hey guys can one of you help me out with an issue?

i'm looking to buy a G from a dealership in VA. they guarantee it will pass the VA inspection, but that does me no good since I live in MD. however, when I asked the dealership if they could put in writing that they will address any repairs should it fail MD inspection (but somehow still pass VA inspection?), the salesperson said no they cannot guarantee that.

this seems very odd and i'm not sure if he's being truthful. shouldn't dealers have some kind of obligation to ensure that the car can legally be driven in buyer's state? In order for me to get this car, I would buy it in VA, obtain temporary tags, drive back to MD, have it inspected, and then it should be good for titling and tagging. but what if, for some reason, it fails MD inspection? the salesperson said no dealerships will guarantee their used cars will pass out of state inspection. can anyone verify if this is true, and if so, suggest a solution? i don't want to spend a ton of money on a car and then find out I have to pay more money to make it legal to drive in my state.

thanks in advance

 

anyone?

 

No easy way around it. They don't have to guarantee it will pass inspection for another state--that is true. If the sales manager is willing to work with you, and if this car is in nova, I would try and schedule an inspection at the closest station in md.

 

true- unfortunately this car isn't in nova, it's in fredericksburg. a good one hour drive away. any idea how likely the car could pass VA inspection, but fail MD inspection? i know every state has their own standards, but i guess i can have some confidence level of it passing since they have to guarantee it will pass VA inspection.

 

va inspection is nowhere near as intensive as an md inspection. va inspection is done yearly, so they do things like tires, wipers, lights, glass, etc. md inspection is a one time inspection done when transferring title from one person to another. they do micrometer readings on rotors, pads, check all lights inside/out including all dash lights, all suspension points (tie rod, compression rod, control arms must not be loose worn), shocks must not be leaking or worn out, no rust or holes in frame or body, exhaust, etc, etc. go on line to the md mva site and get a state inspection tech sheet. i think it's something like 75 individual checks that must be passed. your best bet is to have it checked by an independent mechanic, probably a couple hundred just to do that for you.

 

^ I am quite sure NC and VA also have those strict checks. When I just got my g inspected in Montgomery County VA they did micrometer readings on my pads/rotors, checked visually exhaust... I know this because I was talking to the guy in detail about cat omission testing at these yearly inspections. I know when my Dad bought his Acura from NoVa to NC we didn't have to put VA tags or pay VA taxes but I can't remember exactly how we were able to do it since a family friend, who has worked at dealerships for 50+ yr was the one who set it all up. Gl though.

 

MD is one of the toughest states to have a car inspection done. The dealership is not being shady, they are just not going to leave themselves out there to pic up the tab for repairs that in "their" state are not warrented to be fixed.

What you could possibly do is have the inspection done see what needs to be fixed get a estimate written up and see if the dealership would subtract that dollar amount from the price you are purchasing the car for.

Hope it works out.

 

Is it the Red G35x at the Mitsubishi dealership? If so it was wrecked in the rear and pushed up front. They are in denial about that.

However I bought mine from carmax potomac mills and had it inspected locally (in MD). I left the VA inspection paper on the seat and made sure to tell them it was a new(ish) car that was just purchased. Passed with flying colors.

 

yeah... hard to say... VA inspections are very lenient compared to MD.