Very rarely are cars that have been granted salvage titles in any sort of shape where they can be restored to ‘like new’ conditions. You might be buying something that has been buttoned up pretty, but these cars definitely aren’t something I would trust for any sort of long-term reliability. Oh, and if you live in a state like New York, good luck registering one of those cars with an out-of-state rebuilt title. You’ll be lucky if the paperwork even gets to the DMV’s Salvage Examination Office.
Suggested By: jbm0866
Sketchy stealership salesmen love to make all kinds of empty verbal promises just to get you through their showroom doors. Just don’t let them get you signing any papers, and if you do, PLEASE don’t forget to read the fine print. All of a sudden that 0% APR can go to 30% real quick.
Suggested By: Slay0r
When buying new cars, dealers will often try to convince you to throw “gap insurance” onto the grand total of your purchase. They’ll do this by telling you that if you wreck your car, your insurance company will only cover the cost of what it might cost you to replace your car, rather than the value of the car, and Gap Insurance will cover the gap between the amount shelled about by your insurance company and how much you dropped on your new car. Not a bad deal, but if you’re going to go for it, don’t let the dealership push you to opt for theirs. Compared to what it can cost from any common auto insurance company that offers this coverage, it’s almost always a complete rip-off.
Suggested By: Sean
Looking on from outside the automotive industry, the Cash 4 Clunkers program may have seemed like a mighty fine operation, but truthfully, it took a lot of cars off the road that very well might have had a lot of life left in them, and tricked consumers into dropping money into dealer’s banks accounts, resulting in some very happy auto manufacturers.
Suggested By: JCAlan
If your car is covered under an actual, factory warranty or if you don’t have time to find a more economical privateer option, dealership service might not be that bad. Service provided by dealers is often professional and quick. Just be sure to look out for those extra “recommended” services that your service advisor will be trying to stick you with. Decline, decline, decline.
Suggested By: langadamd
There are so many things to be weary of when buying on Craigslist, it’s scary. From the common “ran when parked” to the “A/C just needs a recharge”, you can never fully trust a Craigslist car seller.
If you think something doesn’t add up, service records don’t make sense or maybe you just want to be cautious, arrange for a pre-purchase inspection to be done on the car before you buy it. If the seller won’t allow it, you probably don’t want to be buying that car.
Suggested By: DennyCraneDennyCraneDennyCrane
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