Used Car Myths - The Podcast

"SteveLehto" (stevelehto) 05/07/2015 at 08:00 • Filed to: None

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You’d be surprised by what I hear on a daily basis. Or maybe not. I get asked many of the same questions over and over again - indicating that belief in certain used car myths is widespread. Here are a handful of the myths people believe to be true about used cars.

My phone rings all day long and most of the calls are from people who went to the internet looking for help after buying a defective used car. The bulk of my practice is lemon law which, in Michigan, involves NEW cars. So these used car cases fall outside my primary practice area.

But worse: Most of these people do not have cases. That is, what they are complaining about is not illegal. So, I made a list of the most common myths I encounter during these phone calls and made that this week’s podcast.

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Simply speaking, most of the myths are things people wrongly believe to be true about used cars. Like, “A dealer cannot sell a used car without inspecting it first.” Or, “A used car cannot be sold if it is unsafe to drive.” And so on.

If nothing else, if people learn these things before they car shop we might be able to reduce the number of people who get ripped off buying used cars.

A man can dream can’t he? I dream of a day where my phone rings less with these calls.

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Steve Lehto has been practicing law for 23 years, almost exclusively in consumer protection and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! He wrote !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

This website may supply general information about the law but it is for informational purposes only. This does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not meant to constitute legal advice, so the good news is we’re not billing you by the hour for reading this. The bad news is that you shouldn’t act upon any of the information without consulting a qualified professional attorney who will, probably, bill you by the hour.

Branden J -Reading the Manual > SteveLehto 05/07/2015 at 08:25

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I’ve always enjoyed reading your articles and this is the first time I’ve had a chance to listen to one of your podcasts, I think I’ll have to do it more often now, thank you!

SteveLehto > Branden J -Reading the Manual 05/07/2015 at 08:26

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Thanks.

The downside is that from this point forward, you might hear my voice in your head when you read my articles!

Branden J -Reading the Manual > SteveLehto 05/07/2015 at 08:35

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Yeah, I’m not going to lie, your voice was a little different from what I expected it to be. I don’t know what I was expecting though, but at least now I have a voice to go with the name!

Leon711 > Branden J -Reading the Manual 05/07/2015 at 08:45

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I listen every time, none of it applies to me as I’m in the UK but I listen all the same.

SteveLehto > Branden J -Reading the Manual 05/07/2015 at 08:48

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I hear it all the time.

I worked in radio before law school and also heard that I looked different than I sounded.

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > SteveLehto 05/07/2015 at 10:23

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Now that I’ve seen and heard you, you look exactly right for your voice.

SteveLehto > Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast 05/07/2015 at 11:02

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Someday when we meet, you will have to say: “You look nothing like your pictures, and sound nothing like your podcast.”

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > SteveLehto 05/07/2015 at 11:29

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Just wondering, do you have the same generic grey blob face for each reply poster or do you give us all different faces?

SteveLehto > Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast 05/07/2015 at 11:43

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Are you referring to the one that appears next to my name? That is a cropped photo of me. Your appears to be a car of some sort?

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > SteveLehto 05/07/2015 at 18:50

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Sorry, I wasn’t clear about that. I meant the mental image you have for us.

It was late and I'm illiterate.

SteveLehto > Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast 05/07/2015 at 19:20

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Oh, I picture a typical audience of intelligent and beautiful people.

Tinfoil Hat in a thunderstorm, now with added diecast > SteveLehto 05/07/2015 at 20:09

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What were we saying earlier about perceived faces not matching up with reality?

Deathocracy > SteveLehto 05/11/2015 at 16:21

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Always a great podcast to listen to. It really was interesting to learn that states had laws on the books limiting the price you could ask for on a car. Economically, if a person is willing to pay an amount of money for something, they would rather have that thing than that amount of money. Its essentially one of the bedrock principles of economics! Also, laws are never a good substitute for due diligence.

SteveLehto > Deathocracy 05/11/2015 at 17:01

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Yes. The justification for that law makes sense, although it was often overlooked. Generally speaking, a person who pays ten times what something is worth is either 1) suffering from a mental incapacity or 2) being defrauded in some way. The overcharge as evidence of something gone wrong makes sense to me. But I agree with you: My job as a seller is to maximize the price. Your job as the buyer is to minimize the price.