Reading the used car Buyers Guide
A used car can be one of the best ways to save on transportation, or a costly mistake. The window sticker the FTC requires on dealer lots tells you a lot about your rights before you negotiate a dollar.
- Dealers that sold or offered five or more used vehicles in the previous 12 months must post a Buyers Guide on each used vehicle offered to consumers.
- The guide must say whether the car is sold "As Is - No Dealer Warranty," with implied warranties only, or with a dealer warranty.
- The final Buyers Guide is incorporated into your sales contract and overrides any contrary provisions.
- If your state limits "as is" sales, state law controls.
Who has to post it
Under 16 CFR 455.1, used vehicle dealer duties and definitions, a dealer is anyone who sells or offers a used vehicle "after selling or offering for sale five (5) or more used vehicles in the previous twelve months," with some exceptions such as banks. The rule makes it a deceptive practice to misrepresent a car's mechanical condition or warranty terms, and an unfair practice to fail to disclose before sale "that a used vehicle is sold without any warranty."
What the guide must show
16 CFR 455.2, Buyers Guide window form says that before offering a used vehicle to a consumer, the dealer "must prepare, fill in as applicable and display on that vehicle" the Buyers Guide, "prominently and conspicuously" so both sides can be read. It can come off for a test drive but must go back on right after. The dealer marks one of the warranty boxes: "As Is - No Dealer Warranty," implied warranties only, or a dealer warranty with its terms. If state law limits or prohibits as-is sales, that state law overrides the rule.
The sticker is part of your contract
This is the part most buyers miss. Under 16 CFR 455.3, window form incorporated into the contract, the information on the final window form "is incorporated into the contract of sale" and "overrides any contrary provisions in the contract of sale." If the salesperson promises a 30-day warranty, make sure it's written on the Buyers Guide you take home.
Smart steps before you buy
- Photograph both sides of the Buyers Guide on the lot.
- Get any promised repairs or warranty written on the guide, not just in an email.
- Ask for an independent pre-purchase inspection, especially on an "as is" car.
- Get a copy of the final guide with your paperwork.
Related: credit card billing disputes and warranties and third-party parts.
General consumer information, not legal advice. Sources: 16 CFR 455.1, used vehicle dealer duties and definitions; 16 CFR 455.2, Buyers Guide window form; 16 CFR 455.3, window form incorporated into the contract.
Published October 31, 2026. We do not use affiliate links on this page; see our Affiliate Disclosure.