Important Tips to Help You Avoid Being Scammed Buying a Used Car

Who doesn’t just adore buying a new or used vehicle? Oh, I see that everyone’s hands shot up; that’s because car shopping is the most tedious, most annoying, most irritating, most frustrating thing you will ever do in your life. I mean, it’s not fun. It’s stressful and there are so many reasons why. Since I could list about 9,000 things that make car shopping annoying and awful and completely make you feel as if it is time to move somewhere in which walking is a thing you do, I’ll stick with one thing; buying a used car sometimes results in a scam that might make your head spin.

It’s just a simple fact that many people end up scammed when they are shopping for a new used car to call their own. Fortunately for you, we have a few tips that might help you steer clear of a scam that might cost you far more than you bargained for when you began the car shopping journey you so loathe.

Buy Used from a Dealer

If you are going to buy used cars, you should do it from a dealership (or a friend or family member you know very well). Why? Because finding a used car online or from a private seller that looks good might end very badly. Take, for instance, a man who found a car a few years old for sale online for far less than it was worth, test drove it and it was in great condition. He forked over $10k in cash for the car and got to the bank only to realize that the title he was given was fake and that the car he had is actually a stolen vehicle. When you buy from a dealer, you need not worry about that.

Get the CARFAX Report

Before you buy any car, get the VIN and run a CARFAX report on the vehicle. Why? Because this what will tell you that the car has a positive history; or not. This is the report that tells you where the car has been, who has owned it and the real mileage on the vehicle. It also tells you if the car has been involved in any accidents, if it has any issues and whatnot. You may also contact a used car review company to get a better report on the vehicle you’re planning to buy.

Ignore Sellers with Cell Phones

It’s sad to say, but a seller that wants to get rid of his or her car and refuses to give you any personal information other than a cell phone is not trustworthy. These might be people that are going to scam you and then run, and you will not be able to find them when that happens. Of course, it might just be someone terrified that potential buyers are scary people, too, but it’s just a good idea to forgo these types of deals.

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