At a glance
- Required when
- You conduct the sale in Spanish
- The rule
- 16 CFR 455.5
- Official forms
- Figures 4, 5 and 6 of 16 CFR Part 455
- Both languages
- You may display English and Spanish guides on one vehicle
- Sales contract
- Its window form statement must be in Spanish too
On this page
- When is the Spanish Buyers Guide required?
- What does the Guía del Comprador say? English and Spanish side by side
- Spanish wording for Implied Warranties Only, service contracts and the signature line
- How to fill out the Spanish Buyers Guide
- Does the sales contract need to be in Spanish too?
- Where can you get the official Spanish Buyers Guide?
- Common questions
- Sources
When is the Spanish Buyers Guide required?
Whenever you conduct a sale in Spanish. Section 455.5 of the Used Car Rule says: "If you conduct a sale in Spanish, the window form required by § 455.2 and the contract disclosures required by § 455.3 must be in that language." The FTC's guidance for dealers adds the timing: if you conduct a used car transaction in Spanish, the Spanish Buyers Guide goes on the vehicle before you display or offer it for sale.
The rule doesn't define what counts as conducting a sale in Spanish. A practical test: if the customer is negotiating and buying in Spanish, they get the Guía del Comprador. If your store sells in both languages, display both guides, which the rule allows.
Spanish-speaking shoppers are told to ask for it. The last line on the front of the English guide reads: "Si el concesionario gestiona la venta en español, pídale una copia de la Guía del Comprador en español." In English: if the dealer conducts the sale in Spanish, ask for a copy of the Buyers Guide in Spanish. When the FTC added that line in 2016, it said the line doesn't change the existing requirement, which turns on whether the dealer conducts the sale in Spanish.
What does the Guía del Comprador say? English and Spanish side by side
The Spanish guide has the same boxes, in the same order, as the English one. These are the headings as printed in the rule's figures:
| English form | Spanish form (Guía del Comprador) |
|---|---|
| BUYERS GUIDE | GUÍA DEL COMPRADOR |
| VEHICLE MAKE / MODEL / YEAR / VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) | MARCA DEL VEHÍCULO / MODELO / AÑO / NÚMERO DE IDENTIFICACIÓN DEL VEHÍCULO (VIN) |
| WARRANTIES FOR THIS VEHICLE: | GARANTÍAS PARA ESTE VEHÍCULO: |
| AS IS - NO DEALER WARRANTY | COMO ESTÁ - SIN GARANTÍA DEL CONCESIONARIO |
| IMPLIED WARRANTIES ONLY | SOLO GARANTÍAS IMPLÍCITAS |
| DEALER WARRANTY | GARANTÍA DEL CONCESIONARIO |
| FULL WARRANTY. / LIMITED WARRANTY. | GARANTÍA COMPLETA. / GARANTÍA LIMITADA. |
| SYSTEMS COVERED: / DURATION: | SISTEMAS CUBIERTOS: / DURACIÓN: |
| NON-DEALER WARRANTIES FOR THIS VEHICLE: | GARANTÍAS QUE NO PERTENECEN AL CONCESIONARIO: |
| MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY STILL APPLIES. | LA GARANTÍA DEL FABRICANTE TODAVÍA APLICA. |
| MANUFACTURER'S USED VEHICLE WARRANTY APPLIES. | SE APLICA LA GARANTÍA DEL FABRICANTE PARA VEHÍCULOS USADOS. |
| OTHER USED VEHICLE WARRANTY APPLIES. | SE APLICA OTRA GARANTÍA PARA VEHÍCULOS USADOS. |
| SERVICE CONTRACT. | CONTRATO DE MANTENIMIENTO. |
| DEALER NAME / ADDRESS | NOMBRE DEL CONCESIONARIO / DIRECCIÓN DEL CONCESIONARIO |
| TELEPHONE / EMAIL | TELÉFONO / CORREO ELECTRÓNICO |
| FOR COMPLAINTS AFTER SALE, CONTACT: | PARA QUEJAS DESPUÉS DE LA VENTA COMUNÍQUESE CON: |
Figure 4 is the Como Está front, Figure 5 the Solo Garantías Implícitas front and Figure 6 the back. The back opens with "A continuación podrá encontrar una lista de los defectos principales que podrían ocurrir en vehículos usados" and lists the same systems as the English form, from Chasis y carrocería and Motor to Bolsas de aire, Neumáticos and Sistema de escape.
Its closing line reads: "IMPORTANTE: La información de este formulario es parte de cualquier contrato para comprar este vehículo. Quitar esta etiqueta antes de la compra del consumidor (excepto a los fines de realizar una prueba de conducción) es una infracción a la ley federal (16 C. F. R. 455)."
Spanish wording for Implied Warranties Only, service contracts and the signature line
The rule spells out three Spanish passages word for word in 16 CFR 455.5(b) to (d). On the Implied Warranties Only version, the box is headed SOLO GARANTÍAS IMPLÍCITAS and reads:
"El concesionario no hace ninguna promesa de reparar lo que sea necesario cuando compre el vehículo o posteriormente. Sin embargo, las garantías implícitas según las leyes estatales podrían darle algunos derechos para hacer que el concesionario se encargue de ciertos problemas que no fueran evidentes cuando compró el vehículo."
If you offer a service contract on the car, you check the box that reads:
"CONTRATO DE MANTENIMIENTO. Con un cargo adicional, puede obtener un contrato de mantenimiento para este vehículo. Pregunte acerca de los detalles de la cobertura, los deducibles, el precio y las exclusiones. Si compra un contrato de mantenimiento dentro de los 90 días desde el momento en que compró el vehículo, las garantías implícitas según las leyes de su estado podrían darle derechos adicionales."
And if you add the optional buyer signature line, the sentence beside it is: "Por este medio confirmo que he recibido copia de la Guía del Comprador al momento de la compraventa."
How to fill out the Spanish Buyers Guide
Start with the VIN
The year, make and model fill the MARCA DEL VEHÍCULO, MODELO and AÑO spaces. Double-check the decode with the VIN decoder if anything looks wrong.
Choose Como Está or Solo Garantías Implícitas
Print Como Está if you sell As Is and your state allows it. Print Solo Garantías Implícitas if your state limits As Is sales or you choose to give implied warranties.
Write the warranty terms in Spanish
For a dealer warranty, mark Garantía Completa or Garantía Limitada and enter the labor and parts percentages. Write the systems covered and the duration in Spanish so the whole guide reads in the buyer's language, such as "motor, transmisión, diferencial" and "30 días o 1,000 millas, lo que ocurra primero." The rule bars shorthand like "drive train" for covered systems, so skip "tren motriz" and name each system.
Fill in the dorso
The back takes your dealership's name, address, phone and email, plus who buyers should contact with complaints after the sale.
Print and display
Print double-sided at 100% on white letter paper. If the English guide hangs on the car too, place both so each one's front and back can be read.
Does the sales contract need to be in Spanish too?
The contract disclosure does. Every consumer contract of sale has to carry the rule's statement that the window form is part of the contract and overrides anything contrary in it. When you conduct the sale in Spanish, 16 CFR 455.5(a) requires that disclosure in Spanish as well.
The rule prints the English sentence but not a Spanish one, so confirm the Spanish wording with whoever supplies your contracts. At the sale, the buyer gets the final Guía del Comprador, or an accurate copy showing the warranty you agreed on.
Where can you get the official Spanish Buyers Guide?
From the rule itself. Figures 4, 5 and 6 were published with the FTC's final rule in the Federal Register on Nov. 18, 2016 (81 FR 81664) and are part of 16 CFR Part 455. The generator on this page prints the guide from those figures, in black ink on a letter-size page that meets the rule's 11 by 7¼ inch minimum, without a logo or any added wording. A guide translated in-house doesn't qualify: the rule says to use the translation and layout in those figures.
The printing, As Is and coverage rules are the same in both languages. The English Buyers Guide page covers who has to use a guide, which vehicles are exempt and what happens if you skip it.
Once the guide is on the window, the car still needs photos. CarShots turns phone photos into studio-quality listing photos on a clean backdrop, about 20 seconds each. See it on one of your cars.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check your state's requirements.