When dealing with car dealers, you as a potential car buyer need to be very careful in order not to become a victim of car dealer fraud.  Here are two of the newest car scams you should learn about. Spot Delivery The scenario of this scam is as follows.  When you decide which car you are going to buy and are ready to fill out all the paperwork , the car dealer tells you that your loan hasn’t been “officially” approved yet, but you can drive the car home. You are satisfied with the dealer’s proposal and drive the car home without thinking about possible consequences. A few days …

Today modern automobiles are compound, highly technical machines. Many car owners have no idea on how to repair or maintain their own vehicle. This fact makes the process of deceiving consumers more easy and they become victims of car repair fraud. Every owner of a vehicle should take precautions when taking a car to the repair shop. Here are the basic steps you should keep in mind: •    Require a written value before you authorize repairs – In most states it is necessary that a repair shop gives a written estimate when it exceeds $100 and contacts the car owner before exceeding the estimate by $10 or 10%, whichever …

There are a lot of do’s and don’ts when  buying a used car. Actually you have consider a lot more things than you do when getting yourself a brand new car. When buying a used car there are several things to consider: Deciding On A Model In order to decide which car model to buy you need to think about your needs, lifestyle, budget and driving habits. It would be better if you study every detail of different cars from technical specifications to prices. Payment Options As you are going for car financing it is essential to work with a good finance company. You should take into consideration the …

If you have to deal with a car dealer when buying a car, then most likely you’re going to come across “packed payments” which are described below. Market adjustment The dealer will assure you that the vehicle you want is selling like hot cakes. In order to sell you the vehicle, they will do some “market adjustments”. This is shown by a tag near the MSRP tag set by the manufacturer. Even if the car you want is very popular and has great demand, you should not be tempted since getting a “popular” car does not worth paying a few thousand dollars more. Preparation fees While preparing your car …

It stands to reason that car insurance fraud scams are dangerous. People usually get injured, and sometimes die from trying to stage an accident to claim the insurance. Car Insurance fraud is one of the most popular types of fraud in the area of car fraud. A vehicle can have some parts replaced and evidence destroyed if need be. Also being mobile and easily transferred, this makes a car almost ideal for the purposes of insurance fraud. Let’s start with the well-known car insurance fraud that comes to be one of the most basic car scams. Two people organize an accident, where one driver has insurance and the other …

Curbstoning relate to car dealers who try to avoid the law by selling their vehicles on the street, by pretending to be private sellers. In this auto scam dishonest car dealers use curbstoning as a means of bypassing  their state laws which govern the sale of cars. Inferior Cars Curbstoning car dealer usually use this car scam in order to offload the type of vehicle they would resist to sell through their dealership. There will be several cars for sale in the same place, often parked along the curb, hence the name ‘curbstoners’. Typically, these cars will be ones with problems, that are hard for the dealers to sell …

Be careful to detect hidden defects on a vehicle no to be a victim of dealer fraud. 1.    Body Check to see if the paint on the car’s outside matches the paint inside the door frame. Check if the panels line up evenly. Also check if there are irregular protrusions in the wings and bumper – these could be warning signs of past accidents. 2.    Doors Make sure that the doors open without creaks and close smoothly without being slammed. A door or the car trunk lid that does not fit equally could be an indication that the vehicle was involved in a collision or was regularly driven in …

Car dealers use trade-in scams to increase their profits on each deal. Be informed of the most common car trade-in scams and keep away from being a victim of car trade-in scam. In case the dealer says he will pay off your current lease or loan, no matter how much you owe, do not agree. Remember that a lease or a loan is a financial contract, and there is no trick to eliminating one when buying a new car. Since this supposed “deal” will only end with you making even higher monthly payments on your new car, it’s best to simply wait until your car is paid for, or …

It never stops to amaze us how cunning some car dealers are — to all the time they are trying to find new ways to take advantage of car buyers. Here are two of the newest car dealer tricks that we have not written about yet: 1. Spot Delivery: You have chosen the car you want, filled out all the paperwork (including the car loan application with the car dealer’s finance department). The car dealer notifies you that even though your loan hasn’t been “formally” approved yet, you can drive the car home anyway. Do Not! Here is what can happen if you do: A few days later, you …

Avoid buying water damaged vehicles or “flood cars” which are sure to hit the market soon if they haven’t already. Have you ever seen flooded cars on television and wondered what happened to them after the water receded? The sad fact is that many of them will end up with “For Sale” signs on them on street corners and used car lots. Nearly all of these cars should be considered total losses never to be driven again but some less than honest car dealers will see an opportunity to turn a quick buck at your expense. Knowing that the flood cars are out there is one thing but how …