Florida Lemon Law Attorneys Blog

With the gas prices always on the rise it takes some research to decide as to which is the best buy that would cost less owning it for the next five years while the fuel price is on the rise. A recent survey puts the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular at $2.77 in the Washington suburbs and $3.21 a gallon or so in San Francisco.

If maximum gas mileage is your priority consider owning one of the the following cars:

• The Toyota Prius: The Toyota Prius is the car that people flock to every time there is a gas-price hike. If the Toyota Prius is famed for getting you 50 mpg around town it can fare much better on the highway. The Toyota Prius starts at $22,800
• The VW Golf/Jetta Diesel: Besides the 42 mpg in Golf form, the VW brothers come with an upscale interior, good handling and refined manners. Both run clean on diesel and lack the complexity of a hybrid. The Golf starts at $22,354 and the redesigned Jetta is attractive and affordable too with as the fuel
• The 2011 Ford Fiesta: The 2011 Ford Fiesta is a stylish little car that gives you up to 40 miles per gallon of gas. The 2011 Ford Fiesta is based on a European model that offers acceleration in line with the competition and starts at $13,320
• The 2011 Chevy Cruze: The 2011 Chevy Cruze is a bigger car than the Fiesta with a mid size. The 2011 Chevy Cruze has more refined interior than that was in the model the Cruze replaces, the Cobalt. The 2011 Chevy Cruze is a stylish and high-economy model starting at $16,995 and drives up to 40 mpg. It can carry four and the trunk space is relatively huge for its size
• The Hyundai Sonata: The Hyundai Sonata is one of the most stylish cars listed here and sips gas only at the rate of 39 mpg on the high end. The Hyundai Sonata has finish and material in line with its price range and plus some more. The Hyundai Sonata can carry four passengers and starts at $19,195
• The Kia Forte: The Kia Forte is a four-door sedan. Sleek and stylish with a top EPA rating of 36 mpg. The Kia Forte is really another hit from the house of Hyundai and starts at $16,995
• The Honda Fit: The Honda Fit is a traditional top gas-saving car at 33-35 miles per gallon of gas. The Honda Fit has a high build quality and reliability with good storage space and fun-to-drive traits. It starts at $14,990. The new Honda CR-Z hybrid can deliver up to 38 mpg
• The Nissan Versa: The Nissan Versa is another small car with mid size room and costs just over $10K. The Nissan Versa gives you up to 34 mpg

Other gas sipping cars to consider:

• The Mazda 2: Early reviews of the Mazda have been favorable but the car is a bit shy on equipment
• The European-based Ford Focus: Car magazine calls this European Focus practical, solid and smooth
• Own one of these gas sippers and you can bypass gas stations with confidence.

This information is not intended as legal advice. Please direct your specific questions to K&M attorneys and know more about your lemon law rights. If you want to pursue your lemon law claim, call 1-800 US LEMON® (800-875-3666) toll free, to reach Krohn & Moss for your FREE initial consultation. Or submit your information online for your free case evaluation.

March 7-13 is National Consumer Protection Week 2010. It’s a week the government will devote to providing free resources and information to better inform consumers how and where to spend their money.

Gov. Chris Gregoire, Olympia, WA has signed two new consumer protection bills into law, and it just happens to come on National Consumer Protection Week. One deals with the lemon law rights of used car buyers.

New Lemon law for Used Cars

Under the old law, the lemon law applies only to new cars. The new consumer protection bills on lemon law offers added protection for buyers of used cars.

The used car price has actually gone up because of their demand. People are not allowed the information they ought to have when they want to buy used cars. If you buy a lemon car without the knowledge and find out it’s a lemon later the resale value of this used car plummets.

You can make an informed decision for buying if you are allowed the information by the used car dealer about the defects of the lemon buy back in the market on sale.

Lemon law rights for Used Car Buyers

At used car lots the used cars may look relatively new. The right to information renders a buyer to make an informed decision about his buy, despite its looks.

In the case of a lemon, the dealer should inform the consumer if

• The car has specific problems
• These are the cars that had been the buy backs by the manufacturer from the erstwhile owners
• These lemon cars were wholesaled by the manufacturers and are on sale
• You might be willing to buy a car that’s been returned as a lemon if
• You have a right to information on the defect that had turned the vehicle a lemon
• The price is appropriate even if the car has a problem

The new law is especially timely

• The new law necessitates the dealer to inform you about the car’s specific issue or problem if it’s a lemon
• The slumping economy has boosted the popularity of used cars
• A used car dealer is required to disclose to a prospective buyer if a car has been returned as a lemon, just as any new car dealer would

President Obama’s “Presidential Proclamation” in a March 5 White House press release explains that National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) gives all Americans an opportunity to become better-informed consumers.

The second law the governor Chris Gregoire, Olympia, WA signed deals with scammers targeting homeowners headed into foreclosure to take advantage of them.

The inexpensive small cars, the Chevrolet Aveo and Chrysler PT Cruiser join the Cadillac STS and Mercury Grand Marquis as some of the most dangerous vehicles of 2010.

According to crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

• The way a car handles itself during a crash tells about the severity of the occupants’ injuries
• Some cars hold up better than others
• Tiny cars and low-level sedans are especially at risk
• Bigger cars, because of their mass, generally fare better in tests–but may be more likely to roll.

The Cadillac STS fared poorly in rear-collision tests.

The most dangerous cars based on the IIHS crash-test results on 2010 model-year vehicles for each overall front, side and rear ratings:

• A “poor” rating means severe and possibly fatal trauma happened to drivers and/or passengers during the crash
• A “good” rating means little to no trauma occurred: Received 4/12 points
• Acceptable received 3 /12 points

Mitsubishi Gallant and Nissan’s Titan truck score only slightly lower in otherwise safe classes.

• The Jeep Wrangler two-door received “poor” side-impact ratings
• The Jeep Wrangler four-door received “marginal” side-impact rating

The Jeep Wrangler’s removable doors hurt their side-impact test scores.

• The Chevrolet Aveo, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Cadillac STS and Mercury Grand Marquis: They have the worst crash-test ratings in their class.

They each received “marginal” test-results for side- and rear-impacts.

The IIHS tests are more severe than those administered by the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

• IIHS’s front test is a 40-mile-an-hour front-offset collision into an unmoving barrier. Its side crash is a T-bone collision set at 30 miles an hour
• NHTSA tests head-on collisions by a concrete barrier striking at 35 mph. Researchers there evaluate fewer sections on the dummy’s head, chest and legs. Its side impacts are set using a 1.5-ton trolley set at 38 mph

The good news for the Bigger and the midsize car Owners

Bigger cars: In a crash, vehicles with more mass fare better than smaller vehicles

• A 5,500-pound Chevrolet Tahoe will beat a 1,000-pound Nissan Micra

The midsize cars: There are a number of midsize cars with the less powerful engine.

• They give gas mileage that is comparable to many of the smaller cars
• Crossovers and wagons being midsize as opposed to small offer the size advantage with good crash-test ratings

The newest, most expensive safety options are no more the newest, most expensive safety options

• Automakers often put the newest, most expensive safety options in their high-end line first, to test driver acceptance
• Then, as awareness increases and production volumes rise, manufacturers install the same features in mainline vehicles, with less cost attached
• When non-luxury-brands tout safety, manufacturers try to find breakthroughs that aren’t very expensive

Poor driving is to blame too

Texting while driving: A bill passed would fine drivers for texting while driving.

• According to AAA 8,000 crashes occur each day nationwide and 80% of them are caused by distracted driving
• According to the National Safety Council, an Illinois-based organization the average economic cost per traffic fatality in 2007, was $1.1 million and $61,600 for a disabling injury

Toyota announces recall of 437,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide for a software fix in antilock brake systems (ABS). The recall was announced after receiving more than 200 complaints of delayed response from the brakes in its Prius vehicle. These complaints escalated as the weather became colder.

Toyota announces an earlier global recall of 7 million of its cars. The recent announcement of new hybrid vehicle recall is not included in it.

• Toyota will recall the Prius, the Lexus HS250h sedan, (sold in the U.S. and Japan), and the Sai, sold in Japan
• Toyota brake problem can be fixed in just 40 minutes with an update in the antilock brake software
• The Camry and the Highlander SUV were on the bad accelerator pedal list
• Despite the recall announcement, American depositary receipts of Toyota gained 2.8% to $74.85 in New York, early Tuesday.

Why do Toyota Hybrids sell?

• They work
• They are most attractive to buyers of small, light cars where fuel economy gains are large
• The Prius is rated at 51 miles per gallon in city

The GM hybrid system for its big vehicles, which raised fuel economy from 18 to 22 mpg, did not sell. Even the Honda systems were not very successful for the same reason.

• Hybrid saves money: They add to the cost, anywhere from $4,000 to $10,000
• Government demands for a future average of 35.5 miles per gallon

Electric cars as an alternative

Electric cars stir less enthusiasm

• Their batteries cost about $10,000 for a 40-mile range
• Few stations are available to recharge
• Their range is generally much less than today’s gasoline-powered cars