When you sell to a dealership, it should be simple enough to verify that you are dealing with a legitimate company; when you are selling privately, things become significantly riskier. Yet in either case, there are techniques you can employ to avoid scams and ensure that you can sell your car with confidence. Before deciding to sell (or, for that matter, buy) a used car, it is a very good idea to acquaint yourself with the various car scams out there. Criminals are, after all, typically creatures of habit. With a good working knowledge of just what the red flags are, you can avoid the vast majority of car scams and sell your car with confidence.
If you’re looking for cash for cars in San Diego or the Southern California area, then a company like Cash for Cars in San Diego is an excellent choice. These companies offer a free expert appraisal and the kind of market reach that allows your car to fetch the highest price. In fact, if a car dealership is connected to a nationwide chain of outlets, then it is highly unlikely there is anything illegitimate going on – the majority of used car scams operate from private individuals or small dealerships. This isn’t to say you should suspect such entities straight away, but it cannot harm to know what to look out for.
Top Tips to Avoid Scams
Before examining a couple of the most common car scams, there are some general tips that you can always apply when moving to buy or sell a used car. Here are a few:
Keep an eye on social media and local news, and perhaps join a few groups for motorists on Facebook or other social media sites. Very often, a scammer will work in a specific area and it’s highly unlikely you will be their first victim. Keeping an eye on social media can keep you wise to what’s going on in your area.
If you are buying online, then the “if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is” rule holds good.
More generally speaking, if you find yourself online for anything auto-related (whether that be car trading or buying parts for restoration), then beware that you only ever have a person or company’s reputation to go on. There is really no substitute for seeing the car or the part with your own eyes.
Always suspect any uninitiated or unexpected contact from any persons claiming to be from the DMV or an insurer. Always check them out.
Common Scams
The DMV Trick
A common scam affecting buyers and sellers alike in recent years has been the so-called “DMV trick.” This trick involves e-mails that ask car owners to confirm either payment or ownership details for a car they are buying or selling. The DMV will never send an e-mail asking for confirmation of any of this. If you receive one, it is surely a scam.
The Dirty Oil Trick
A big one to look out for those looking to sell a used car in San Diego or wherever else, the dirty oil trick involves buyers getting sellers to knock the price down by making it seem like the engine is faulty. They do this by working in pairs; one distracts the seller, while the other pours oil into the coolant reservoir. The result is no long-term damage, but smoke billows from the engine during the test drive. To protect yourself against this scam, check that the car is in good working order before selling, and then get suspicious if something suddenly goes wrong during the test drive.
