below is a list of some major defects that may occur in used motor vehicles..

[Maruzo]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning on purchasing an used 2002 E320 SE from ebay. The seller sent me a form that begins with the following: "below is a list of some major defects that may occur in used motor vehicles..."

The list is quite alarming, but the form does preface the content by stating that these defects "..may occur"

I'm just trying to figure out whether this is a standard form that all used car dealers require of their buyers.

I don't remember signing something like this when I bought my used bmw from an audi dealer.

But then again, the forms from a dealership is a lot more elaborate and the language much more sophisticated. So it is possible I might've signed something to that effect without realizing it.

Here's a link to the ebay listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2002-Mercedes-Benz-E-Class-E320-SE-/371641026078?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=cMxfaHP7aMIKPXkQkLXqwH8KoNs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#viTabs_0

[OM617YOTA]

Good lord what would the point of that be? A simple "car sold as-is and where-is, seller assumes no responsibility for any mechanical defect" in the fine print somewhere would be sufficient, instead of that huge list of scary things to drive customers away.

[DieselPaul]

That's a fairly standard AS-IS form.

Most people do not understand was as-is means, so it has to be overly spelled out.

[Simpler=Better]

Originally Posted by DieselPaul

That's a fairly standard AS-IS form.

Most people do not understand was as-is means, so it has to be overly spelled out.

It means that if the car has a problem in 10,000 miles I can get my money back right?

[nestorb98]

What it really means is...that when you drive the car over the dealer's curb...and it breaks in two...you get to keep both halves!

But seriously...that is a standard Federal As-is disclosure forms which must be affixed to every automobile offered for sale.

Trust me...(did I just write that?)...I sold cars for thirty years.

[Idle]

About thirty years ago or so a dealer just sold you a car. You were supposed to understand that once you drove it off the lot it was yours to take care of.

Then a law was passed that required dealers to make it clear to you. You could always go back and argue with the used car guy and sometimes they might see things your way. They go through a lot of cars and don't know everything about every car.

But with the new law a dealer had to inform the buyer if the car came with any warranty. But how to do this?

The story I heard was some used car guy in Dallas read the law, made up the form you see on every used car window, at least those on a dealers lot, and passed it by his lawyer. They thought it met all the requirements of the law.

So they copyrighted it and started to sell them to other dealers.

Apparently it met all the legal requirements and ethical requirements and was a big success.

So if this story is true then it means that the form you see plastered to the window that has the 'NO warranty' box checked is not a government form. It is just something that a guy who knew a lot about used cars and a little about the law sketched off during his spare time.

[Maruzo]

Interesting factoid!

[INSIDIOUS]

... toid ... there has to be a better descriptor than that?