My husband and I went to Capitol Toyota for the End-Of-Lease purchase of our Toyota.\r
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We were surprised by the Manager Anthony Vu's insistence that we had to pay a $500 Safety Inspection fee to complete the sale.\r
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I wondered why I had not been given this information up front - when I specifically asked for the details on final costs for the car before coming in.\r
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My husband and I ended up leaving without completing the purchase because that fee did not sound right to us.\r
I have done some research, and it turns out we are not required to have a Safety Inspection in the state of California:\r
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In the state of California, there is an exemption from these safety requirements regarding the sale of a leased vehicle by a dealer to a lessee if the lessee is in possession of the vehicle immediately prior to the time of sale and the vehicle is registered in this state. [Vehicle Code § 11713(i), Health and Safety Code § 24007(a)(3)] \r
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So, as is true with smog certification, \r
if the former lessee is also the buyer, and if the vehicle is registered in California, the vehicle is exempt from a safety inspection by the selling dealer.\r
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BEWARE of Capitol Toyota and don't fall for this anywhere in California.
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