Florida is one of the biggest used-car markets in the country, and a few things about buying here are different: the weather the cars have lived through, the protections you do and do not have, and what gets added at the desk. Our team is based in Tampa. Here is what we would want a Florida buyer to know.
The short version
- Florida has no used-car lemon law. Once the sale is done, the problems are yours.
- Read the Buyers Guide sticker in the window. “As is” means exactly that.
- Hurricanes put tens of thousands of Florida cars under water in a single season.
- About 901,000 Florida cars carry two or more open recalls.
No used-car lemon law
Florida’s lemon law covers new cars. For used cars, Florida is not among the handful of states with a used-car lemon law (Connecticut General Assembly, Office of Legislative Research, 2015). That means there is no statutory right to a refund or repair after the sale just because the car turns out to have problems. Any protection you have comes from a written warranty, if there is one, and from what you learn before you sign.
Read the window sticker
Federal rules require dealers to display a Buyers Guide in the window of every used car offered for sale. It says whether the car is sold “as is” or with a warranty, and what the warranty covers (Federal Trade Commission, Buying a Used Car From a Dealer). In Florida most used cars are sold as is. The sticker becomes part of your contract, so read it before anything else, and keep a copy.
Water
Hurricane Milton alone flood-damaged up to 120,000 Florida vehicles in 2024, and Ian in 2022 as many as 358,000 (Carfax, October 2024). Many of those cars were insured, totaled and branded. Some were not. A car that sat in a flooded driveway for a day and was dried out by its owner carries no record at all. Our guide to flood cars, washed titles and rolled odometers covers how to check.
Heat, salt and recalls
Florida sun is hard on dashboards, paint, rubber and batteries, and salt air near the coast is hard on everything underneath. None of that is hidden; look and you will see it. Recalls are. Carfax counted about 901,000 Florida vehicles with two or more unfixed recalls in January 2025, third in the nation (Carfax, January 2025). Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you visit.
What gets added at the desk
Florida charges state sales tax on vehicle purchases plus a county surtax on part of the price, and title and registration fees on top. Those are real. Dealer fees, electronic filing fees and add-on products are set by the dealer and vary widely. Ask for the out-the-door price in writing and have each line explained. Our {G(“how-to-negotiate-a-used-car-price”, “negotiating guide”)} walks through it.
Where Truth Trade fits
We are a Florida-licensed team based in Tampa, and we investigate cars at dealerships in 41 states. For a Florida buyer the value is simple: with no used-car lemon law to fall back on, what you learn before the sale is the protection you get. We find the car’s previous owner, ask why it was sold, what broke, what was fixed and what the dealer paid, and send you a report with each finding marked Verified or Owner-reported.
Related: How to research a used car · How to get a used car inspected
Looking at a used car right now?
Our team finds the previous owner and asks them. Start a report in about two minutes.
Or call (813) 550-5077.