Buying an “As Is” Vehicle

In the car industry, the legal term “as is” means that you are purchasing a vehicle with no warranty. You are buying the car without any guarantees as to the quality of value of the car. 

Under most circumstances, a dealership will inspect a car that has been traded in so that they know what condition the car is in before the put a warrant on it (no matter how limited, it may only be 90 days) and sell it to a buyer.  With an “as is” vehicle, a thorough inspection has not been done, therefore the dealership does not even know for sure what the condition of the pre-owned vehicle is, so they are certainly not going to offer a warranty.  Below are the conditions in which a dealership can sell an “as is” vehicle;

• The vehicle is sold at a purchase price of less than $3,000.
• The used vehicle is seven years of age or older.
• A vehicle sold ‘as is’ removes all implied warranties.
• Even though there is no warranty offered on the vehicle, it is still safe to drive and the dealership is responsible to make sure the car is in good enough condition to be considered safe to drive.
• If the dealer wants to sell a vehicle that does not meet the legal and safety standards required to be safe on the road, it can ONLY be sold with ownership transfer documents that clearly state that the vehicle is unsafe to operate.

If you are looking for a pre-owned vehicle, be sure to visit your local Cross Keys Auto dealer in St. Louis and ask about our guaranteed financing program so you can drive away in your new car today. (note that dealer financing may not be available on older vehicles).  All of our vehicles that are listed without a warranty are clearly marked with an “AS IS” sign to inform you, the consumer that no warranty will be offered on that specific vehicle.