I traded in an old vehicle to the dealer when buying a new one. Imagine my surprise when someone called inquiring about it from an auction 5 states away. They told me it’s common practice to get cars out of state so it’s not so easy to track down previous owners and get the truth about problems.
I bought a 1996 Ford Explorer from a NH Ford dealer two years old with 29K miles. It was a 2 year lease turn in. I found mail from the previous owner in VT under the back seat. I called them up and asked if they wanted me to send it to them.