I got scammed with a title-washed car. Can I still legally sell it for cheap on FB Marketplace if I fully disclose everything?
Location: Washington State (King County)
Hi! Back in 2022 (during the peak of crazy used car prices, ughh), I was a broke college student who desperately needed a car after my catalytic converter was stolen. The car I originally had was old, and the cost to replace it was worth more than the car itself. I bought a used car on Facebook Marketplace for $3,200. The seller's name was on the title, but his FB account has since been deleted, and I don't have his contact info. I now know you should always check the VIN or do a thorough check, but I desperately needed a car at the time and was strapped for cash. I saw the clean title, saw it was low mileage, took it on a test drive, and that was essentially it. There are a lot of things I would do differently now when purchasing a car, let alone from fb marketplace. Hard lesson learned lol.
Fast forward to recently: Jiffy Lube offered to pull a free Carfax for me as some sort of promo they were running after I got an oil change - and I discovered the car was title-washed. It was in a minor accident in Oregon, declared a total loss by their insurance, and issued a salvage title. Someone (who I assume to be the person I purchased from) bought it at a scrap auction, immediately brought it up to Washington, and managed to get a clean title issued. Then after about a year, that was when I bought it. I'm guessing he just did a bunch of shitty DIY repairs to it.
Right now, the car is a mechanical nightmare (TPMS light is permanently on despite new sensors + good air in title, left blinker is entirely dead despite bulb replacements, airbag light just popped on, and there’s an active EVAP check engine light). It drives fine, but these little issues keep popping up and I just cannot afford the maintenance anymore and am exploring the option of selling it on FB Marketplace for around ~$500 (probably less) just to clear it out and save for a legitimate used vehicle.
My goal is to be 100% transparent. I want to explicitly state in the listing that I was scammed, that the car has a title-washed salvage history, and list every single mechanical issue. The last thing I ever want to do is screw anyone else over or land myself in legal trouble. I could see it being a good car if someone wants to take the time and energy to fix these issues. It is still lower mileage, and it drives. If it is too much of a hassle, I may just scrap it for the pennies I am being offered lol.
My main question is if it would be legally permissible/possible for a private seller in WA to sell a car with a "clean" physical title if they know it has a title-washed/salvage history, provided it is fully disclosed in writing? If so, are there specific steps I need to take to protect myself from liability once it leaves my hands?
Thank you!!
(edit for clarity: I have a clean title/registration, and it is insured! When I bought the car, the seller had clean registration too. I don't have a salvage title, hence why I am a bit lost legally and honestly very frustrated lol)