Selling a car with a bad transmission in Tulsa

Sell it as it is: two routes

You do not have to fix the transmission to sell the car. Describe the fault then pick a route.

Sell it to us. Call (539) 271-2021 or use the sell-it-to-us form. We cover all of Tulsa. A person here asks what the car does, where it is and what the title says. We buy some cars ourselves, and we pay by check. If yours is not one we can buy, we tell you on that call and point you to the partner offer.

The partner's instant offer. You can request it online, free and with no obligation. Enter the transmission fault exactly as it is. At pickup the partner issues payment immediately by check. Have the title, the registration and a valid driver's license or ID ready. The any-condition guide explains how the condition answers work.

Whoever buys it, the Oklahoma steps match any other sale. The paperwork guide and the after-you-sell checklist walk you through them.

Source: The partner buyer: offer, payment and documents.

Is it the transmission? The warning signs

The Federal Trade Commission's auto repair guide lists the most common transmission symptoms. Here they are, next to the way drivers usually describe them:

• Slipping. You press the gas, the revs climb, and the car hardly speeds up. The FTC's own line: “The engine speeds up, but the vehicle does not respond.”
• No reverse, or a long pause. The guide lists a delayed response, or no response at all, when you shift from neutral into drive or reverse.
• Stuck in one gear. A car that will not shift up as you accelerate fits the guide's failure-to-shift symptom. Many drivers call this limp mode.
• Hard shifts. Abrupt or harsh changes between gears are on the same list.
• A red, oily spot on the driveway. The FTC says that color points to a transmission or power-steering fluid leak.

The FTC does not list CVT symptoms on their own, so if your car has a CVT, watch for the same signs. Keep a short note of when the problem shows up, how often, and whether a warning light is on. The shop will want it, and so will anyone who buys the car.

Source: FTC: Auto Repair Basics, transmission symptoms.

Transmission slipping: fix it or sell it?

Get a diagnosis before you decide. The FTC notes that poor shifting can come from a failed part, or from something as small as a disconnected hose or a plugged filter. Its advice is blunt: “Make sure the technician checks the simple items first; transmission repairs normally are expensive.”

Before the car goes on the lift, ask whether you still pay the diagnostic charge if the repair is done somewhere else. If you go ahead, get a signed, written estimate that names the problem, the parts and the labor. If the shop offers a rebuilt or remanufactured unit, ask what its warranty covers. The FTC notes that many manufacturers warrant replacement parts but not the labor to put them in.

Check for a recall as well: enter the VIN in NHTSA's recall lookup. An open recall means the maker has recalled that vehicle and the repair has not been done yet. If a safety recall covers your transmission, 49 U.S.C. 30120 puts that repair on the manufacturer at no charge, unless the car's first buyer bought it more than 15 calendar years before the recall notice. With a written estimate in hand, the repair-or-sell worksheet compares what you would keep from each route.

Source: FTC: Auto Repair Basics; FTC: Used Cars, open safety recalls; 49 U.S.C. 30120, free recall remedy and its age limit (Cornell LII).

Should you keep driving it?

Think about where it fails. A car that slips as you merge, or will not back out of a parking space, can strand you in traffic. Oklahoma law gives a second reason to park it. Under 47 O.S. 12-101 it is a misdemeanor to drive a vehicle that “is known to be in such unsafe condition as to endanger any person.” Whether your fault meets that test is for an officer or a court to decide. A car you already know is slipping is still a poor choice for a long drive.

Limp mode raises one more rule. Section 11-804 of the same title bars driving so slowly that you impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic, unless the lower speed is needed for safe operation. If the car cannot keep pace on a highway, have it towed rather than crawl home.

Source: Oklahoma Statutes, Title 47, sections 12-101 and 11-804 (PDF).

Moving a car that will not shift

A car with no drive or no reverse usually leaves on a truck. If it is going to a shop, count that tow as part of the repair bill. If you are selling, ask who moves it. The partner buyer says it arranges and covers the cost of pickup, at a time that's convenient for you. When you call us, tell us exactly where the car sits and whether it rolls.

While it waits, keep it on its wheels and clear of the sidewalk. The City of Tulsa's code enforcement page puts vehicles on blocks and cars blocking a sidewalk or right-of-way in Priority 1, the cases it looks at first. The towed and impounded guide explains the notice that follows a report.

Source: The partner buyer: pickup; City of Tulsa: Code Enforcement priorities.

Telling a private buyer about the transmission

If you sell it yourself, tell the buyer what you know and put it in writing. Oklahoma's deceit statute, 76 O.S. 3, is not limited to false statements. It also reaches someone who hides a fact while giving “information of other facts which are likely to mislead for want of communication of that fact.” So describe the fault itself, not only the parts that still work.

Write “as is” on the bill of sale as well. Oklahoma's commercial code, 12A O.S. 2-316, says wording like “as is” excludes implied warranties unless the circumstances indicate otherwise. That line deals with implied warranties. What you tell the buyer is covered by section 2-313: a statement of fact about the car that becomes part of the basis of the bargain is an express warranty. So write the symptom on the bill of sale too, and keep a copy.

Expect the buyer to check anyway. The FTC tells used-car shoppers that an independent inspection before they buy is a good idea, so a slipping transmission is likely to surface. Saying it first saves you both a wasted trip. The private sale guide covers safe payment and where to meet. This section reports what the statutes say; it is not legal advice for your sale.

Source: Oklahoma Statutes, Title 76, section 3 (PDF); Oklahoma Statutes, Title 12A, sections 2-313 and 2-316 (PDF); FTC: Used Cars, independent inspection.

Call us or get the partner offer

Call the Tulsa line, (539) 271-2021, and tell us what the transmission does, or send the details through the sell-it-to-us form. When we buy a car, we pay by check. Prefer an instant figure first? The partner's online offer costs nothing to get, and you can walk away from it.