When you go to buy a car, there are certain documents and other information that you’re supposed to be given. It’s not unusual for a buyer of a car to not be given that information. In New Jersey, you are protected by a few different laws; the Consumer Fraud Act, the Lemon Law, and General Contract Law. Some of the violations that we see in my office are situations where someone goes to buy a car and they are told that car is not ready or there’s something defective with the car, so why don’t they take this other car. It’s a bait and switch. The other issue that comes up a lot is people go pick up their car and be told come back in two or three days to sign the financing papers. They come back in two or three days, they’re told, “We couldn’t finance you in that car, but you can have this car,” and it’s a much worse car. That’s called a yo-yo sale.

The other issue that arises are when a dealer will give you what looks like a warranty, meaning the dealer will fix this part and that part if it goes wrong, and it goes wrong and then the dealer says “I never said I would fix that,” or the dealer gives you some sort of warranty where repairs can only be done at the dealership. They try to attach you to the dealer through the car because they know that they can fix the car on the cheap and get you back off the lot and the car will break down again, but probably not until after the warranty period. When you go to buy a car, you need to be very clear on what you’re buying, what the papers say, and what you’re being promised because what you’re told is not always consistent with what’s in the papers. If you feel like you’ve been told something or something’s in the papers that’s not right, you should see a lawyer right away. The longer you hold onto the car, the tougher it is to get out of the deal.

If you are in need of experienced legal counsel in New Jersey, please contact Tomes Law Firm, PC and we will be happy to assist you.