Before buying any used car, obtain an independent vehicle inspection, get an NMVTIS Vehicle History Report via www.vehiclehistory.gov, and consult other available vehicle information resources such as CarFax and AutoCheck. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides several used car buying tips on their web site: www.ftc.gov. A summary “checklist” of these tips from the FTC…
The FTC has amended its Used Car Rule, 16 CFR 455. The Rule requires dealers to “affix” a sticker on used cars for sale, disclosing whether a warranty comes with the vehicle. The FTC changes to the Used Car Rule go into effect January 27, 2017, but dealers can use their existing supply of sticker…
The Federal Trade Commission is now doubling down on their terrible position that dealers should be allowed to advertise that CPO (“Certified”) cars are “safe,” “have been repaired for safety issues,” and “have been subject to a rigorous inspection” WITHOUT actually getting safety recall repairs done, if they merely add a blanket disclaimer that the…
Westways magazine reports that, based on AAA’s recent study, “Top Tier” gasoline is a lot cleaner and may help avoid costly repairs down the road. What is top tier? It does not mean the “grade” of gas that you see at the pump, which only deals with octane level. You have to go to “toptiergas.com/licensedbrands”…
Forbes has issued a list of lemons not to buy. It uses a combination of Consumer Reports reviews and JD Powers. Most of these vehicles have very low reliability ratings and keep less than 50% of their value after just three years. In our experience as lemon lawyers, we have found many of these vehicles’…
Think CarMax sold you a Lemon, or defrauded you in the sale of their “Certified Pre-Owned” cars, vans, or trucks? A devastating ruling against CarMax will help your case. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday overturned a lower court ruling in favor of CarMax Auto Superstores LLC, saying the inspection certificates CarMax provides…
The Federal Trade Commission has charged nine Los Angeles-area auto dealerships and their owners with using a wide range of deceptive and unfair sales and financing practices. The FTC’s action filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California seeks to end these practices and return money to consumers. This is the…
When there is a flood, watch out for Car Dealer Fraud, selling flood damaged vehicles. That is what happened after Hurricane Katrina. Now, the historic floods that raged in Louisiana last month damaged an estimated 100,000 insured vehicles. The National Insurance Crime Bureau said the number of uninsured vehicles damaged by flooding may be even…
Here are the top worst new cars out there, according to Consumer Reports: The Fiat 500L: The boxy Italian design has a balky infotainment system, using a version of Chrysler Group’s UConnect, and transmission issues. The Ford Fiesta: Owners responding to Consumer Reports’ survey didn’t like its automatic transmission. We would add the Ford Focus…
Check out this excellent article from AAA about avoiding car fraud in used car sales, including Certified Pre-Owned vehicles. https://www.calif.aaa.com/home/publications/westways/car-tips/drive-smart/2015-buying-used-car.html
