Yahoo Autos The "Three-Day Return Period" Is Nothing But a Myth
If there's one thing consumer protection attorney and R&T contributor Steve Lehto is tired of hearing about, it's the mythical three-day return period on cars. People buy cars, decide they don't want them, and call him up asking for help returning it. The only problem is that they bought the car as-is, and the dealer never specifically offered them three days to return the car if they don't like it.
Unfortunately for those buyers, they're out of luck. There's no three-day return period on a car. But even though it doesn't exist, people are still adamant that they can return a car within three days for any reason.
Part of the problem is that there actually is a cooling-off period for some purchases. In a few situations, under a set of extremely specific circumstances, you can back out of a purchase if you change your mind. For example, if you buy something from a door-to-door salesperson, your state may have a law that allows you to cancel that purchase.
California also has a law that allows someone who purchases a car from a used car dealer to also buy a two-day right-to-return policy. It's not automatic since you have to pay for it, but it does exist. It's also one of the few exceptions to the rule, and outside of California, you're unlikely to see something similar.
It would certainly be great if there were some sort of national cooling-off period on car purchases. But sadly, barring a few specific exceptions, the three-day rule is nothing more than wishful thinking.
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