You should start off treating the engine very gently i.e. gentle revs and never more than 1/4 throttle. Over time you gradually use more revs and more throttle until you eventually end up using the full range of the engine. It is important to eventually end up using all the power and rev range to wear harden various parts. It is also important that you do not keep to a single continuous speed or gear but vary your speed quite a bit during this time (a long highway journey is NOT a good break in if you just sit in top gear at a continuous speed). This is because things are still hardening up and you can wear a groove into them.

Modern engines break in relatively quickly, often 1000km, older designs took longer as the tolerances were not as precise. The first oil change is often a lot sooner than later ones as during break in rough edges from manufacturing will be worn off and end up in the oil.

Here is more advice from various contributors:

• Drive it gently. General rule is not to exceed 3000 - 3500 rpm. for the first 500 miles. It is also a good idea to be kind to it for the first 2000 miles.

• "Breaking in" your cars engine is an old myth, it is also bull. Rule #1 if you want your engine to last a long time, treat it gentle all the time, not just for the first 1000km.

• Break in is important. All engine bearings and cylinders, etc. must wear evenly and proper. Also, piston rings need to seat. Have you ever seen a new engine burn oil until it breaks in? Some piston ring take up to 5000 miles to fully seat or wear evenly to cylinder bore. Not following proper break in procedures could result in premature engine/parts failure.

• This depends whether you purchase or lease a car. With a purchase you should break a car in for the reasons and using the methods described before, ignoring the one comment about it being bull. If the vehicle is a lease you may skip the break-in period if you so wish. Since not breaking-in a car may result in improper wear of parts, or even engine failure, during the warranty period it will be covered, and a leased car will be returned to the dealer before the warranty period expires.

• You shouldn't just break-in your car if you are buying it. Even if you are leasing it you should. Do the next guy a favor. A very inconsiderate answer man. Besides some people lease it and then decide they like it and want to buy it, so I say, you should break it in anyway. No matter what.

• If you research on how to break-in a new engine on the web, most sites will tell you a procedure to break-in the piston rings (the only thing that matters).

• The proper way to break in an engine is to drive at 30 mph and accelerate to 50 mph. Do this to break in the engine the proper way. Do this the first 3000 miles or so.

• Manufactures are making engines with much higher tolerances today. Where cylinder clearances used to be in the thousands of an inch, now its in the ten thousands. Bores are rounder and straighter. There is know reason to baby a newer engine, it will actually hurt. You need cylinder pressure to drive the rings out onto the bore, which actually shaves the bore into a perfect fit. By babying it the rings will only rub and burnish the surface leaving a less then Ideal finish. So ... keep the revs below 4000 the first 300 miles, then drive it ... accelerate with meaning for the next 2500 miles and your all set. This is how all High Performance engines are broken in, and all engines today can be considered a high performance engine since they pull more power out then there predecessors ever did.

• Most modern car engines are broken in at the factory, before assembly. Therefore the old tradition of breaking in a new car doesn't apply anymore. Just drive as you normally would drive and treat the car the way you would treat anything else of value.

In the next section of this answer are a lot of responses about returning cars because you don't like the car, don't like the deal, whatever. The QUESTION, however, was about returning a lemon. Every state has a Lemon Law, which requires the dealer to take the car back if it can't be fixed in a "reasonable" number of attempts. Check http://www.lemonlawamerica.com for your state's lemon law. In North Carolina, for instance, the car officially becomes a lemon if it can't be fixed in four attempts, or if it's been in the shop for more than 20 days.

So the answer is, no after two attempts, yes after three (many states say three) or four attempts to fix it.

• NO! Most large loans/purchases have a "3-day right of recission". During this time you may opt to not continue the sale and change your mind. The car sale is exempt. You may only return a car if there is Fraud in the Sale, Example: The Car is really a 1998 not a 2000 or it was not disclosed to you as a "Rental" car. You cannot merely change your mind or decide that the price is too much. On a new car, as soon as you take possession, the car becomes used and must be sold to the next buyer as such.

• If you live in California and you sign any contract, you will be unable to return the vehicle. In a rare case, I practically begged the manager of a used car lot to unwind the deal. I told him that my wife purchased a car for me prior to my purchase of their car, but I was completely unaware of it. They finally let me out, but withheld a $40.00 documentation fee and a 2.9% credit card surcharge. $178.00 is better than a $6000 used car that I decided that I didn't want. Also, when I purchased the car, I left it at the car lot and told them that I'll pick it up in a matter of days. I guess the unwinding of the deal helped for the simple fact that the car never left the lot and I came back the next morning. It only took me one night to think about the deal and realize that I wanted out. The most important thing is to not let the sales person pressure you into signing anything. Don't listen to 'this car may be gone tomorrow,' 'this is as low as I can go,' 'you will not find a deal better,' etc. It's all bull. It will get you in trouble if you sign the contracts, but you later want out. THERE IS NO WAY OUT AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. Everything is monitored and recorded from the minute you step on the car lot until you go to the back office to sign the 'nail in the coffin' contracts. Before you sign anything, go home and think about it. It will save you a lot of headaches. DON'T SIGN ANY CONTRACTS UNTIL YOU ARE COMPLETELY HAPPY WITH THE CAR! If you already have and you want out, the best advice that I can give is make up any good believable heartbreaking lie such as: Someone passed in my family and I need the money to help fund the burial expenses, etc. Go in the office crying if you have to. It may work, but it may not. YOU WILL BE CRYING FOR REAL IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO UNWIND THE DEAL. The best time to put on an act is when a sales person is with a potential car buyer. The car lot or dealership people most likely won't show their true colors in front of potential car buyers. They'll put on an act and most likely, unwind the deal. But again, this is rare, like in my case. DON'T SIGN ANY CONTRACTS UNTIL YOU ARE COMPLETELY HAPPY WITH THE CAR!

• The laws of Texas and Virginia...two states in which I have been in the car business...say that once the 'tailpipe leaves the curb' of the dealer's lot, the sale is complete. I think that is the case most anywhere, now. Some dealerships have thirty day money back guarantees. If you are buying a used car, get that deal!

• I sold cars for years. You can only return a new car (within 72 hours) if they came out to your house and solicited your business and had you sign the contract there. If you sign the contract at the dealership, and drive off the lot, you're stuck, unless you somehow convince the lender to back out of the deal. That's how it is in Texas.

1. Assuming a Purchased Car
2. Step 1

   Do your homework. Owners who are upside down on their car loan, meaning they owe more than the car is worth, and want to get out of the loan would rather have someone assume their payments than sell their car, take a loss and still have to repay the loan. However, not all lenders allow the purchaser to do this, so it is up to you to make sure this is allowed by checking the car's loan contract or the lender itself.

3. Step 2

   Make sure you get records. Be sure you have a record of all the payments that have already been made, lender information and the loan document.

4. Step 3

   Find out what the payoff balance is.

5. Step 4

   Do the same homework you would do for the lease car, such as running the Carfax, checking the service record and filling out and having both parties sign the paperwork.

I faced the same thing about a year ago. The insurance company did not want to give me what was needed. I got on-line and found many cars that were just like mine and showed them that my car was worth more than they were wanting to give me. They still did not want to give me what the car was worth. So I went to small claims court and filed suit on the driver of the other car. The person's insurance has to represent them. Also go and look at the comps that the insurance company are using for your car to see if you can replace the car for what they want to give you.

If the accident was another driver's fault, you have to sue him and/or his insurance company for the remaining balance.Whatever you borrowed to obtain the vehicle wil always be more than the car is worth. You have already lost money on it as soon as you drove it off the car lot. But do your research. Go online for "Kelly Blue Book", and get the estimate of the car's value. If it is more, then dispute it with the insurance company. Print the page out.

No, the minute you've signed the contract, the vehicle is yours. "Buyer's Remorse" is a myth pertaining to the buyer's supposed legal right to change their mind and return a vehicle after signing the contract. Not at all based in reality! This myth probably stemmed from a stipulation called the "Right of Recission" when refinancing a home loan, which allows the person refinancing a three-day "cooling off" period after signing the refinancing paperwork to change their mind and cancel the refi.

Texas:

I can't speak for other states, but, in Texas, the Lemon Law only takes effect if the car has been in three times for the same problem within a specified time frame (6 months or a year, I think). Also, it has to be something that renders the vehicle inoperable or dangerous. In other words, if your stereo keeps going out, or your power window is broken, then Lemon Laws do not apply.

Personal Experience:

If you live in California and you sign any contract, you will be unable to return the vehicle. In a rare case, I practically begged the manager of a used car lot to unwind the deal. I told him that my wife purchased a car for me prior to my purchase of their car, but I was completely unaware of it. They finally let me out, but withheld a $40.00 documentation fee and a 2.9% credit card surcharge. $178.00 is better than a $6000 used car that I decided that I didn't want. Also, when I purchased the car, I left it at the car lot and told them that I'll pick it up in a matter of days. I guess the unwinding of the deal helped for the simple fact that the car never left the lot and I came back the next morning. It only took me one night to think about the deal and realize that I wanted out. The most important thing is to not let the sales person pressure you into signing anything. Don't listen to 'this car may be gone tomorrow,' 'this is as low as I can go,' 'you will not find a deal better,' etc. It's all bull. It will get you in trouble if you sign the contracts, but you later want out. THERE IS NO WAY OUT AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. Everything is monitored and recorded from the minute you step on the car lot until you go to the back office to sign the 'nail in the coffin' contracts. Before you sign anything, go home and think about it. It will save you a lot of headaches. DON'T SIGN ANY CONTRACTS UNTIL YOU ARE COMPLETELY HAPPY WITH THE CAR!

#2

No you do not have to make payments after returning a car as long as you are ok with having a repossesion on your credit history and as long as your ok with the finance company filing a judgment against you for the amount left owed after the sale of the returned vehicle.

It can be:

Revocable Credit

Irrevocable Credit

Confirmed Credit

Payment Credit

Negotiation Credit

Deferred Payment Credit

Acceptance Credit

Back-to-Back Credit

Transferable Credit

Red Clause Credit

Green Clause Credit

Packing Credit

Standby Credit

Revolving Credit

Buying a used car from a private seller is very different from buying a car from a dealer. Private sellers generally are not covered by the Federal Trade Commission's Used Car Rule and don't have to use the Used Car Buyers Guide. However, you can use the Guide's list of an auto's major systems as a shopping tool. You also can ask the seller if you can have a car inspection done by your mechanic.

Private sales usually are not covered by the implied warranties of state law. That means a private sale probably will be on an "as is" basis, unless your purchase agreement with the seller specifically states otherwise. If you have a written contract, the seller must live up to the promises stated in the contract. The car also may be covered by a manufacturer's warranty or a separately purchased service contract. However, warranties and service contracts may not be transferable, and other limits or costs may apply. Before you buy the car, ask to review its warranty or service contract.

Many states do not require individuals to ensure that their vehicles will pass state inspection or carry a minimum warranty before they offer them for sale. Ask your state Attorney General's office or local consumer protection agency about the requirements in your state.

The following tips are useful when buying a car:

• Do you homework on Carfax, KBB, eBay. Check prices. Getting a car from a dealer at Private Party price is often a good deal.

• Ask questions. Please note Carfax, Auto Check will not always show if a car has been in an accident - so have the vehicle checked out before you buy. Almost 100% of used cars sold by a dealership will have had paintwork done (and many new ones too)- so that may not always be a useful question to ask. Better to look or inspect. Do you see poorly done work? Check hidden areas for "ridges" to indicate paint that may not have been done well. (A note on extended warranties: buy cars that are at the end of their factory warranty.)

• There's an option where you can get great deals and it's still much safer than just buying from any private individual: repossessed car auctions (in particular, government car auctions). These are cars that have been repossessed by the bank or lien holder due to a lack of payment of the original auto loan, and then sold at public auctions so that the lien holder can make some of the money back. Even though you should always get a vehicle history report and inspect the car yourself, these are usually pretty safe environments, although they're attended by many professional dealers.

• Another way to get great deals (and safer than buying from a private seller) is hiring a professional negotiator. If you use a service (ex: Carsala), you can get private party prices from a dealership on a car that's been reconditioned, in good shape, clean title, etc.