2019 GT350 Lemon Title

[Calipony]

So I'm in the market for a GT350. I'm only considering 2019-2020 cars due to the latest mechanical and interior upgrades they have made... I have seen multiple 2019s for sale and labeled as Lemons on the title. I'm told the remainder on the factory warranty is still valid, etc. Is it safe to assume these cars are good to go? If the engine fails again, just take it in for replacement...? Also, what is the downside to buying a car with Lemon on the title? (I'm looking to keep the car, so I don't really care about investment purposes). What do you think?

 

[460Fred]

Others more knowledgeable than myself about lemon laws will chime in here. I know different states have different lemon laws, so there’s that.
For me, I’d be interested in why it was returned. May be an easy fix item that took way to long to repair due to parts availability, misunderstanding or just an incompetent dealership.
There are plenty here that short of an engine replacement, they wouldn’t let a dealership touch their car....so there’s that.
Bottom line is we need more information if you can get it.

 

[DougS550]

I wouldn't, the Title will most likely have a "Lemon Law Buyback Title Designation". IMHO. Good Luck

 

[stanglife]

You already hit on the biggest issue - future value due to the perception of the lemon branded car. If you don't plan to sell and can get a fair deal due the lemon thing - I'd say go for it....but it should be priced well below comparable cars that don't have a lemon brand.

 

[Calipony]

Each of the Lemon cars I found were due to engine failures and had already been replaced. They were priced from $3k-$5k less than non-Lemon cars. I’m in Florida, so I’m not aware how this would affect me.

 

[stanglife]

Each of the Lemon cars I found were due to engine failures and had already been replaced. They were priced from $3k-$5k less than non-Lemon cars. I’m in Florida, so I’m not aware how this would affect me.

Just an opinion - and this maybe isnt realistic considering the world right now - but I'd only consider a lemon car for a minimum of 10% off the MSRP.. preferably 15%.

 

[DougS550]

You already hit on the biggest issue - future value due to the perception of the lemon branded car. If you don't plan to sell and can get a fair deal due the lemon thing - I'd say go for it....but it should be priced well below comparable cars that don't have a lemon brand.

Well, Well Below Whole Sale value.

 

[br_an]

Well you'll know going into it there are potentially some serious issues ahead. I don't know too many people that go through the buyback process over minor problems. If you keep that in mind and can get a good deal, could be worth the trouble.

 

[Tank]

Each of the Lemon cars I found were due to engine failures and had already been replaced. They were priced from $3k-$5k less than non-Lemon cars. I’m in Florida, so I’m not aware how this would affect me.

Just an opinion - and this maybe isnt realistic considering the world right now - but I'd only consider a lemon car for a minimum of 10% off the MSRP.. preferably 15%.

No way (at least for me). It’s a permanent stain on the title. I’d need a much more significant discount.

Just cause a motor gets replaced, doesn’t necessarily mean the vehicle gets lemoned. I would do some more digging in any case.

Good luck OP.

 

[460Fred]

Interesting how some wouldn’t hesitate buying a used GT350 that had an engine replaced under warranty but wouldn’t touch the exact same scenario with a lemon law.
If one can get a great discount and receive documents that backed up the proper engine replacement, then I’d say do it. I see no difference in the two except the legal paperwork which should bring a bigger discount.
Your selection isn’t going to increase anytime soon.

 

[Kramerica]

One of the potential biggest issues for you as a potential owner of a branded title car is insurance. Depending on the title status, where you live, and who your insurance provider is, they may not insure the car. For example, here in Texas you cannot insure a salvage titled vehicle. I would call your insurance company and have this discussion before even talking with the dealer about the car. For me it would obviously be a non starter if I cant get insurance.

 

[BombZombie]

I've bought a lemon vehicle. My 2017 Super Snake is branded as a lemon due to Ford buying it back from the original owner at around 2400 miles. The reason, spark plugs were gapped incorrectly, fouled, and it started running funny. The dealership it came from didn't bother trying to fully fix it, and simply bought it back and auctioned it off to another Ford dealership in my state (car came from Washington state). Before I purchased the car, I got a history of the vehicle and contacted a Ford dealership near me that had mechanics that worked on Shelby's, Roushs, Saleen, etc. Since the vehicle was still under warranty when I bought it, they said they would figure out the issue. They did and it's been running perfectly ever since (drag strip runs and all).

I plan on keeping the car for as long as possible, so the lemon title doesn't bother me and never even think about it. If that's what you plan on doing, it's not gonna be a real issue on my opinion.

Bottom line, just get the history of the vehicle and decide if you want to take the risk. I can do my own maintenance from here on out, so thats another reason I decided the purchase was worthwhile for me.

Good luck!

 

[stanglife]

Well you'll know going into it there are potentially some serious issues ahead. I don't know too many people that go through the buyback process over minor problems. If you keep that in mind and can get a good deal, could be worth the trouble.

Lol - have you even read these forums? ;)

One of the potential biggest issues for you as a potential owner of a branded title car is insurance. Depending on the title status, where you live, and who your insurance provider is, they may not insure the car. For example, here in Texas you cannot insure a salvage titled vehicle. I would call your insurance company and have this discussion before even talking with the dealer about the car. For me it would obviously be a non starter if I cant get insurance.

I don't believe a lemon law car has the same insurance implications as a car with a "rebuilt" title from a serious accident, if that's what you're referring to. These cars have not been salvaged or totaled.

 

[Jeffwels]

Agreed with others here. 10% isnt enough of a discount to even come close to having me consider. Would need more like 30% off the price of the car vs a similarly optioned/miles/color used gt350 to have me consider.

that said, maybe that is a good path for me to get a dedicated track gt350... hmmm

 

[matthewr87]

Does 3-5K really make that much of a difference in what I assume is around a $60k purchase (given current used car prices)?

Its obviously not an insignificant amount of money but if your only criteria is a 2019-2020 GT350 I feel like there must be a way to find one without an engine replacement (or lemon title) for a bit more money.

You never know what is going to happen even if you buy a brand new vehicle, but starting off with one that has had an engine replacement (and all the possible fit and finish and other issues involved in that) would not be worth 3-5K for me personally.