immediately walk away. Having said that, the price is too high considering this information, in addition to the year and mileage.
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In the end, any used car is a gamble. You might pass on this car thinking it's going to be a hassle, then buy one that was never labeled as a "lemon" but that has a bunch of issues shortly after purchase simply because it's old and/or wasn't as well maintained as you had hoped.
I would look at this as a red flag to investigate further, but not necessarily a sole reason to immediately walk away. Having said that, the price is too high considering this information, in addition to the year and mileage.
I would look at this as a red flag to investigate further, but not necessarily a sole reason to immediately walk away. Having said that, the price is too high considering this information, in addition to the year and mileage.
Last edited by goatfishbird; 07-24-2013 at 11:20 PM.
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Seems more like a "whiney-bitch-can't-maintain-their-
vehicle", maybe coupled with a "dealership is dumb
asses", than a "lemon" per se. Just stupid simple
electrical **** for the most part, nothing to do with
the powertrain.
But, yeah, the dollars seem a bit high. One question
is, does the "lemon law" tag persist or is only there
"for your protection" and gets scrubbed in the transfer?
That would vary state by state I expect.
vehicle", maybe coupled with a "dealership is dumb
asses", than a "lemon" per se. Just stupid simple
electrical **** for the most part, nothing to do with
the powertrain.
But, yeah, the dollars seem a bit high. One question
is, does the "lemon law" tag persist or is only there
"for your protection" and gets scrubbed in the transfer?
That would vary state by state I expect.
#12
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Seems more like a "whiney-bitch-can't-maintain-their-
vehicle", maybe coupled with a "dealership is dumb
asses", than a "lemon" per se. Just stupid simple
electrical **** for the most part, nothing to do with
the powertrain.
But, yeah, the dollars seem a bit high. One question
is, does the "lemon law" tag persist or is only there
"for your protection" and gets scrubbed in the transfer?
That would vary state by state I expect.
vehicle", maybe coupled with a "dealership is dumb
asses", than a "lemon" per se. Just stupid simple
electrical **** for the most part, nothing to do with
the powertrain.
But, yeah, the dollars seem a bit high. One question
is, does the "lemon law" tag persist or is only there
"for your protection" and gets scrubbed in the transfer?
That would vary state by state I expect.
Last edited by goatfishbird; 07-25-2013 at 01:54 PM.