PDXinspections Used Vehicle buying Tips

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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 (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.

3) 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.

4) 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?

5) 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? Where did the get the car from and why was it sold?

Kerry Tomlinson of KATU Problem Solvers here in Portland does a great job of reporting these stories
1st story of a guy selling a odometer rollback truck as a "Curber"

http://www.katu.com/home/video/108354209.html
2nd story involving the same guy now a licensed dealer not following the DMV rules that govern all dealers and still using the trickery you'll read below.  http://www.katu.com/home/video/117463379.html

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!  Another dead give away is when they attempt to fool you by listing their phone number in a photo rather than the ad text (so Craigslist and search engines can't index it) or using different formats with spaces such as 5 0 3 - 7 8 9 - 0 1 6 8;  replacing the zeros with O's; spelling out numbers 5O3-789 O16eight, or a combo of all the above.

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.

6) 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 Free Carfax Airbag Deployment Tool 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.

6a) NICB free VIN check - https://www.nicb.org/theft_and_fraud_awareness/vincheck this isn't as detailed as the above reports but the important info comes from the same sources.

7) If the price to good to be true, it is.... Otherwise someone else would have already purchased it. Know the market and value (Tip #3 - 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 Portland Oregon in the background) 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?

8) 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 being advertised as only a 25K mile, no accident car being sold by a Curber – 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.

9) 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 (as they likely just save you from the hassle) 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 @ Josh@PDXinspections.com When you find the one feel free to schedule your inspection at http://PDXinspections.com

Josh - Owner