Let this post act as a warning note to all my friends who are interested in buying a used car online and looking for downright cheap deal. Some of the web sites to search for used car's other than craigslist are
UsedCars.com, Cars.com, CarsDirect.com and Car.com. You can specify your zip code too in these sites and search for good deals in nearby local addresses.
Before you start searching for a used car, first check for the car's price at "www.KBB.com" to get an price estimate of the car you are looking for . You can specify the make ,model ,year miles then select suggested retails price and KBB , which stands for Kelly Blue Book , would give an estimated selling price for the car assuming that the condition of the used car is "Excellent" i.e no accident,damage,engine in good condition and clean interiors.
People here swear by KBB's price , in fact if the car you have seen is priced higher than KBB then you can you can start negotiating from the KBB's value .On the other hand if the value of the car is very less as compared to KBB then again you need to be cautious.The reason could be many
*The car could have been involved in an accident
*There could be major mechanical problem with the car
*The car might be a stolen one and someone is just trying to sell it off quickly
*It would be better to avoid buying a used car that is freshly painted. There are instances
wherein the stolen car’s identity is being changed through changing its paint color.
*Avoid buying cars from a seller that cannot present the car’s “insurance policy.” This could
mean that the car is stolen or the seller is not the true owner of the car.
Next step is to check for VIN (vehicle identification) number, which as you guys must have guessed is used to uniquely identify a motor vehicle ,please don't confuse it with primary key (mokkai!!).
Checking the VIN would give you all record's of the motor vehicles including it's accident history if any. Carfax.com is the best place to check this .This service is not free though .Keep in mind though,If CARFAX does not show anything bad , still there is no 100% guarantee than the car would be perfect,because the report may not indicate minor/moderate collision damage or improper vehicle maintenance.
*Service and repair Records of the vehicle
*If the odometer was worked (tampered?) on
*if there was any damage to the vehicle due to floods.
* Vehicle use (rental,taxi or lease)
*Emission results
*Car was salvaged
Apart from CARFAX report ,make sure you get your vehicle inspected by a mechanic too.Ask him to do a "pre buy" inspection for the car.
Most of us will be using Craigslist.com to buy used car too, if you receive any message saying that the car will be shipped to you free of cost and the price seems too good to be true then beware ,let me share two fraud emails I have received . One even had a VIN and another one even had a contact number ,see for yourself.They are kind of obvious, but for first timer's like us it still poses a threat.
Hello,
My name is Kenny Banks and I am selling my car, 2007 Toyota Camry for $7,000. The car was purchased by my son for me on 04/11/2008. The reason for selling this new car is that I want to move in Canada with my son because I am 68 years old and is hard for me at this age to live by myself. The car has 35,485 miles and I am the first owner of the car. I am a non smoker so the car is clean and I keept it in my garage. The VIN number of the car is JTNBE46K973097651 in case that you want to verify. If you love the car please email me your full name and address and I will contact google checkout with the information and they will assist me and you in the process of buying the car. The car will be insured at the delivery service and if something happens on the road , you will receive the insurance from the delivery service. After the car arrives, you will have 5 days for inspection. If the car is different than the way I've described it, you will be fully refunded and the car will be shipped back on my expense. Anyways, I don't think it will be necessary, you'll love this car from the first moment you'll see it. I want to sell the car as soon as possible so please decide very fast if you want to buy or not.
Thank you!
Kenny
Another one had a contact number too, I have not called yet ,You can if you want to
1st mail
Hi ,
Thank you for contacting me regarding my car. I am a 28 years old single mom with 2 kids. I am now in a divorce with my ex and i am in desperate need of money to pay the mortgage on my house.
First of all I want to tell you that the car is in perfect condition, and the price includes all the shipping costs and insurance so you will not have to pay any extra charges if you can't come to Texas to make the deal.
My brother works at the shipping company and he has 1 transportation per year for free so the shipping will be free.
Mileage: 73,956 miles
http://picasaweb.google.com
Year 2002. The car has a Clean Tittle which will come along with it.
I am in Fort Worth, Tx . The car is with me here and is in a perfect condition.
It's a great car, I am devastated that I have to sell it but i really need the money to pay my mortgage unless i'll lose my house, so I decided to sell it.
Tell me if there is anything else you would like to know about the car.
Thank you for the interest you have shown in purchasing the car.
Please reply,
Regards !
Danielle
2nd mail
My # is:239-628-3016
I decided that the payment to be completed using Ebay security because i want to
take this opportunity to assure you that this deal is 100% LEGIT but you must know that in
this way eBay will require you to send a ($ 4.100) prior shipping and they will have to
verify me and the car and you as well before we can close this deal through their service.
Your money will be keep by eBay agent until you will receive the car and send them the
confirmation that you are satisfied with the product received. In case you don't want to
keep the car all you will have to do is to ask them for a refund and you will be totally
refunded in 2 days.REMEMBER: i will take care of the shipping !
P.S. You must know that if you decide to buy the car i will need your full name and shipping
address as soon as possible in order to send your details to the shipping company and to eBay
agent to make the arrangements for shipping.
Thanks !
SO guys be careful .There a lot more I want to add . So watch out for this space......
2 comments:
Just found your post and I received the same email from the Orlando Craigslist....Emailed back I smell a scam. Just a funny small world!!!
Glad I could be of some help :)
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