Business Notes AUTOS

Can't decide whether that "previously owned" car in the dealer's lot is a lemon? Call Auto Critic and have it dispatch a mobile inspection unit to check out the used car, van or truck in question. For $54 to $69, a certified mechanic will spend about 45 min. running the vehicle through a 92-item checklist, which includes the obvious, like turn signals and wiper blades, and the not-so-obvious, like axle seals and cover gaskets. The mechanic will even take the car on a test drive. Armed with the results, the would-be buyer can renegotiate or reconsider. Says Patrick Ludwick, founder and president of the Dallas-based company: "Normally the engine or the transmission doesn't fall out. It's the smaller items that will nickel and dime a person to death." A poll of Ludwick's first 1,000 customers found an average saving of $600 a purchase.

Established a little more than a year ago, Auto Critic also has locations in Austin, San Antonio, Cleveland and Little Rock, and will soon open in San Diego, Atlanta and Somerville, N.J. Franchises are available for $12,500, not including the fully equipped van, which costs $21,000.