‘I don’t even know if I’ll make it to the gas station’: Dealership worker shares the real reason car may come with no gas when you buy used

Car dealership worker Russ (@russflipswhips) amassed a sizable TikTok following by sharing car-related content. In one recent skit that went viral on TikTok, he tackled why used cars may only come with one key. Now, he's tacking why used cars may come with an empty tank of gas.

No gas?

He begins his latest skit from the perspective of the customer. "Thanks for the new truck, man. I think I'm good to go," the "customer" says.

The dealership worker responds by asking if the buyer has any questions. Next, the patron says, "No, I think I'm all good, though."

However, things are not all good. He then notices the empty tank of gas.

"Hey, looks like it's on E. I think they forgot to fill up the truck. You guys mind filling it up for me? I got only a little bit of gas in it," he says.

The worker doesn't seem too enthusiastic about honoring this request. "Uh, well, it is a used car. We just sell them as-is. So whatever gas is in it when it comes in here, we just sell it like that."

At this point in the video, the customer frowns. "It literally has 6 miles 'til empty, bro. I don't even know if I'll make it to the gas station."

Unyielding, the dealership worker informs the buyer that there's "a gas station 5 miles up the street." "I think you'll be all right," he says.

No more games

The buyer cuts to the chase at this point and lets the car salesperson know exactly how he feels about this treatment. "You're kidding me, bro? I just spent $40,000. You're not gonna fill me up?" he questions.

Undeterred, the salesperson sticks with the same line about the car not coming with gas due to its pre-owned status. "Listen, it's a used car; we sell them as-is," he says.

"Bro, my trade-in literally has a full of gas," the customer retorts.

"I don't know what to tell you, man. That's just what the manager tells me to do," the worker adds.

The buyer goes on to express his disappointment. "All right, bro. I see how it is. Uh, you know what I forgot, actually? I left my garage door opener in my trade-in. Can you go pull my trade-in up real quick, so I can grab that? And then I'll be out of your hair."

Siphon time

The clip then transitions to the customer opening the gas tank of his trade-in vehicle. The salesperson, off camera, tells him that he didn't find a garage door opener but that he can't be doing that.

"Yeah, I can. This is my gas," he says to the dealership worker.

"This is our car!" the employee replies.

"That's my gas!" he says in response. Finally, the employee concedes to agree to fill up the person's truck.

"That's what I thought," he says, removing the siphon hose and small cup away from his trade-in.

@russflipswhips Its a USED CAR ???????????? #carsales #cardealership #carsalesman #carbuyingtips #carsales ♬ original sound - RussFlipsWhips

TikTokers talk gas

One person in the comments section of Russ' video said that they had a similar experience with a similar reaction. "Yup same thing happened to me so I drained my gas tank in the trade in and transferred it to the new one," they shared.

"I’m not joking I bought a 51k diesel from a dealer a month ago. They refused to fill it up," another said.

"Bought my used Camaro and they told me I could only get 25 dollars put in," a third wrote.

Another remarked that this kind of attitude toward fill-ups from the dealership would cost them a sale. "I would cancel the deal over it," they wrote.

Should your used car come with gas?

"Why do dealerships not fill up the cars before selling, I had to go straight to the gas station when I bought mine," another viewer asked.

A Reddit post uploaded to the r/askcarsales subreddit proposed the same question. Dealership workers weighed in with a variety of answers. Three different workers said that, at the dealerships they work at, it is standard practice to only fill used cars up halfway, while new cars get a full tank. Another worker said the Mazda dealership they work at only fills up new cars, and used cars are sold as-is.

Russ told the Daily Dot that "it depends on the dealership really." However, it’s very common for used cars to be sold with a half tank of gas."

What to do if gas tank on new car is empty

Trusted Choice urged prospective car buyers to check that the gas tank of their new vehicle is full. "If not, ask for a gas voucher. Dealers sell all new cars with a full tank of gas, but, sometimes, sales reps will neglect to fill up after test drives or use the gas voucher themselves," Trusted Choice reports. And this should be done before the deal is finalized.

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