Law and Rights
The Federal Trade Commission is at it again. They still won't tell car dealers to speak the truth about the used cars they are selling to the public. But they could - if they wanted to. Here's your chance to make them to do it.
The FTC created the administrative law that requires car dealers to post a Buyers Guide form on the window of every used car that is for sale. The idea was great when it first came up back in the 1970's. They argued about it until the law finally was approved and went into effect in 1985.
Why does it matter to you? Because what is on that sticker becomes part of your sales contract when you buy a used car anywhere in the US.
Now the FTC is considering the first major changes to be made to the Buyers Guide form. As it is now, the car dealer has to disclose if you are buying the vehicle with a warranty or "as is" plus, if you get a warranty, what it will cover, how long it will last, and what (if anything) you have to pay to get warranty work done. That's fair. Every buyer should know if the dealer is going to stand behind the car they are selling, right?
Well, do you think every buyer should also know about the car's defects and malfunctions in the car that the dealer already knows about? Or should the car dealer be allowed to hide that from the buyer?
For example, if the car dealer knows the used car has an engine that is failing and probably won't last another 5,000 miles, shouldn't the car dealer have to disclose that? After all, it could easily cost $8,000 or more to replace the engine in many cars. Well, the FTC argued about that and decided, "no - car dealers don't have to disclose known defects in the cars they sell." Sort of like, take the money and run.
That's just not right.
You can stop the FTC from letting car dealers hide the truth by telling them so and it's easy. You can do it online by filling out the "public comment" form online at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/usedcarrulenprm - Don't let car dealers hide the truth from you.
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Law and Rights
FTC again waters down your used car buyer rights
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| The FTC Buyers Guide can be misleading |
The FTC created the administrative law that requires car dealers to post a Buyers Guide form on the window of every used car that is for sale. The idea was great when it first came up back in the 1970's. They argued about it until the law finally was approved and went into effect in 1985.
Why does it matter to you? Because what is on that sticker becomes part of your sales contract when you buy a used car anywhere in the US.
Now the FTC is considering the first major changes to be made to the Buyers Guide form. As it is now, the car dealer has to disclose if you are buying the vehicle with a warranty or "as is" plus, if you get a warranty, what it will cover, how long it will last, and what (if anything) you have to pay to get warranty work done. That's fair. Every buyer should know if the dealer is going to stand behind the car they are selling, right?
Well, do you think every buyer should also know about the car's defects and malfunctions in the car that the dealer already knows about? Or should the car dealer be allowed to hide that from the buyer?
For example, if the car dealer knows the used car has an engine that is failing and probably won't last another 5,000 miles, shouldn't the car dealer have to disclose that? After all, it could easily cost $8,000 or more to replace the engine in many cars. Well, the FTC argued about that and decided, "no - car dealers don't have to disclose known defects in the cars they sell." Sort of like, take the money and run.
That's just not right.
You can stop the FTC from letting car dealers hide the truth by telling them so and it's easy. You can do it online by filling out the "public comment" form online at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/usedcarrulenprm - Don't let car dealers hide the truth from you.
The proposed law has other problems too and you can read about more of them at the Americans for Financial Reform website.
You can learn more about your used car lemon law rights at http://usedlemoncars.com/
You can learn more about your used car lemon law rights at http://usedlemoncars.com/
Burdge Law Office
Protecting Consumers
Since 1978
Subscribe in a reader- What Happens When You Buy A Car And Never Get The Title?
You never become the owner, that's what. But you may not be totally stuck because there are laws to protect innocent buyers against crooked and ripoff car dealers. Not only will you have lots of legal rights, but selling a car in Ohio and not...
- Motor Vehicle Title Late? Maybe You Don't Own Your New Car After All
Buying a motor vehicle can be risky for reasons you didn?t even know about. Are you giving away your money if you don't get a title?When a car dealer sells a new or used motor vehicle, most states require that the dealer transfer the title into the...
- Should You Buy Your Next Car? Or Should You Lease?
Experts generally agree that leasing a vehicle is almost never the right decision for a consumer, but very often it can be the right decision for a business. Still, car dealers are leasing so many used cars nowadays that it even includes used cars being...
- Don't Let Your Car Dealer Steal Your Car. There's A Shortage Of Good Used Cars And Dealers Are Promising The Moon To Get Your's, But Is It Real?
The used car market is constantly changing. But the one constant is that more used cars are sold retail, every year, than new cars. In fact, usually there are at least 3 used cars sold for every new car sold - and that's in a normal year. With credit...
- 11 Steps Dealers Use To Rip You Off, Steps 1-4
A motor vehicle salesperson recently explained to me that there are 11 steps that dealers use to get the most money out of you that they can get in a deal. I call it 11 Steps Dealers Use to Rip You Off. Here are Steps 1 thru 4, along with some comments...