Contacting the former car owner, or contacted by a new owner of your car

[ATex7239]

I have been both the asker and askee. As long as you’re being polite and respectful, it shouldn’t be a big deal.

Once time I left an old washer in need of repairs on the curb. I was ready for a new washer and didn’t want to mess it with anymore. It was picked it up within the hour as expected. A few days later some older guy stopped by to ask if I knew what repairs were needed. I told him what I thought the issue was, he thanked me, then he went on his way.

Treat people with the same energy you want to be treated with.

 

[Dave Hess]

I sold a car to a guy and a week or two after the sale he told me his mechanic said it needed CV joints on both sides and wanted me to cover the cost. I declined and he grumbled. I did not think it was reasonable and a bit of a scam as CV joints don't wear out at the same time on both sides of the vehicle.

The idiot didn’t understand a used cars is sold As Is ?

 

[Zee09]

I had the former owner of my 1990 Mustang show up at my mom’s house when I was in college, 5 years after I bought it. He wanted to buy it back and she gave him my #. I didn’t really appreciate him just showing up and he had a friend in law enforcement give him the address from the VIN, likely against department policy. I told him all the mods I’d done to it, he sent me a copy of the window sticker and a pic or two of it when he got it. I sold it to someone else 5 years later.

I also had the buyer of a 2006 Jetta TDI call me. I guess he got my # or email from a Weathertech receipt I left in it. He said the dealer told him an older couple owned it. I was 27 when I traded it in. Explained all the service I did, he’s was very nice and had owned other TDIs.

Lastly, and kind of the opposite. I sold my 2019 Raptor to Vroom. I had the Ford app so I could still see where it was as I waited on the check. I watched it go to their Kansas City sales lot. Then on to New Hampshire to the new owner’s house. I could see the spot in the driveway that the new owner parked it. I got a request through the app to give the new owner control to setup the vehicle on his app. I allowed it but could have been a jerk and I’m not sure what option he’d have to add it.

Yup...
My neighbor for which I was not real close with would try to follow and track the vehicles I sold-traded. He would go to the dealership and tell me it was no longer on the lot.

Many of my neighbors took great joy in my car purchases and I knew nothing of it until about 2 years ago when I quit buying.
They were all sad...geez really..
I thought I was losing out and they thought I was living the dream...nuts...lol

I ruined my 80 year old neighbors life. He is alone but has 4 newer cars... When I bailed he had no one to compete with and he confided in me about this... What happened he sadly asked...
I had no clue as I don't monitor other people's lives.

 

[John105]

I had the former owner of my 1990 Mustang show up at my mom’s house when I was in college, 5 years after I bought it. He wanted to buy it back and she gave him my #. I didn’t really appreciate him just showing up and he had a friend in law enforcement give him the address from the VIN, likely against department policy. I told him all the mods I’d done to it, he sent me a copy of the window sticker and a pic or two of it when he got it. I sold it to someone else 5 years later.

I also had the buyer of a 2006 Jetta TDI call me. I guess he got my # or email from a Weathertech receipt I left in it. He said the dealer told him an older couple owned it. I was 27 when I traded it in. Explained all the service I did, he’s was very nice and had owned other TDIs.

Lastly, and kind of the opposite. I sold my 2019 Raptor to Vroom. I had the Ford app so I could still see where it was as I waited on the check. I watched it go to their Kansas City sales lot. Then on to New Hampshire to the new owner’s house. I could see the spot in the driveway that the new owner parked it. I got a request through the app to give the new owner control to setup the vehicle on his app. I allowed it but could have been a jerk and I’m not sure what option he’d have to add it.

Interesting my bro did the same thing on a 2019 Raptor. It gave him so many problems he traded it in, but was able to get about what he paid for it after 3 years of use. It went to someone's driveway and was never offered for sale. He's guessing it's someone who has a relationship to the dealer where he traded it in, since it was a mansion at which the truck sat.

 

[John105]

The idiot didn’t understand a used cars is sold As Is ?

I learned what that term means, the hard way. When I was a kid, some old guy (probably 38-40) completely ripped me off, selling me a V6 Volvo with blown head gaskets. I sued him in small claims court. He wrote "as-is" on the bill of sale, and I lost.

Here comes the happy ending...drove it from 1990-1998 after having a salvage yard put in a used engine/tranny. In 1998, I bought my first new car.

 

[loneryder]

I have done both. I had a turbo charged and modified by Rod Millan Miata. The custom made exhaust manifold rotted so I had the turbo taken off and the engine put back to normal. It was powerless. Compression was low and it was a slug. I sold it to a young woman. Several years later, I get a call from a nice guy who had bought it from her for racing at Summit Point. I think she let it sit because it didn't have power steering. She had left something with my name on it I guess. He and his son were going to race it. I honestly told him the history and pointed out that the car was lowered with RX7 hubs and brakes and would probably be illegal to race with other Miatas. He didn't seem to care.
When I bought a Mercedes ML diesel there was service stuff that had the previous owners name and town in Ohio. I had bought it in Richmond. I called him one day and told him who I was. We had a great conversation about the car. He liked it so much, he traded it on a new one. He told me he never had any trouble and even had to go to Denver to get it because of the color...Rodolo Red. He was in rural Ohio, farmer and owned the local airport. He seemed happy I called and I felt good about my purchase.

 

[Hall]

I sold a car to a guy and a week or two after the sale he told me his mechanic said it needed CV joints on both sides and wanted me to cover the cost. I declined and he grumbled. I did not think it was reasonable and a bit of a scam as CV joints don't wear out at the same time on both sides of the vehicle.

This is why most people hang up on you or don't help when they are contacted about a car they sold, most likely traded-in, in fact. Too many buyers think you ripped them off or scammed them on the vehicle they bought from a dealer and something goes wrong months later.

 

[ATex7239]

I learned what that term means, the hard way. When I was a kid, some old guy (probably 38-40) completely ripped me off, selling me a V6 Volvo with blown head gaskets. I sued him in small claims court. He wrote "as-is" on the bill of sale, and I lost.

Here comes the happy ending...drove it from 1990-1998 after having a salvage yard put in a used engine/tranny. In 1998, I bought my first new car.

That sucks.

I had a car which had a minor issue within a few days after I bought it. I called the guy I bought it from to ask if he knew what it could be. I was very polite and didn’t accuse him of anything. He ended up helping me fix it. I think it was a tranny mount or bolt or something. Don’t really remember. I drove that car for 5 years or so, then sold it to my mom (I would’ve given it to her but she insisted she pay) who had it another 10 years. She ended up selling it to a guy who from what I heard still drives it today.

 

[John105]

That sucks.

I had a car which had a minor issue within a few days after I bought it. I called the guy I bought it from to ask if he knew what it could be. I was very polite and didn’t accuse him of anything. He ended up helping me fix it. I think it was a tranny mount or bolt or something. Don’t really remember. I drove that car for 5 years or so, then sold it to my mom (I would’ve given it to her but she insisted she pay) who had it another 10 years. She ended up selling it to a guy who from what I heard still drives it today.

I was thinking to myself if f I’m a middle aged person today, am I ok ripping off a HS student? Honestly, not really. To put it in perspective, the lifeguards at the Y are all HS students. I just think it’d be wrong to take advantage of them. Now someone my own age, sure I’m good with selling a car at full price with a bum engine or tranny

 

[ARCOgraphite]

The idiot didn’t understand a used cars is sold As Is ?

Idiot?! How about a devious seller.

In the state bordering mine (MASS) You are required to disclose known problems and needed servicing as a fitness of mercantibilty. - Ken

From: Mass.gov - Private Party Used Car Sales

What is the private party lemon law?
A private seller is any person who is not a dealer who sells or offers to sell a used motor vehicle to a consumer. Under Massachusetts law, anyone who sells more than three cars in a one-year period is considered a dealer and must obtain a used car dealer license from their municipality.

The Massachusetts Lemon Laws require private parties selling used cars to inform buyers about all known defects which impair the safety or substantially impair the use of the vehicle. The law applies to all private party sales regardless of the price or mileage. Private party sellers are not required to repair the vehicle after it has been sold.

If you discover a defect that impairs the vehicle’s safety or substantially impairs its use and you can prove that the seller knew about the defect but failed to disclose it, you may rescind the contract (cancel the sale) within 30 days of the date of your purchase.

The seller must refund the amount you paid for the vehicle, less 15 cents per mile of use. If a private party seller refuses to cancel the contract within 30 days of the sale, you should consult with an attorney to determine whether to pursue the matter in court.

 

[Number_35]

In April '78 I looked at a '68 Impala that initially presented quite well. The body was a bit rusty, but the interior was very clean. The odometer read 19xxx miles. The seller initially presented it as original mileage, and then consented that was unrealistic, but given the condition of the car, 40 or 50K miles was likely.

I noted the original warranty book had the original owner's name and address in Vancouver. (At the time I lived in a smaller city in the B.C. interior.) It was a rather long and uncommon German name. I phoned directory assistance and got a phone number for him, and called him.

Mr H. Confirmed he was the original owner, and that he had sold the car two years earlier at 96,000 miles.

Therefore, the actual mileage was almost certainly 119,000.

I bought the car, bargaining the price down a bit ($750 down to $620) and drove it for over six years. Of necessity, I learned a lot of mechanical skills along the way.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Interesting my bro did the same thing on a 2019 Raptor. It gave him so many problems he traded it in, but was able to get about what he paid for it after 3 years of use. It went to someone's driveway and was never offered for sale. He's guessing it's someone who has a relationship to the dealer where he traded it in, since it was a mansion at which the truck sat.

Vroom paid me $70,000 for that Raptor in 2021. I bought it new for $64,500. They had it listed for almost $80k and kept lowering the price until it got below $68,000 and then it sold.

My 2021 Raptor I just sold for $71,500 to GIVEMETHEVIN.com. It’s been at a dealer in Oklahoma for 2 months. Started at $79,900, now it’s $77,900. No issues with either truck just like not losing too much money after driving for a few years so I sold.

 

[AutoMechanic]

I haven’t done it but can name a similar situation. I had a friend who wanted to buy an abandoned car he found on a lot with several other abandoned cars. He had the owner of the lot send a mechanics lien to the current owners last known address with a note saying he had someone who wanted to buy it. A few weeks later a envelope from Haiti showed up with a signed Virginia title and three sets of keys in it he just gave him the truck said it was his when he was living in the states in the 1990s and his wife would not let it be brought to Haiti when they moved back there and his son had received the notice. That was a shame cause I wanted the truck lol. He was a super nice guy they talked over email and the phone for a good while. Sometimes it’s worth it to contact the previous owner. Personally I’d want to keep in touch so i could let them know how it’s doing and everything. The previous owner of that 1985 Ford Ranger was glad to see the new black paint job and glad to hear it running after sitting since 2001. They still talk to this day.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Yes, if your calling to pester about the use history or why someone did this or that, then yes that would be creepy.

If the OP is calling to say hey if you happened to find the extra key and manual I would like to purchase them from you, or the car was supposed to get a timing belt at 100K, before I spent the money myself I wondered if you remember having it done.

The fact that some people are so afraid to help out a fellow citizen by answering a couple questions about a car they dumped tells me a lot about why our society has gone so far south.

 

[John105]

Yes, if your calling to pester about the use history or why someone did this or that, then yes that would be creepy.

If the OP is calling to say hey if you happened to find the extra key and manual I would like to purchase them from you, or the car was supposed to get a timing belt at 100K, before I spent the money myself I wondered if you remember having it done.

The fact that some people are so afraid to help out a fellow citizen by answering a couple questions about a car they dumped tells me a lot about why our society has gone so far south.

I don’t really agree. There’s a point of demarcation. Say a person traded in a car and dealer realized they left and forgot to hand over the keys. A decent buyer of the new car would hand them over. Technically, if they didn’t feel like it, they don’t have to.

My car has the manuals, and 2 keys. Valet key and tool kit missing. I would be ok calling up the prev owner to ask if they have those items, when I got the car from a new car dealer, just because it took < 1 min to look them up?

It’s not about helping / not helping.

I grabbed a kid who wandered into the deep section of the pool, who only had a floatie, and took her back to the family swim section, which is technically the life guard and parent’s job. But I used common sense. In this day and age for all I know the mom accuses me of something. But that thought was overridden by my sense of doing what’s right. And on a car, that is to not be obligated to future owners of a car I owned…my .02

One thing I also notice about society today is it’s so judgmental and black and white…

 

[Chris142]

The son of the owner of my truck contacted the used car lot where I bought my truck. They contacted me and he wanted to buy the truck from me. I was not interested in selling it so I never contacted him back.

I tried to contact the original owner of our sxs on Facebook in hopes of getting the tool kit but he didn't respond.

 

[twouvakind]

Straight up creepy.

 

[Dave Hess]

Idiot?! How about a devious seller.

In the state bordering mine (MASS) You are required to disclose known problems and needed servicing as a fitness of mercantibilty. - Ken

From: Mass.gov - Private Party Used Car Sales

What is the private party lemon law?
A private seller is any person who is not a dealer who sells or offers to sell a used motor vehicle to a consumer. Under Massachusetts law, anyone who sells more than three cars in a one-year period is considered a dealer and must obtain a used car dealer license from their municipality.

The Massachusetts Lemon Laws require private parties selling used cars to inform buyers about all known defects which impair the safety or substantially impair the use of the vehicle. The law applies to all private party sales regardless of the price or mileage. Private party sellers are not required to repair the vehicle after it has been sold.

If you discover a defect that impairs the vehicle’s safety or substantially impairs its use and you can prove that the seller knew about the defect but failed to disclose it, you may rescind the contract (cancel the sale) within 30 days of the date of your purchase.

The seller must refund the amount you paid for the vehicle, less 15 cents per mile of use. If a private party seller refuses to cancel the contract within 30 days of the sale, you should consult with an attorney to determine whether to pursue the matter in court.

Understood. But when you buy a used vehicle don’t expect everything to be in excellent condition.

I don’t see Donald doing anything wrong.

 

[blupupher]

I remember some guy contacted my dad back in the mid '90s about a Nissan Maxima my dad had owned.
Not sure of all the details (if my dad traded it or sold it or what), but the guy asked my dad what the mileage was when he got rid of it. My dad told him 120,000 or so. Guy said you sure, and my dad said yes, why. New owner said car has 60,000 miles on the odometer and thought something was up. My dad actually gave him some service invoice from a local shop with the mileage info, said the guy was suing the person that sold him the vehicle.
No idea what happened after that.

I have never thought to contact a previous owner of a vehicle I buy unless I had dealt directly with them with the sale.
Used vehicles are as is, and any issue or concern is on me.

 

[Pew]

I contacted the original owner via the dealership about the evo 2 years after I bought it to ask a question about the clutch. Guy was plenty happy to answer the question.