Dear Scotty, I recently bought a used 96 Chevy Trailblazer with 169,000 miles. My boss told me I got a lemon. It's an Arizona car so it has no significant rust like a Michigan car would. The drivers side rear rotor is grinding and I found out after driving it home, when I bought it the seller turned the radio on so I didn't hear the noise. But he sold it to me for $3500. I looked up the blue book value and it's 4 grand for a decent conditioned car of the same make/model. The engine has no knocks, the suspenson had no obvious issues either, it'll cost abot 4 to 500 bucks to have the rear rotors done. I want both done so I don't have a repeat with the other side, I have a reputable garage with ASE certified master mechanics picked out less than a mile from homewith a quote in that price range for a repair. Did I really get a lemon or is there hope for me not looking like an idiot? Thank you for your time. And Happy mothers day for allthe moms you know and care for. {black}:cool:
What the seller did was downright dirty to play the radio so you didn't hear the bad rotor. When I do test drives, while it's warming up I'll turn on the radio to make sure everything with that is working, but when it's drive-time, I lower the radio or turn it off so I can listen to everything as it goes down the road. Heck, I even do this with NEW cars. Well, only time will tell if it's going to be a problem child. If it doesn't have engine or trans problems like @yaser said, could be ok. But I do think you paid too much. IMHO, that's a $2000 car it's, 25 yrs old, and if it were perfect maybe $2500.
Worn brakes don't make a vehicle a lemon. The seller was disingenuous and it sounds like you may have paid too much, but with the used car market the way it is today who knows. You'll find out if it's a lemon in due course if you start experiencing serious breakdowns rather than dealing with normal wear items.
always take the car to a mechanic BEFORE you buy it. Not after.
If it does not have engine or transmission issues, it should be a decent car.
Sounds to me like it's more than likely just brake pads, but even if it is the rotor, and as long as the motor and trans are in good shape, I wouldn't consider it a lemon. May be paid more than you should, but if a rotor/brake job fixes everything, you can have a long and fun time with those older blazers
