How to protect yourself from buying a used car from a private seller?
If you are in the market for a used vehicle, you have probably considered purchasing it from a private seller. A private seller is usually cheaper in price when selling their vehicle, because they can not offer any financing or warranty on the vehicle therefore their advertised price should always be less than a dealership. However just getting a vehicle at a cheaper price is not enough, how do you know if you are buying a lemon or been scammed for thousands of dollars? Well there are few practical ways you can avoid these scenarios. Let's start with the quality control of the vehicle, before any purchase you should always ask for the vehicle's service history as well as the Car Fax or Car Proof report. Don’t just settle with simply asking the seller if he or she has ever got into an accident. Frankly some of the vehicle you will encounter may already have few previous owners. And the current owner of the vehicle maybe telling you the truth that the vehicle has never been hit.
The only way to have any physical proof is to have it in writing by downloading a report about your vehicle based on its vehicle identification number. Keep in mind this is not always bullet proof, there maybe accident repairs on the vehicle that was paid by cash, and therefore will never show up. When you are satisfied with the Car Fax report, you can now get into the service history of the vehicle. If the owner has kept his records in order, it is a very good indication the vehicle will most likely be kept up to date with all the necessary repairs and services. But if the owner failed to provide you any physical proof the vehicle has been well maintained, don’t be discouraged. After all not every one is organized enough to keep years worth of receipt and service invoices. Pop open the hood to carefully observe the color and the smell of the engine oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, and transmission fluid. The key is to look for dirty or burned fluid in this vehicle, to make sure the maintenance is up to date.
The last thing you should be aware of is to check the ownership of the vehicle, make sure the person you are dealing with is the actual owner of the car, not some one trying to sell you a stolen vehicle. Take a look on the ownership if the vehicle has been branded as salvage or rebuilt or any other suspicious titles. Ask the owner if the vehicle has been leased or financed, make sure it is clear of any mechanical, and financial liens. During your test drive, play with all the buttons, make sure the power windows all work, AC is blowing cold air, and transmission is shifting without any jerk, what ever the problem you may discover during the test drive process should be noted, and dealt with before making your big purchase.
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