No one wants to buy a car that doesn’t work. Generally, when a dealer sells a vehicle, that vehicle will be covered by implied warranties. These warranties mean that the dealer is warranting that the vehicle runs in fair condition and that it works for the purposes for which it was purchased.
However, an Idaho used car dealer is generally able to sell a vehicle “as-is”—which means the dealer is selling the vehicle without these implied warranties. Thus, if the dealer sells a vehicle “as-is” and the vehicle does not run in fair condition or it does not work for the purposes it was purchased, the dealer is not responsible.
Law makers have found that dealers may attempt to use the “as-is” laws to dupe consumers. For this reason, there are special state and federal laws that provide at least some protection to consumers who are purchasing used cars.
Federal and State Law Protections
Although Idaho law allows used car dealers to sell vehicles “as-is,” a dealer must still comply with other state and federal laws during the course of the sale. You may be surprised (or not) how often these other laws are violated. These laws govern issues such as:
- False Advertisements
- Express Warranties
- Odometer disclosures
- Subject-to-financing transactions (spot delivery)
- Used Car Buyer’s Guide disclosures (warranty disclosures)
- Financial disclosures
- Credit laws
If a violation has occurred in any of these areas, a dealer will still have liability for the unlawful acts even if the vehicle was sold as-is.
The laws governing used car sales can be very technical and there is much overlap and potentially even conflict between the operation and application of these laws.
While the law does not protect consumers from entering into bad deals or from legitimately buying “as-is” vehicles, it does protect consumers from deceptive acts and practices that dealers may employ when selling a used vehicle.