Purchasing a new vehicle at a car dealership is both a stressful and exciting experience. The car salesman is trained to minimize and gloss over red flags that may be signs of a potential lemon car.
My best suggestion is to trust your instincts AND to stick to it. Remember, you are the customer! To avoid acquiring a new lemon car and having to go through the fuss, headache, and time consumption of the Texas Lemon Law or a lemon lawsuit, watch for the following two signs:
1) “It’s a new vehicle, yet the odometer reads over 100 miles” — this should be red flag number one. If the car is new and if a potential buyer test drives an average of 10 miles each time, then there has been at least nine to ten potential buyers who did not want this car for a specific reason. Common sense tells us to politely ask the car salesman to find you a vehicle with less mileage or else you will need to take your business to the competing dealership nearby.
2) “During the test drive, I heard something abnormal” — a client once told me that he had a suspicion that there was a problem with the new Ford truck he purchased, because he heard a subtle cranking sound during the test drive. The car sales manager at first told him that what he heard was normal… then, the sales manager told my client to buy the Ford truck anyway and they will fix it (to ease my client’s concern). My client was told that the Ford service center at the dealership is first class! Subsequently, the client took the vehicle back 5 times after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle is now a certified Ford lemon. Think about this, why would you purchase something new that already had a problem since day one?
Good luck on your new car purchase. There are many new car deals out there,..but make sure it is a non-lemon deal.