That does sound like a diplomatic way to get the point across; reminding her of the major service approaching. The facility doing the servicing can bring the details up.
The car is an '05 and it only has a 100k miles so even if she springs for the entire service shooting match the car should be good to go for a long time.
I would probably have replaced the timing belt before offering the car for sale. At this point, I would stress the importance of the timing belt change to the new owner. I am sensitive to the issue. Back in 2003, we had a 1993 Oldsmobile 88 that I had maintained in perfect condition. I had all the service records to attest to the fact that the car had been well maintained. We were selling the car because we had purchased a new Toyota 4Runner. A colleague bought the car. I had had the master cylinder replaced the year before, but apparently after the colleague bought the car, the master cylinder failed. He went around telling people that I had sold him a lemon. He bought the car for wholesale book price and sold it a year later for what he paid me for the car.
On the other hand, my dad bought a 1954 Buick from a friend back in 1955. This was the newest car he had purchased after WW II. Two days after we bought the car, the fuel pump failed. My dad told my brother and me not to say anything about the fuel pump that would get back to his friend. The one good thing about it was that the car quit in a small town a couple of miles where my mother had a teaching job. A friendly farmer towed the car to a local garage and the mechanic turned out to be great. He took care of my parents’ cars as long as he was in business. He would drive to the school where my mother taught, pick up the car, service it and return it in time for my mother to drive home.
I’m presuming there’s a manufacturer’s routine maintenance list in the owner’s manual or elsewhere that you are aware of, and the timing belt is now due according to that list. In that case, I think when she asked you if there was anything wrong w/the vehicle, you had an ethical obligation to tell her that you believed some scheduled maintenance was now due.
@Triedaq and @GeorgeSanJose are right in my opinion. Corporate law protects corporation from many such social misdeeds in their rights to profit. It also provides them with an opportunity to practice anti social behavior behavior in car sales we would not normally think of doing ourselves. It is my belief that those selling cars privately practice car sales activities that wrongfully follow after car dealers some times, then rightfully have misgivings about their actions. That’s a good thing. We are some times motivated out of fear of legal reprocusions if not the actual feeling of wrongfully deceiving another human being. Either way, just asking this question tells you what you should do.
Experiences with sales people representing corporations need to be put into perspective. Corporations are " encouraged" by the freedoms they have to display such behavior with the protections they have been given. Their employees are in most cases, just following the guildlines their employers have in place. Private citizens are not. A car salesman would often never think of deceiving a perspective buyer in a private sales like he may when representing a dealership.
I’d certainly find a way of telling her. I don’t know how Subaru specifies the timing belt replacement for this car, but typically they are specified by both mileage and age, whichever comes first. If that isn’t the case, and there is only a mileage at which it is due, it is just scheduled maintenance coming up soon. If there is an age at which it was to be replaced and it is long overdue, then it is something else again. You don’t want this hanging over you, so find a way of letting her know.
If you are feeling guilty your conscience is telling you the truth. If you were the buyer, would you have wanted to have been told that information? If the answer is “yes”, “the truth shall set you free!”
The specified replacement interval is 105,000 miles or 105 months, whichever comes first.
105 months=8 years & 9 months, so I think it is reasonable to round it up to 9 years.
I would tell her because I would want to be told. Just be matter of fact about it. That won’t scare her away and you’ve done your duty as an honest human being. Something like… “I’m including the manual that came with the car, but I still wanted to remind you that the next big maintenance it’s due for is replacing the timing belt. You’ve technically got another 5,000 miles before that needs to be done, but just keep it in mind. It was nice to meet you. Take good care of Ol’ Betsy.” The end.
I would tell her because I would want to be told. Just be matter of fact about it. That won't scare her away and you've done your duty as an honest human being. Something like.. "I'm including the manual that came with the car, but I still wanted to remind you that the next big maintenance it's due for is replacing the timing belt. You've technically got another 5,000 miles before that needs to be done, but just keep it in mind. It was nice to meet you. Take good care of Ol' Betsy." The end.
This is pretty much what I did. I was really agonizing over this for days - and everyone around me was telling me I’m crazy and this is not my responsibility. I know they’re right technically, but I couldn’t help it. I don’t know much about cars, and this is the first time I’ve sold one. So, live and learn I guess. Thanks everyone for the opinions here.
~Steve in NJ
You did the right thing. I am not much of a salesman, but when I sell a car or anything else, I tell the person about any problems that I know.
Sure buyer be ware, but I do tink you should tell her that she should plan on getting it done soon, Even if she says oh my and walks away you will sleep better especially if the belt breaks and you see your old car with a lol stranded on the road.
Good for you. I have too many things I beat myself up over in the middle of sleepless nights, and I suspect you would have felt the same way about this if you hadn’t told her. Now you have something to feel good about instead.