<p>I helped my mom buy a used car last week. When we got it home, I found service records from the prior owner that correspond to the CarFax we got from the used car dealer. </p>
<p>Would it be too weird to call the prior owner and ask why she got rid of the car and if she had any problems with it? (a 2010 Corolla w 36k miles). I have googled her and she still lives at the address on the service records. </p>
<p>I really want to make the call, but don’t want to sound like I’m a stalker. </p>
<p>What would you do with that information?</p>
<p>Yes, I think it is weird. The owner probably didn’t even realize her personal information was in the vehicle.
There is no reason to believe there were problems.
There are so many reasons folks get rid of cars; someone is deceased or ill and no longer able to drive; someone needs something bigger, or more fuel efficient for commuting; someone promised themselves something new with the next raise.</p>
<p>Let it go.</p>
<p>Given the age of the car, she probably bought a new Corolla!
I would not call, personally.</p>
<p>Nope, wouldn’t call. </p>
<p>Definitely not. If you’ve already bought the car, what would even be the gain?</p>
<p>Nope…I would not call. What is the point?</p>
<p>I agree, you’ve already bought the car, you have the service records so you have an idea of the issues and whatever information the previous owner could give you would not change your past or future actions.
Calling would give her the creeps.</p>
<p>Stalker… don’t do it. </p>
<p>Well, I am apparently in the minority. I’d call. Most people are nice. You would be nice to tell her that she had left personal information in the car and suggest that she doesn’t do it again. Don’t know if you would get good information about why she sold the car, but in opposition to What is the point… what could it hurt?</p>
<p>The call I might be considering is to the dealer. How good a job did they do of cleaning the car if they left the personal info in the car? That would worry me a lot. </p>
<p>Don’t call. There’s no reason to and it will just creep the person out.</p>
<p>Actually, the dealer should have taken the stuff out of the car before they put it on the lot. The dealer is at fault here.</p>
<p>I have always left my service records because I want the dealer to SEE them. And the dealer removes them before they put the car on the market.</p>
<p>Don’t call.</p>
<p>No. I would feel weird if I got a call like that.</p>
<p>I’d find it weird if I received a call like that. But I probably wouldn’t answer an unknown number anyway. My husband would probably answer and be happy to talk your ear off for hours. You’d probably wish you hadn’t made the call 
</p>
<p>I would certainly call. Any chance to connect with another human being is always a good thing. As the previous owner, I would feel better putting a caring voice with the knowledge that the car I had loved and relied on for 4 years had a good new owner. And if I had snow chains, or advice about storage or maintenance, I would welcome the chance to pass them on. There’s really no downside, and it might put a smile on the previous owners’ face.</p>
<p>^^If the previous owner wanted to know the buyer, in the manner in which you mention above in post #13, they would have chosen to sell the call independently and not have gone through a dealer. </p>
<p>When you go through a dealer to sell your car, you don’t expect the buyer to know your identity. In fact, some buyers who received such a call might think, “oh, now am I going to hear from the buyer if they have a problem with my old car? I’m no longer involved in this sale!”</p>
<p>I will say…we bought a used car once…and the previous service records were in the car. It was someone I actually knew. No…I never mentioned it until they said…gee…that looks like my old car. But I did not tell them the records were left in the car.</p>
<p>No, and I’d be pretty creeped out if I got that call. </p>
<p>I got a really new care (~ year old) with less than 20k miles on it. I don’t give a single hoot about why the previous owner gave it up and a few years and 50k+ miles later, it runs like a dream. </p>
<p>I once got a call from a dealer who wanted the radio code to my old, recently sold car (whenever the battery got disconnected, you would need to use the code to be able to use the radio as an anti-theft mechanism.) The call came while I was in a taxi cab on the way to the airport after a college visit with my son. I had written the code in a foreign language in the owners manual. I explained where it was and had the dealer text me a photo of the code, decoded it, and told him what it was all still from the taxi cab. I was actually pleased to learn the car was being sold by a dealer and would beon the road in my state. I was sure if was going out to retire on the farm (be parted out). </p>
<p>If I got such a call, I would say, “Sorry, I provided all relevant info to the dealer whom I sold it to. If you want info about the car, ask the dealer.” I am NOT normally a person who worries about getting sued for random stuff, but a call like that would strike me as so odd that I’d be worried that the person would later accuse me of failing to disclose known defects, if I told the person one thing and then something else went wrong. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t make the call. If I got a call like that it would creep me out. I would then call the dealer and complain.</p>