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1. How To Avoid The Used Car Sales Trap

2. Buying a used car involves a lot of risks.

3. While consumers are protected by several
regulations in place, none are available when
buying a car from a private seller.

4. Used car buyers also need to deal with
hidden histories and pushy sales tactics.

5. Below are some tips on how to avoid the
sales trap when buying used vehicles.

6. Don’t Buy Another Person’s Debt

7. When a car owner borrows money to
purchase the vehicle, the car is used by the
lender as security for the loan.

8. Once the owner defaults on the payments,
the car will be seized by the lender to
recover the funds.

9. An unscrupulous seller might try to sell a
used car to you and default on the
payments.

10. When the lender repossesses the car, you
are left with nothing.

11. That’s why before buying a used car; you
should check its debt status first.

12. That way you’ll know if there is a problem
beforehand.

13. Check the Registration of the Used Car

14. When buying a used car, you need to check
whether its registration is in order.

15. You should also check the engine number
that is stamped on the engine.

16. Make sure that the numbers match the car’s
registration documents.

17. If they don’t match, then the car that you
are looking at is literally not the same car
that you are buying.

18. You should do more research and
investigation of the used car if you really
want to buy it.

19. Or better yet, find another one.

20. Look for Crash Damage

21. If you want to make sure that the car is
worth your money, then have a trusted
mechanic look at its mechanical condition.

22. Make sure that the mechanic looks for signs
that the car has had some crash repairs in
the past.

23. Some of the indicators include missing
fasteners and over spray.

24. If you have discovered evidence of major
crash repair or damage, it is recommended
to forget about the vehicle and look for
another.

25. Get Updated Fair Value Assessment of the
Used Car

26. Another thing that you need to consider, is
to get an updated fair value assessment of
the vehicle you want to buy.

27. The values are for vehicles that have an
average condition with average mileage.

28. If the car is still in good condition, then
slightly increase its value.

29. Adjust the price downward if the condition
is poor.

30. Test Drive the Car

31. Before sealing the deal with the used car
seller, you should be able to take it for a test
drive.

32. A test drive will give you an idea of how it
drives, as well as alert you to any problems
that the seller forgot to mention.

33. It is a good idea to let a friend, or a trusted
mechanic drive the car as well.

34. One might notice an issue with the used car
that you failed to see.