How to know if a used car is too good to be true

When looking for a used car online, there are a number of factors that make certain cars stand out against others for sale, such as price, mileage and age of the vehicle. Sometimes a price can seem too good to be true, however, and as Consumer Affairs and iSeeCars.com found out, they typically are.

You would expect a car that has high mileage or is in need of a lot of repairs to have a lower cost than similar models. However, when there are no apparent issues or problems pointed out by the seller and the price is well below comparable models, you may be the victim of a scam.

All major defects or prior issues with the car should be disclosed before purchase, such as a salvage title, flood damage or major accident. Many times a car may look perfectly fine, but it has been totaled at one point and now has a value-reducing salvage title. When a dealer does not disclose this information, you could end up paying more for a used car that was supposed to be a “deal.”

Other scam tactics include tampering with the odometer so it reads less mileage (which is illegal) and advertising a car with the wrong VIN. This means when you arrive at the dealership, they don’t actually have the car you are looking for, but a similar and more expensive model (sometimes called ‘bait and switch’).

It is in your best interest to do some research about the dealer’s reputation by going to multiple review sites and seeing if there are any complaints. If you want to be extra cautious, stick to searching national used car chains like Enterprise Car Sales who have fairly standardized pricing. Look into what a fair price is for the model you are looking for, and remember if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Source:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/