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PDXinspections
Used Vehicle buying Tips
Research - Before
the call
1) Google is your best friend when
buying a used vehicle - Using "quotes" Google the "phone number", the "ad
title", and the VIN number (if you don't have it, ask it comes in handy). You'd be amazed what you
can find. If you Googled all three and came up with nothing you're probably good
to go.
2) Use Kelly Blue Book to check the
value of the vehicle to get a rough estimate on what it’s worth. Knowing this
information prior to your calling will help you get an idea how negotiable the
seller is. Compare KBB values to the other vehicles listed on sites such as
Craigslist in your area.
3) Before you call, look at the
license plates in the pictures, if you don't see any but see a temporary tag in
the back window it is very likely that person is not the registered owner of the
vehicle. This is very common with the unlicensed rebuilder's selling Salvaged title
vehicles or otherwise known as "Curber's". Another possibility would
be someone who is reselling a
vehicle they just purchased, maybe there's something wrong with it?
4) Just because the vehicle is
listed for sale by owner doesn't mean the owner is selling the vehicle. 75%
chance it isn't the owner selling the car rather a Curber or often referred to
as Curbstoning. A Curber is someone other than a registered owner or Licensed
Dealer selling the car. This is highly illegal and those who get caught face
fines from the DMV from $2500-$5000 per vehicle.
Why should you care?
a) For starters, they're not a
dealer there is absolutely no accountability if and when you have issues
registering your new car.
b) They probably know nothing about
the car they are selling and I guarantee they don't care. These will usually be
the most impersonal people you will deal with.
c) Most importantly they are already
lying to you... What else are they hiding?
So how do you catch them? Again
back to step one, use Google and also search Craigslist for the phone number. If
you see multiple vehicles for the same phone number of a seller who is claiming
to be an owner? Guess what....You've found a Curber. I can guarantee this is
the case for 1 or more vehicles you've already been looking at, Yes it's that common!
Still not sure if they are a dealer
or a Curber? If you're buying a car from Oregon, check out Oregon Dealer
Business Registry -
http://dmv.odot.state.or.us/cf/dlrsliclkup
A better way to search this database
would be the way I do - using my custom search (Enter the phone number in this
format XXX-XXX-XXXX)
If they don't show up in that search
and they are selling multiple vehicles they are breaking the law and are selling
vehicles illegally.
*OREGON LAW STATES:
Only persons or organizations currently licensed as vehicle dealers in Oregon
may buy, sell, or otherwise act as a vehicle dealer in Oregon. Also by law, a
dealer must announce they are a dealer in EVERY AD: Required to submit the
business name, dealer number, address and phone number.
5) Carfax and AutoCheck - In my
opinion there is more marketing and hype behind these reports than what they are
worth. These should be used as additional buying tools only. Don't make
the mistake of trusting everything you read on these reports. In my
professional opinion they are only "somewhat" effective in tracking mileage and
number of owners (worthless assuming the vehicle is properly maintained).
Truth is nothing beats having a professional check over your potential purchase
before making an offer as these reports will not tell you the mechanical
condition of the vehicle. Often theses reports do a horrible job keeping track
of accidents in the first place and definitely can't tell you the severity or
quality of repair. If these reports are important to you, I suggest you
run both as the information will often vary between the two and in my experience
AutoCheck is the winner when it comes to speed of reporting accidents and they
also collect auction data almost instantly. Carfax can often lag years
behind for some vehicles. 80% of the vehicles I inspect have one or more
repainted panels yet nothing shows on either of the reports. You can visit
http://www.carfax.com/airbag to access the free Carfax air bag Advisor tool -
Again It's likely it won't show but it's free so you might as well try.
6) If the price to good to be true,
it is.... Otherwise someone else would have already purchased it. Know the
market and value (Tip #2 - KBB Value). If the price is very reasonable for the
car compared to the rest. 4 Questions that should come to mind:
a) SCAM. If there are no
plates on the car or if the plates are blanked out, there are no phone numbers
and the car doesn't look like it was photographed in your climate (i.e. Palm
Trees in Porland Oregon in the backround) Move on, it's 100% a scam.
b) Clean title? Doubtful if the
seller doesn't specifically use "Clean Title" in the description it most likely
isn't. I guarantee the seller ran a blue book value on the car prior to listing
it so why would he be asking $1000’s less?
c) Overall Condition? Private party
and most independent dealers don't sell their vehicles in tip top shape with
important safety items like good tires and brakes. These two safety items could
run $700 - $1000 on most vehicles.
d) What's the story behind the
vehicle? Smoking vehicle, flood, previous accidents, paintwork or worse?
7) Damaged/Salvage/Rebuilt or
Reconstructed vehicles - Personally I would stay away from these vehicles.
Every so often I inspect one which was properly repaired and it's difficult to
spot the previous damage. These are rare but this ideally is how you'd like to
buy them if you had to. Don’t get caught up in the price. Unless this is a
vehicle you will drive into the ground, if and when you go to sell it you will
take the hit on the other side as well. These aren’t the easiest vehicles to
sell and skeptical of a buyer you are now, the future buyer will as well be. I
would almost always recommend a higher mileage, properly maintained vehicle over
a salvaged title vehicle any day. The people selling these vehicles will always
tell you it was a minor accident, etc... In most cases an insurance company pays
off an accident vehicle (salvage vehicle) when the damage approaches 80% of the
vehicles market value.
Here’s one I personally inspected, that was
being advertised as only a 25K mile no accident car being sold be a Curbstoner –
YOU MUST READ THIS STORY
Most banks will not finance these
vehicles and some insurance companies will not insure them so I suggest you do
your research prior to scheduling an inspection.
7) Spelling... Some people can't
spell and have poor punctuation skills, and that's fine. We're only human and I
make errors all of the time. I feel it reflects poorly on the vehicle if they
can't take the time to write a proper ad or run a simple spell check. Guess
what's going to happen when you call them? I can guarantee you will have someone
rude on the other line who you will not want to do business with.
Making the call
When you call and the other person
the other line is rude and short, hard to understand or difficult to get
information out of, hang up and keep looking, again you are most likely dealing
with a Curber. If you are dealing with the owner of the vehicle they will want
to sell their vehicle to you, they will most likely welcome your call and be
accommodating to your questions
Questions to ask:
Are you the registered owner?
If they answer yes, ask how long
they've owned it and their reasoning behind selling the vehicle. If they
hesitate or they stumble and start making a story about how they got it or who
they are selling it for they are very likely a Curber.
Second question should be whether
the title is free and clear.
Free means the title is available
and in their hands without a lien and clear is another way of asking if the
title is Clean as apposed to Salvaged or rebuilt…
Has the vehicle ever been in any
accidents or had any re-paint?
This is a good time to listen for
a pause and hopefully get a feel of their honesty, they might know and be up
front with you or they might respond "not since I've owned it."
What’s the overall condition of the
vehicle?
Hopefully they'll share
additional information that they didn't include in the ad instead of reciting
the ad itself
What’s the condition of the Tires
and Brakes?
Most likely they won't know or
they'll say good. If they can remember the last time the vehicle was
serviced or parts were replaced they most likely cared for the vehicle.
Are there any maintenance history or
records?
If they say no, you should
prepare to sink some money into the vehicle right off the bat. I.e. If
timing belt records aren't available @ 100K, I tell my clients to play it safe
and replace the timing belt preventatively.
Would you welcome an inspection by
an independent inspection company to look over the vehicle such as –
PDXinspections.com?
If they say no, thank them and
hang up.
Hopefully this guide
will give you an edge when searching for your next vehicle. If there’s anything
I can clarify or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me @
PDXinspections@gmail.com When you find the one feel free to schedule your
inspection at
http://PDXinspections.com
Josh - Owner
PDXinspections
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