TO THE EDITOR:
If General Motors and franchised dealers want to make the most of used-car platforms like CarBravo, they would ensure that all the vehicles they offer for sale at retail on that platform are free from unrepaired safety recalls ("GM takes on Carvana, CarMax with CarBravo," Jan. 17).
They would also back legislation pending in Congress that would impose the same standard on the likes of CarMax, Vroom, Carvana and the other independents, who are raking in revenue at the expense of their customers' safety and their competitors among the franchised dealerships.
S. 1835 would set an industrywide standard requiring all dealers to ensure that safety recall defects are repaired prior to the sale of used vehicles at retail, while allowing dealers to sell unrepaired recalled vehicles at wholesale.
The only way the independents could meet that standard would be to deliver their inventory of unrepaired recalled vehicles to franchised dealers for repairs and wait for the fixes to be performed (or perhaps sweeten the deal to speed up repairs) or sell them at wholesale.
Imagine — a way to save lives, prevent injuries, preserve corporate reputations and beat your No. 1 competitors, especially when inventories are tight.
ROSEMARY SHAHAN, President, Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, Sacramento, Calif.
