So, you just forked over $25,000 for a new car...and the brakes don't work ("They all do that, Ma'am!"), the piston just went through the engine block ("We'll slap a new one in in just a couple of days")...and you think you might be starting to catch a few whiffs of coolant coming out of the exhaust. Sounds like you just bought yourself a lemon.

Well, we have good news. And bad news. And good news.

Wait! Before you buy that used car, find out if it's a certified lemon.

Good news: Every single state in these here United States now has a "Lemon Law" which provides consumers with specific rights. If your car meets the definition of a lemon, you could be entitled to a refund or a replacement vehicle. What's a lemon? It's any new vehicle that has a substantial problem that is not fixed within a reasonable number of attempts, or has had a certain number of days out of service. But we'll get to that later.

Bad news: Lemon Laws were written by lawyers. Which means, what? It takes a lawyer to sort through all the jargon and tell you what it all says. More bad news: Not many manufacturers enjoy taking responsibility for having produced a lemon. They might try to high-tail it when you come calling. A few of them might even have sleazy Lemon Law tricks up their polyester sleeves.

Good news: We've deciphered the Lemon Laws for you. We hired a nationally recognized consumer lawyer, Larry Towers, to give us a hand. Larry took all the jargon and made it comprehensible. (We look at it this way: when we finally understood it, we figured anyone could.) With Larry's help, we also pulled together info on all the other related laws and warranties that you might be able to use. Then we added a glossary. (After all, how many of us are supposed to know what "collateral charges" are?) Finally, when you're ready to get down to business, just select your manufacturer and we'll generate the notification letter for you--complete with address.

Ready to know your rights? Peruse one of our Lemon Law areas, or start by selecting your state.

Been there, Done that? We'd love to share your Lemon Law experiences with the rest of Cyberspace. Tell us all about it so we can save some poor Jack or Jill from the hassles you probably went through.