In the context of a contract, who is Ryan when he offers to sell his automobile to Mary?

In the context of a contract, Ryan is considered the offeror because he is the one making the offer to sell his automobile. The offeror is defined as the party that proposes the terms of the agreement and initiates the negotiation process. By offering to sell the automobile to Mary, Ryan establishes the terms under which he is willing to enter into the agreement, making him the offeror in this scenario.

In contractual terms, the offeree is the person to whom the offer is made, which in this case would be Mary. The terms purchaser and vendor imply roles after a contract is accepted and the transaction is completed; while Ryan would become the vendor (or seller) after Mary accepts the offer, at the moment of the offer, he is still the offeror. Thus, defining Ryan as the offeror is accurate within the framework of contract law.