Trade-In legal question

[Grozk72]

One (ok, me) wonders why you would accept that 1qt oil “use” every 200 miles in a new car(you stated it has done so since purchase) is normal? Ok, back to original programming…

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[jsus]

One (ok, me) wonders why you would accept that 1qt oil “use” every 200 miles in a new car(you stated it has done so since purchase) is normal? Ok, back to original programming…

Bought new in 2001

Driven ~11 years - ~2012

~2012-present burns oil

That's my interpretation. Would've been over a decade before it started.

 

[CSmith]

The car has been using oil for ten plus years but I bought it new in 2001.

It sounds like a Cadillac CTX from that era - tank of gas and quart of oil at every fill up!

 

[converseguy]

One (ok, me) wonders why you would accept that 1qt oil “use” every 200 miles in a new car(you stated it has done so since purchase) is normal? Ok, back to original programming…

I am sorry. The car is over 20 years old but has been using oil only for the past ten years.

 

[StillWaiting]

I could never. Firm believer in what goes around comes around. Sounds like they are interested so I don’t think it would deter them.

 

[converseguy]

Good guesses but all are wrong. I agree I would not get $10K for it but maybe $5K. The "kid at the dealership" is the sales manager, a position one does not rise to without knowing all the tricks of the trade for many years. He is no kid. I suspect he knows all too well how to work a customer.

 

[bbhaag]

Since you are being coy with the make and model lets assume it's the 2001 MR2 in your vehicles listing under your profile.
If that is the case they do have a cult following not like the gen1 or gen2s but people still appreciate them for what they are. A mid engine Japanese sports car from the early '00's.

Anyway, if it is the MR2 I personally believe you would be better off selling it outright or listing it on an auction site like Bring a Trailer or Cars & Bids. You will get more money for it than trading it in to the dealer.

Also to answer your original question. No, you are not legally obligated to tell the dealer that the engine burns oil.

 

[BigB]

Just turn the tables on him. If he had one in high school it likely burned oil too. Since it’s likely a sales trick ask him to make an offer and hit back with a higher one. Play the emotional attachment game.

 

[converseguy]

Since you are being coy with the make and model lets assume it's the 2001 MR2 in your vehicles listing under your profile.
If that is the case they do have a cult following not like the gen1 or gen2s but people still appreciate them for what they are. A mid engine Japanese sports car from the early '00's.

Anyway, if it is the MR2 I personally believe you would be better off selling it outright or listing it on an auction site like Bring a Trailer or Cars & Bids. You will get more money for it than trading it in to the dealer.

Also to answer your original question. No, you are not legally obligated to tell the dealer that the engine burns oil.

You are the first to have noticed what is in my profile so you win. They only made 5000 of these in 2001 for the whole US market. People love them but I am now too old and fat to get in and out of it easily. My other vehicle is a Tacoma so I mostly drive it now and will keep it as a spare. If i sold the MR2 outright to a private party or Carvana, etc I would want to fully disclose the oil usage which would mean even less than $5000, maybe only $2000 since it needs a new engine to deal with the oil usage. The dealer is playing games with me so I do not mind playing games with him.

 

[Joe Kelly]

When I sell or trade in I always state I am trading/selling as is. You need say no more. The dealership is the expert not you. If I was selling to a individual I would disclose. If you are using that much oil it should show up in your tail pipe.

 

[Dennis USAF]

I ordered my Maverick last Sept. 2023 Hybrid Lariat Lux. It may or may not ever be delivered to me. My dealer has expressed interest in a vehicle I have to trade in. The model doesn't matter but the dealer does not know that my trade-in uses a quart of oil every 200 miles. It has been using this much oil for ten years. I just keep adding oil. It does not smoke, always passes smog and seems to leak on my garage floor just a little and drives the same as when I bought it new. I do not know where the oil is going. My question is when I am negotiating the amount they will give me in trade, am I legally, morally or ethically obligated to disclose my oil problem?

I had a crappy car. I gave it to charity. Couldn't pass it to someone unsuspecting in good conscience

 

[converseguy]

I had a crappy car. I gave it to charity. Couldn't pass it to someone unsuspecting in good conscience

A dealer is not "someone unsuspecting". This is their business and is all they do and they do it every day. They are neither someone nor unsuspecting and they have lied to me about allocations saying they do not exist.

 

[realshelby]

I can tell you from the Dealer side.....that you are not getting much for it anyway. It is what we call a cash car. That car will not likely EVER be on a new car dealer lot. It will be wholesaled to a small independent that will be quite happy if it just starts and runs ok. Let'em see and tell you what they will pay you for it. If they ask questions answer them. If they don't, no one really cares about a 2001 model.

 

[Jah.]

I wouldn't lose any sleep . let dealer beware . let them figure it out .

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