Other than a home, purchasing a new vehicle is likely the biggest transaction you will complete as an adult. You will spend tens of thousands of dollars on a single piece of machinery that you will then depend on for years to come.
Most people who buy a brand new car will get exactly what they expect, but not everyone is that lucky. A few people will wind up purchasing a lemon. In West Virginia, the lemon law protects people buying new cars from years of frustration and expense if that vehicle turns out to be a lemon.
How will buying a lemon potentially affect your life?
You won’t have reliable transportation
When you buy a new car, you will likely get rid of your old vehicle. If you don’t have alternate transportation, your brand new vehicle not running properly can be a major hardship.
If your insurance company or the dealership won’t provide you with a loaner vehicle, you may have to rent a car, which could cost you hundreds of dollars a week. If you don’t rent a vehicle, you may have to use Rideshare services or public transportation. You could show up late to work and potentially face disciplinary action just because you don’t have a reliable vehicle.
You could get hurt
Ideally, you’ll notice the issue with your new vehicle when you aren’t driving somewhere. Unfortunately, some people find out about vehicle defects because a system or component on their vehicle fails at a safety-critical moment.
You could wind up severely injured by a lemon if you didn’t know there was something wrong with it and something happened while you were on the road.
You will struggle to recoup your investment in the vehicle
A vehicle that has a lengthy history of repairs or that simply doesn’t run as well as other vehicles of the same make and model won’t be easy for you to resell to a dealership or an individual later. You will have to disclose the known issues with the vehicle, which might mean that you can’t get the full price that you would for a vehicle not in that condition.
Learning about how the West Virginia Lemon Law protects you can help you demand repairs or get a replacement vehicle when you buy a new vehicle that has something significant wrong with it.
