On Your Own; Your Legal Right @ Eighteen On Your Own formatted final version | Page 44

In Vermont, a dealer does not have to display a certificate of inspection on
the day of sale or transfer of a vehicle. However, if you are satisfied with
the information you got from the previous owner and your mechanic—
and you have decided to buy the car—insist that the dealer inspect the car
and attach a current state inspection sticker to the windshield.
Passing inspection means that the regular and parking brakes, the horn,
all lights, the wipers, the suspension, the exhaust system, and the steering
work. In addition, the car must have seat belts, a rear-view mirror, tires
with sufficient tread, proper alignment, no rust holes in the body,
reflectors, fenders, and windows that you can see through in both
directions.
The car’s appearance can tell you a lot. Check to see if the car has been
repainted by looking for paint spray around the locks, along the edge of
rubber moldings, and under the hood, trunk, and fender-well areas. If the
car was repainted, try to determine if this was because the car had rust
holes repaired, or was in an accident, or had defective paint to start with.
BE SMART: Get everything the dealer promises in writing. For example, if
the dealer tells you, “If you have a problem in the first 90 days, just
bring it back,” insist on having the promises stated precisely and reduced
to a signed writing. Otherwise, if a problem does arise, you will have no
proof of what the dealer said and may have difficulty enforcing the
promise.
The Car’s Mileage – Anyone who sells you a car must provide a written
statement showing the make and model year of the car and the odometer
reading (the mileage). The statement should also say whether the mileage
on the odometer is the actual mileage that the car was driven, or whether
the original odometer has been replaced.
Check the mileage on the vehicle. Does it appear to be low for the year of
the car? The average mileage per year is about 12,000 to 15,000 miles.
This means that the average odometer reading of a four-year-old car is
about 50,000 to 60,000 miles. If the mileage on the odometer is a lot
lower, it is possible that the odometer has been tampered with.
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