Does RAM re-sell trucks they buy back?

[DesertRat]

Does Ram re-sell the trucks they buy back as lemons and is there a way to ID those trucks?

I am finding a few 2020 -2021 RAM 1500's on used car sites with 5K - 8K miles on average and it makes me wonder are these returns, buybacks, repossessions or ppl who just couldn't make the payments?

 

[Royalist_Ram]

I sold my 2021 Limited EcoDiesel after owning it for like 4 months. Wanted a LR cuz the Defender 90's were finally out, and I sold my '21 Ram for more than I paid for it. Lot of peeps doing that recently.

 

[Braker]

There are a lot of trucks like that right now because many people bought in 20 and could get what they paid for it back in 21 so they decided to upgrade..some of them turned a profit. I bought a 21 grand cherokee trailhawk this year kept it 3 months and 5k miles and got my money back on it when I got it appraised. So it might look like my GC was less than a year old with 5k miles "something must be wrong with it" when in reality it was perfect I was just wanting a truck and the money worked out.

 

[CanRebel]

Does Ram re-sell the trucks they buy back as lemons and is there a way to ID those trucks?

I am finding a few 2020 -2021 RAM 1500's on used car sites with 5K - 8K miles on average and it makes me wonder are these returns, buybacks, repossessions or ppl who just couldn't make the payments?

My Guess.
Some are dealer trucks. They get certain amount for show, etc.. Mangers/employee's get to drive them around.
Others I would guess, returns from Leases. Some companies do 1-2 year short term leases.
Then as you mentioned, those that couldn't make payments.

As person above mentioned. People doing early trade-ins. I use to do with a few of my cars. When you get zero percent finance, nothing down. You can trade it in for newer
without really losing anything besides payments. With Used Truck market up high. You might even make few dollars.

 

[DesertRat]

Yeah, I guess after a few beers tonight I forgot the trade-ups and opportunists. I am pretty cynical in my old age and don't trust most dealers.

 

[zlman]

To answer your question, I would guess, yes they do.
Prior to my Ram, I had a 2002 Yukon xl. All the paperwork clearly stated it was a lemon law buyback. GM fixed the issue and resold it at a heavy discount. The truck ran another 18 yrs trouble free for me.

 

[Essbaum]

Dealers can and do resell lemon law buy backs. However law requires it to be titled as a lemon law buy back, so they should be easily identified on Carfax.

 

[Shots]

As the others mentioned, most are probably trades, or dealer owned "loaners" that are being sold.

That said, yes, they do sell the trucks they buy back. Here's the catch though. If they buy it back they don't have to disclose that it had repeat issues unless it was deemed a lemon and they were forced to take it back.
My brother had a Saturn back in 2000 that was a lemon. He took multiple trips to the dealership for a shifting issue (transmission, computer, idk they never solved it), and he started talking about lemon law with the customer liaison. Rather than force the issue and be required to take it back as a lemon they offered to buy it back at what turned out to be a very good deal for my brother. He basically drove the car free for a year (when it wasn't in the shop), but since it wasn't legally deemed a lemon, they didn't have to disclose it.

Long story short. Yes, lemons are resold but only disclosed as lemons if the entire process is completed and the manufacturer is forced to take it back under lemon law. The easiest way to see if it's a trouble vehicle or simply someone who upgraded is to look at the service records. CarFax reports service done at the dealership so you will quickly/easily see multiple services for the same issue. If the record is clear, it's just a truck someone didn't drive a lot. Heck I sold my '18 Wrangler with about 14,000 miles when I bought my Ram. Some people just don't drive a lot.

 

[Hydroblueguy]

Does Ram re-sell the trucks they buy back as lemons and is there a way to ID those trucks?

I am finding a few 2020 -2021 RAM 1500's on used car sites with 5K - 8K miles on average and it makes me wonder are these returns, buybacks, repossessions or ppl who just couldn't make the payments?

I was told my 19 was going to auction, but who really knows I wouldn’t trust it, although legally I think they have to disclose that it was a lemon!

 

[asgadf/lkjnadsfg]

Does Ram re-sell the trucks they buy back as lemons and is there a way to ID those trucks?

I am finding a few 2020 -2021 RAM 1500's on used car sites with 5K - 8K miles on average and it makes me wonder are these returns, buybacks, repossessions or ppl who just couldn't make the payments?

In the current market, many people can make money selling a vehicle they bought in the past year or two. Anyone who decided they don't like the truck as much as they expected has literally no downside to getting rid of it...there is no depreciation. In this market you can drive a car for a year and MAKE money on the sale. I know lots of people who have dealers calling them asking to buy back the car or truck they sold them in the past year or two. They've been offering the same or more money than was originally paid. Dealers need product to sell, so they are calling previous customers to see if they can buy their cars and trucks back from them.

Many people own enough vehicles that they can simply sell one they're not using very often.

That's surely some of what you're seeing.

 

[scottmoyer]

Yes, they do. I had a 2015 Scat Pack Charger that Dodge bought back. It sat on the lot for awhile and I was told it was going back to Detroit. I pulled the VIN one day and found another large dealership in Orlando had the car on their used lot. So, it went to auction and was sold to another dealer.

Ford dealerships in my area mark on the windshield "RAV" for these types of cars. It stands for ReAcquired Vehicle. Not sure if all Ford dealers put that on the windshield, and I don't know what CJDR does to mark theirs, but they do sell them (after they think they fixed the problem) and they do have to disclose it.

 

[Shots]

... In this market you can drive a car for a year and MAKE money on the sale. I know lots of people who have dealers calling them asking to buy back the car or truck they sold them in the past year or two. They've been offering the same or more money than was originally paid. ....

That is exactly what happened with my Jeep. I drove it for 3 years, and sold it for more than I paid for it. It blows my mind, and I still can't grasp how that was really legit, but it was.
Thanks to the equity in the Jeep, I'm driving a brand new Ram, with a shorter loan term and a lower payment. I loved my Jeep, but I was lightly considering going back to a truck, and the deal was unbeatable. Like I said my Jeep had low miles, but at 3 years old the warranty was up. Now I've got full warranty again and owe less on a vehicle with a higher msrp.
I don't know how dealerships are selling these used vehicles they're paying so much for, but it worked out for me.

 

[Wgm6689]

I've always been kind of concerned with this about my truck. It had 4,500 miles on it when I bought it, but it was sold as new and a carfax report shows me as the only owner. It was parked with the new ones when I bought it but it was clearly not "new" (window sticker down, a little dirty). I asked what the deal was with it and was told it was a demo truck and that I could get a good deal on it. I had a few repeat issues early on that made me really start worrying it was somehow a buyback or something, but didn't think they would be able to sell it to me as new if it had been titled in someone's name before.
Anyone know if I am correct in my thinking that if the vehicle is "new" then it has not been sold and titled before, and therefore not a buyback/lemon? In that scenario it would have had to have been a dealer truck or a loaner?

 

[Hydroblueguy]

I've always been kind of concerned with this about my truck. It had 4,500 miles on it when I bought it, but it was sold as new and a carfax report shows me as the only owner. It was parked with the new ones when I bought it but it was clearly not "new" (window sticker down, a little dirty). I asked what the deal was with it and was told it was a demo truck and that I could get a good deal on it. I had a few repeat issues early on that made me really start worrying it was somehow a buyback or something, but didn't think they would be able to sell it to me as new if it had been titled in someone's name before.
Anyone know if I am correct in my thinking that if the vehicle is "new" then it has not been sold and titled before, and therefore not a buyback/lemon? In that scenario it would have had to have been a dealer truck or a loaner?

It was probably a dealer loaner or one of the dealership employees was driving it? But really who knows!

 

[Wgm6689]

It was probably a dealer loaner or one of the dealership employees was driving it? But really who knows!

Forgot to mention it, but while having my multitude of issues addressed at the dealer, an advisor showed me on the computer the truck's service history and there were some somewhat concerning work done to the truck before I bought it. I don't remember all of the specifics but the control arms were replaced and a few other things. It's alarming to think that repairs like that were needed in the first 4,500 miles. Being the way I am, I of course started worrying more about it being a buyback or a lemon, or even maybe in some kind of an accident that required the control arms to be replaced. Love my truck but this has definitely been in the back of my mind since I got it.

 

[cevans6318]

I am a dealer tech, we buy cars back all the time and then once fixed, are resold. some continue to have the same issues, others were fixed before they were resold. It also depends on the issue on why it was bought back. some go back to the manufacture for them to play with. dealers make money on buybacks. someone else will get a deal, some know its a buyback, others don't, or they don't care

 

[OldMarine]

bought my wife's Outback as a "buy back" vehicle. Great deal and it's still well under warranty coverage. there is no risk, and you get a fantastic deal! highly recommend.

 

[Shots]

I had a few repeat issues early on that made me really start worrying it was somehow a buyback or something, but didn't think they would be able to sell it to me as new if it had been titled in someone's name before.
Anyone know if I am correct in my thinking that if the vehicle is "new" then it has not been sold and titled before, and therefore not a buyback/lemon? In that scenario it would have had to have been a dealer truck or a loaner?

Yes I can confirm that you are correct, they can not legally sell it as new if it has been titled to a buyer before. If it stays in the name of the dealership and is used as a loaner, or promo vehicle then it can be sold as new. I don't really like it and it seems a bit shady since they're not really "new" but legally it is. This practice is common, as is the mileage you had when you bought it. It's also not uncommon for them to have a few minor signs of wear when they're sold like that because the people using them typically don't care to be careful with them since it's not their truck.

Here's a trade secret for you since we're on the topic of damage and things they can/can't do. Vehicles damaged prior to sale in the dealership lot (which happens A LOT) aren't documented as crashed or damaged. For example someone backs out of a parking space and caves in a fender on a new car. The dealership will have the repair made (typically by their own shop) and it goes unreported. It's not required to be so there's really no reason to. That's why you'll see new vehicles with overspray on areas that won't typically have it. Everything is still covered under the factory warranty, including the repair, so it's not something people ever really find out about or think to ask.

Trade secret number two. Check the underside of every new car/truck you buy. Some commercial carriers will put straps/chains in areas that may inadvertently contact stuff that can be bent. Typically not major issues, but look for little things like bent heat shields, tweaked exhaust pipe or other similar issues. Not major concerns and the dealer will fix it before you take delivery if you see it and call it out. Some will even fix it after you take delivery if you notice it soon enough and it's evident you didn't cause the damage.

 

[SKT Customs]

I’ll add one thing to this discussion, even though they have to disclose it was a lemon, they can say it was lemoned for something unrelated! My buddy just had his 2020 Ram 3500 lemoned because of a ticking sound in the valvetrain. The dealership and corporate techs couldn’t figure out what the issue was. It was in the shop countless times for 8 months and they finally went to lemon it and the official paperwork said it was being lemoned for the radio. It sounded like a joke but it really was lemoned for the radio so that they could say they put in a whole new radio and the truck was good as new. Super shady stuff from Ram corporate!

 

[DesertRat]

Ford does the same thing. When you lemon a Ford and turn it in you have to make arrangements with a dealer to turn it into. I think Ford Corp. pays for the truck, but I do not know what the relationship between the dealer and corp. are for the dealer reselling the truck but many of them do.