Car Down Payments: Are They Really Necessary?

 

The state of Virginia as a whole requires a vehicle inspection annually. There are a few upper counties; however, that require an additional test. Emission tests are required by Stafford, Prince William, Alexandria, and Fairfax counties. Emission tests help these counties monitor how much pollution their counties produce. If you purchase a new vehicle your vehicle should pass with flying colors. Any used vehicle runs the risk of not passing. Just like used vehicles run into more problems with state inspections with their worn out parts, used vehicles can fail an emissions test after years of wear. Emission tests are legally not required before time of sale like a state inspection is. For our Airport Auto Sales customers who reside in an emission county we can help direct them to emission stations or look to see if their vehicle already has a passed emission code. Unlike inspections, emission tests are transferable from one owner to the next. A quick search on https://www.virginiavip.org/PublicSite/Pages/VehicleLookup.aspx will tell you if the vehicle has a current pass code or not.

If the vehicle does not have a current pass code and the customer needs an emissions test, they have thirty days from purchase to receive one. Once they have received a passed emission code they will need to provide it to their title clerk who will be processing their tags, title, and registration. Without this emission code the customer will not be able to register in that county.

Once we know at Airport Auto Sales that a customer is trying to purchase from our Buy Here Pay Here lot and live in an emission county we can help direct them towards vehicles that will continuously pass in those counties. A common misconception among customers shopping on our Buy Here Pay Here lots and the surrounding area is that vehicles that cannot pass emission tests are not safe or undriveable. The majority of the time the reason a vehicle failed an emission test does not affect driveability. The reason could be an EVAP leak, catalytic converter, or O2 sensors. All of which help your vehicle monitor how many pollutants it releases. Luckily, we can usually scan a vehicle’s computer to see if it has any codes that would cause an issue with emissions. A check engine light could also be an indicator of a vehicle that might have trouble passing an emission test.

If you do reside in an emission county and are shopping on our Buy Here Pay here lot at Airport Auto Sales be sure to ask one of our sales associates which vehicles would best suit you. We are always happy to direct customers to vehicles that they will not only love the day that they purchase it, but for years to come.