Car buyers visit dealerships, auctions, and private sales with the intent of purchasing reliable vehicles that would easily fit into their budget. Most of these car buyers find themselves having the buyer’s regret because they purchased vehicles with a number of defects. With car report services, consumers are pointed in the right direction and given the opportunity to make informed decisions and purchase reliable vehicles. In this article, we will understand how car report services protect car buyers from buying lemons.
What is a lemon car?
Before we learn about car report services, let us begin by defining what a lemon car is. A lemon car is a car with a significant defect, malfunction, or damage that stands as a safety threat and cannot be fixed even after several attempts. When a used car is purchased and taken home, the owner does not expect to find hidden defects. Without the right information, this is inevitable. Some of these observed defects refuse to go away even after several repairs. In such cases, you can say you brought home a lemon.
Some of the defects commonly observed in lemons are damaged or faulty brakes, engine failure, transmission defects, and other issues that may not be visible to unsuspecting car buyers. To prevent the purchase of a lemon car at dealerships or auctions, it is recommended to utilize car report services and generate a lemon history report.
Used car lemon laws
So you purchased a lemon. As bad as it sounds, there’s still hope. There are certain laws in place to protect car buyers from being stuck with damaged vehicles. These laws are referred to as the “lemon law” for used cars. For your vehicle to be considered a used car and to be covered by the used car lemon laws, it must meet one of the following conditions:
- Your vehicle must have between 18,000 and 100,000 miles on it.
- Your vehicle must have been delivered to the dealership at least two years before purchase.
- The car must have a purchase price of at least $1,500.
- The car must have been used for personal purposes only.
- If your vehicle meets the above requirements,
- Your dealer must provide you with a documented lemon-law warranty.
- Under the lemon-law warranty, all defects and damages must be repaired by the dealer.
- If the dealer is unable to fix your car after three or more tries, you may be eligible to receive a full refund.
Currently, in the US, there are only six states that provide protection to car buyers whenever they find themselves with a lemon. Be aware that the used car lemon laws vary from state to state and from country to country. With Instant VIN Reports and other car report services, customers are easily saved from the trouble of running around for repairs as they are provided with accurate information to make the best choices.
READ ALSO: Is it easy to fake a VIN number? What you Need to Know!
Car Report Services
Car report services are companies that provide vehicle history reports to car buyers in need of car information. Car report services play a major role during the car buying process and usually help buyers make the best decisions for themselves and purchase reliable vehicles. Some of the leading providers of lemon history reports are Instant VIN Reports, Detailed Vehicle Reports, PremiumVIN, Vehicles Reports, and others. With these car report services, you can be sure to get more value for your money spent at dealerships.
A vehicle history report generated by car report services, such as Instant VIN Reports, provides access to the full history and records of a vehicle. The information contained in a vehicle history report contains accurate vehicle specifications, accident history, damage history, service history, maintenance history, lien and loan records, salvage, rebuilt, junk, or other title brands, and more.
With this information provided plainly to car buyers, they can identify vehicles with hidden defects and lemon cars, and they are given the opportunity to make the best decisions. How do car report services identify specific car information? Every manufactured car comes with a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) that can be found on the dashboard of the vehicle or on the driver’s side door jamb. This 17-digit VIN (or less in classic cars) can be used by car report services to access all records on a vehicle and provide concise and comprehensive reports to car buyers.
How do car report services protect car buyers from buying lemons?
Car report services, such as Instant VIN Reports, protect car buyers from buying lemons by providing them with accurate information and records on a vehicle. With the information provided by car report services, car buyers can make informed decisions and purchase reliable vehicles at dealerships or any car sale. These are some of the ways car report services protect car buyers from buying lemons:
- They reveal vehicle history.
- They expose odometer and car frauds.
- They help buyers negotiate properly.
- They reveal outstanding liens.
Car-report services reveal vehicle history to car buyers.
When a car buyer visits a dealership, the dealer may choose not to disclose the necessary information during the car sale. Unsuspecting buyers may end up purchasing vehicles with little or no performance and reliability. To prevent this, car report services provide concise information on vehicles for buyers. The information provided may include title and brand records, accident history, damage history, service history, maintenance history, and others.
A vehicle with a salvage, junk, or rebuilt title is most likely a lemon. With a lemon history report, buyers may be able to identify vehicles with title brands before committing to a purchase. Also, if a vehicle has been in several accidents, there are more chances of underlying damages and defects. Such vehicles are most often identified as lemons.
Car report services expose odometer and car fraud
Car buyers are often not interested in vehicles with high mileage readings, although they are really cheap and affordable. Some dealers try to squeeze the most profit out of old vehicles by purchasing these cars and rolling back their odometer readings to present more attractive mileage readings to customers. With car report services, such as Instant VIN Reports, car buyers are provided with accurate vehicle mileage readings which can expose odometer fraud.
READ ALSO: 10 Car Maintenance Tips That Can Prevent Major Repair Costs
Car report services help buyers negotiate properly.
A vehicle history report allows car buyers to discover the damages, hidden defects, and title brand records on a vehicle. This information helps vehicle owners during the negotiation process, as they may be able to negotiate for a lower purchase price.
According to statistics, a vehicle with a title brand record is expected to have an asking price of 20% of the fair market value. Buyers can then begin negotiations at 40% of the fair market value and seal good deals.
Car report services reveal outstanding liens.
A lien is a legal claim on a car. Liens are expected to be completely paid off before vehicles can be sold to car buyers; otherwise, these buyers would be responsible for paying off the lien. With a vehicle history report from Instant VIN Report and other car buying services, car buyers are provided with the lien and loan history of the vehicles they are interested in and protected from outstanding payments.
Now you should understand how car report services protect car buyers from buying lemons.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a lemon title affect value?
A lemon title, such as a salvage title, fire title, hail title, rebuilt title, junk title, etc., reduces a vehicle’s value by 20%. If the deal the dealership is offering is too good to be true, then it probably is. Discover the title brands and records a vehicle holds by generating a detailed vehicle history report.
Is my car a lemon?
A car can be classified as a “lemon” if it was purchased with significant defects or damages that act as a safety threat and has remained defective even after three repair attempts.