The most important thing to realize when buying a used vehicle is know where you are purchasing the vehicle from.   People that are not the titled owners typically try flipping cars as 3rd parties.  This practice is known as curb stoning and very popular with ad networks such as Craigslist!

There are 7 basic practices to follow in an effort not to fall victim of a scam…

  1. Make sure the owner selling the car is in fact the owner!  Make sure you are not buying the vehicle under false representation.
  2. Run a Carfax or Autocheck report.  Try to gather as much information about the vehicles past as possible.
  3. Make sure the title is not altered.  Altered titles could cause you not to register the vehicle.
  4. Have a professional check out the cars mechanics.  At the bare minimum you can by a computer reader and hook it up to your smart phone for about $60.
  5. Make sure to test drive the car.  Dont assume it runs and drives perfectly.
  6. Ask to see if there are any warranties on the vehicle that can be transferred over.  Some cars may still have coverage however if you do not transfer the policy you could end up stuck with costly repairs.
  7. Lastly make sure the car was not salvaged.  A vehicle salvaged in another state and then registered here in New York must go through a 907 inspection to get a title.  Without receipts of those repairs you will never get the title.