Complaints Bring Ban on Weekend Used Car Lots

Hanford and Lemoore city officials have banned makeshift weekend used car lots after residents complained that vehicles they bought from Los Angeles-based car dealers were lemons.

On weekends, the out-of-town car dealers used to bring hundreds of used cars to sell in mall parking lots or at the fairgrounds. Residents told city officials they couldn’t find the dealers when trying to get answers about problems with their vehicles.

Residents and local car dealers also complained about excessive advertising. The out-of-town dealers drove around with a public address system announcing weekend tent sales, and set up signs in residents’ yards and on street corners.