Pointers for Buying Private Party Vehicles

Relax, I'm just buying a nice little used truck, right? No biggie, right? In theory, right, but reality can sometimes be a different thing. Believe me. Glance over these observations BEFORE you make your next private party vehicle purchase.

1. I don't know how this works elsewhere, but in California, the seller is responsible for smogging the vehicle. SELLER SMOGS. Make sure you see the paperwork that says the vehicle has been smogged within the allotted time period, before you hand over ANY money. No excuses - seller smogs - and you don't buy it until it passes. Don't feel obliged to smog it yourself, and definitely have this discussion before you buy the vehicle.

2.  Ask the seller up front, before looking at the vehicle, if they'd be willing to accept a bank check from you. If they say no, cash only, I wouldn't even look at the vehicle. Now, if you and the seller decide cash works best for both parties, that's fine. I'm saying that if you (the buyer) want to create a paper trail and the seller wants to avoid this by working with cash only, I'd hang up the phone and move on. It's not your problem if someone is that desperate for cash. Have them verify the check by directly calling the bank that wrote you the check. It's just not safe to walk around with a suitcase full of cash, not to mention the hassle involved in getting that much cash from a bank. True, a bank check can be fake, but cash can be fake too. Cash only is a red light.

3. Buy from the registered owner, and make sure you see a signed title, when handing over money. Don't take on a confusing or questionable situation, and don't blindly believe everything the seller tells you. Yes, people really will flat out lie straight to your face! People really will "burn" you! For anything they tell you regarding the vehicle, have them prove it to you. Brakes were changed recently? OK, show me the paperwork. And if they are not the registered owner, walk away. Make sure paperwork is complete, and demand from them EVERY piece of information about the vehicle that exists. You might need it, and getting it from them once they've gotten their money can be hard. They can make photocopies for themselves. Better yet, don't buy from a stranger, period.     

4. Don't be in a rush to buy a vehicle, and don't do it spontaneously or impulsively. There are tons of vehicles out there - it's ok to just walk away. Go into the purchase with a plan: I am willing to spend X amount, I need X paperwork to complete the registration, and I need to know X about this vehicle before buying. Have it straight before you pay ANYTHING! Don't feel obliged to make a purchase, and speak up about concerns and questions. Politely walk away from a POS car. Run a CARFAX report on the vehicle's history, check the VIN number compared to the paperwork, get the current registration, and make sure the license plate matches the paperwork. You just might discover something fishy.

5. Drive it! Then chat with the owner and let it idle for a while. Will it idle? Does it overheat? Drip fluids? Sound funny?