In today’s mailbag, I wanted to address a question that I personally haven’t really thought of before.

Can you return a car?

It sounds like a really silly question, but after doing some research, the answer is, “yes!”, but there are some terms, and conditions that you should know about before you take your car in.

A car purchase isn’t like a purchase at your local retail store.  You’re not going to go in there, make it, get a receipt, and leave.  28 days later, if you decide it’s not for you, or it broke, you return / exchange it for something that you want.

A car purchase is going to be completely different, but you’re going to find that it’s very possible to return your car.

When you purchase your car, most sales people will tell you what you can do if you don’t like it.  According to the industry, you generally have 3 days to return it.  This isn’t standard at all dealerships, and they all will vary.  In fact, some won’t even let your return it at all.

If you’re wanting to return it because of repairs, you will most likely already have a warranty on your vehicle.  What you’ll want to do is access your paperwork, or call up the dealer to see what you did get.  Most of your car purchases will come standard with a basic warranty plan.

Next, you’ll want to look into your state laws.  For example, California has a 2 day return law.  You will be able to return within 2 days, but again, every state is going to be different with their laws.

The true answer here is yes, but there are restrictions.  If you’re past 7 days on your purchase, there’s a 98% chance you won’t be able to return it.  This is why it’s important to never make an impulse purchase when getting car.  Instead, you will want to make sure that you think it out, and have the mindset of not being able to return your car.