If you need a new car, there are many ways to go about finding and buying one. You can take the traditional route, go to a car dealership and buy a brand new car off the lot. But it'll probably be a little pricier than you would like, unless you’re a shrewd negotiator, or it’s the end of the month and they want to get rid of inventory. Maybe you can go to a discount lot, find a car in the want ads, or go to one of many online car sellers.
Buying a car can be stressful or part of an exciting game. Car dealers expect a little “horse trading,” jockeying for the best price and/or free or low cost options to sweeten the deal. Car pricing is actually designed that way to allow for price discounts and a few freebies. Rest assured that whatever the car salesman says, they will make money.
All this friendly negotiation is expected and even enjoyed by those who love a good bargain. It’s when the playing field is slanted toward the seller that it isn’t as much fun any more. Unfortunately, there are dealers and individuals who will use unfair or illegal tactics to sell you a car. This is where salesmanship crosses to the dark side of scams, swindles and fraud.
To avoid being taken for a ride the next time you have to buy a car, take a few tips from an article in the Allstate Blog, “Top 5 Used Car Buying Scams.” These tips will help even the most naïve car buyer from getting taken for a ride.
Odometer fraud is the practice of turning back the car’s odometer so that it appears the car has low mileage. This is a federal offense, but still a common trick. Low-mileage cars are more attractive and demand a higher price on the used car market. Insist on the car’s original records and service history to check the car’s true mileage.
VIN cloning is another trick used by disreputable car sellers. Crooks will take a VIN number from legally registered cars and apply it to a stolen vehicle to make it appear legitimate. VIN numbers usually appear on the dashboard, but you can also verify the number by matching the VIN on the dash to other places on the vehicle, like the car frame, door sticker or the car’s paperwork. If the numbers don’t match, move on.
Damaged vehicles can lose up to 75 percent of their value. Title washing is another scam where damaged vehicles get a new life by applying a bogus “clean” title to a car that has been damaged. Curbstoning is another tactic to get rid of cars with safety or damage. Private parties with multiple cars for sale may be trying to get rid of cars that don’t belong to them. Beware of private owners with a mini used car lot of their own. The cars they have for sale may be stolen or otherwise turned down by reputable sellers.
Finally, airbag fraud is one of the most dangerous frauds of all. When a car is in an accident and the airbags are deployed, it is difficult and expensive to replace them. Car owners or body shops just repair the dashboards and leave the airbag compartments empty, and a car buyer may be none the wiser. One way to find out is to request a CARFAX report or other documentation about the car’s previous history. If a car was in an accident, the airbags may have been deployed. At least it’s a good reason to go the next step to see if there is anything under the dashboard.
It may be an unfair stereotype, but car salesmen have long been portrayed as slick, persuasive and a little shady. Consumers can protect themselves from buying a “lemon” by being a little street smart and skeptical of a car that looks a little too good to be true and a salesman a little too eager to let such a sweet vehicle go. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Photo Source: blackstock / Freedigitalphotos.net
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