There is nothing worse than believing that after buying a second-hand car, you have secured gold, only to discover a string of hidden problems! To avoid paying a high price for a brand-new vehicle, most .people buy used cars, but if you do not know how to tell the difference between a reputable dealer and a scammer, you might end up incurring more debt than you were hoping to save.

Here are six ways to avoid scammers:

1.  Buy from a trustworthy dealer

Although on websites such as Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and AutoTrader, you will find lots of shopping choices, you will need to be extra careful. Usually, these sites do not include screen vendors, so there is no way to say whether they are good or not. Check out car services reviewsalso to ascertain their trustworthiness.

Reduce the chances of being defrauded by working only with people who have licenses from dealers.

2.  Never trust online pictures

“I’ll believe it when I see it is a perfect adage to live by when looking for second-hand cars. These days, it is too easy to frame fake pictures, so always decide to meet with a seller before making any offers. With Photoshop, dents, bruises, water lines, and other damage can be removed easily by anyone.

3.  Do not pay until you meet the seller

Before making the deal, a seller who would not let you see the vehicle was probably never intending to hand the car over to you. Be cautious of people who come up with all sorts of excuses to get out of a meeting. If they are out of the country,” “on military duty,” or “attending to a sick family member,” do not entertain dealers who use sob stories and awkward environments to get out of face-to-face meetings.

4.  Pay via secure means

Even if you trust your seller to the max, do not let your guard down just yet! Never agree to pay through any website you have never heard of when it comes to handing over the check. Unsecured pages, like your credit card numbers, will steal your private information.

5.  Go with a mechanic

It makes you a red-hot candidate for secret damage and fees. Do not turn up to a viewing alone. Hire a mechanic to tag and carry out a detailed inspection of your vehicle. While you may evaluate the car at face value, a mechanic can provide you with a professional evaluation of the vehicle’s working condition.

6.  Review all the paperwork

Speaking of paperwork, always check if it accounts for all the requisite paperwork. Here are some essential documents:

Report with registration: This document provides the vehicle and the current owner with details. You can also find the VIN, which you can use with CARFAX services to look up the vehicle’s full history.

Certificate of safety norms and certificate of pollution conformity: These certify that a vehicle complies with the law and is roadworthy.

The kit of the used vehicle information (UVIP):

In some provinces, UVIP or a package containing the details of the vehicle (brand, model, year, colour, strength, etc.), registration history (plus names, addresses, and milage readings of all previous owners), lien records, sales bill of the vehicle, and certification of safety standards are required by private vendors. You can find this information from sites such as Instantcarcheck.