What vehicles does the Lemon Law cover?
Only new vehicles are covered by Georgiaโs Lemon Law. New vehicles are self-propelled
vehicles that are primarily designed to transport people or property over public highways and
were purchased, leased or registered in Georgia. The title of the vehicle must still be in the
name of the person who originally purchased or leased it and cannot have been previously
issued to anyone other than the selling dealer.
Vehicles not covered by the Lemon Law include:
Vehicles purchased or leased as used
Vehicles whose title and other transfer documents indictate they are used
Vehicles that have been titled to any person other than the selling dealer, before being
titled to you
Motorcycles and mopeds
Trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more
All-terrain vehicles (ATVs)
Boats
Vehicles that are no self-propelled, such as trailers and campers
Demonstrator model vehicles are covered as long as the manufacturerโs warranty is issued as a
condition of sale and it otherwise qualifies as a new motor vehicle.
Motor homes and conversion vans are covered to a certain degree. The self-propelled vehicle
and the chassis of a new motor home are covered under the Lemon Law. However, the Lemon
Law does not cover those parts of a motor home that are designated, used or maintained
primarily as a mobile dwelling, office or commercial space.
What defects are covered and what defects are not
covered?
Any defect or condition included in the manufacturerโs warranty that substantially impairs the
vehicleโs use, value or safety to the consumer is covered under the Lemon Law.
Substantially impairs โ the defect makes your vehicle unreliable or unsafe for ordinary use, or it
diminishes the resale value of your vehicle more than a meaningful amount below the average
resale value for comparable motor vehicles.
The Lemon Law does not apply to any defect or condition that is the result of abuse, neglect or
unauthorized modification or alteration of the vehicle.
How long do I have to bring a claim under the Lemon
Law?
One year from the date you took delivery of the vehicle, or after the first 12,000 miles of useโ
whichever occurs first. This is called the Lemon Law rights period. You must establish that the
initial repair attempt took place within the first year of delivery or within the first 12,000 miles.
http://www.robins.af.mil/Portals/59/documents/Judge_Advocates_Office/Civil_Law_Division/AFD-090317-034.pdf
After cleaning your used car in preparation for selling it, you now must decide how much information to disclose when talking with prospective buyers. This conversation can make or break auto sales.
To help with your sales pitch, consider the following advice:
Be honest. A potential buyer can verify if you're being up front or trying to hide flaws though a car history report or by having it inspected by a certified car mechanic.
You don't have to disclose every flaw. It's not your responsibility, but if the buyer asks, tell the truth.
If the car is say 20 years old, the prospective buyer is expecting flaws. Don't be afraid to reveal that you recently replaced the radiator or that the air conditioning is on the blink. If the car is old, the buyer is obviously in the market for a beater, comfortable with the idea of mechanical imperfection.
Be prepared to answer, "Why are you selling it?" Have an honest answer that favors the positive over the negative. Saying, "I'm looking to upgrade" is far more favorable than, "Six times in the last month I had to hitchhike home from work after the car conked out on me."
If you do hide potential mechanical problems that eventually surface after selling the car, you're not required by law to provide legal compensation (Lemon Laws only apply to dealerships selling new or used cars). You freed yourself from all responsibility once you handed over the car's title. The buyer, however, can make your life hellish with repeated phone calls asking for money, or even using social media outlets to denigrate your name.
Information You MUST Disclose When Selling a Car
In most states you, by law, must disclose whether the vehicle has been:
Salvaged.
Damaged in a flood.
Rebuilt.
In all three scenarios, this information should be stamped or marked on the title either as salvaged or rebuilt. This, at the very least, protects you from any potential down-the-road charges from the buyer that you concealed damage information.
Do you have any experience selling your cars? Share your insight on what information you disclose when selling a car with our online community by leaving your wisdom below in our comment section.
https://www.dmv.org/articles/what-to-disclose-when-selling-a-used-car/
RustyNewmar wrote:
Dear fellow RV'ers, here is a link to the pictures from underneath our brand new Mountain Air. Please note most of these shots were taken by the dealer prior to us taking delivery !
https://imgur.com/a/7InJw
After being invited, we traveled to Georgia to attend the open house at National Indoor RV Center. We meet our future sales person Angie Morrell and were treated to a wonderful time wile viewing many motor coaches. We left Georgia with every confidence in our new dealer.
A short time later we traveled to Texas to view and fall in love with a 2017 Newmar Mountain Aire. We agreed to the sale the last week of 2016 with delivery in late April 2017. After owning, servicing and repairing our four prior Newmar units we felt no need to slither under our new 2017.
We found rust early summer 2017. After confirming rust with Newmar, Newmar blamed the dealer. We contacted NIRVC, intending to explain the factory finger pointing. Much to our surprise,NIRVC quickly informed us of, and e-mailed us dozens of pictures of what would have been deal ending rust !!
Our last E-mail contact with Newmar was on January 2nd 2018, sent directly to Mr Miller- President and Mr. Parks- CEO. The only question contained in this E-mail was "The great saddening deal of rust in the suspension and steering components brings questions of safety, can this coach be driven on public roads at freeway speeds ?". To this date, there has never been an e-mail response.
It is our hope, in making this public, no other RV customers will have to endure this great deal of frustration and stress.
Thank you, Paul & Kim.
