Buying a Used Car
by: Iowa Legal Aid
 |
No matter who you buy a car from you should first learn as much as you can about the vehicle. Here are some steps to take: |
- Examine the car using an inspection checklist. You can find a checklist in many magazine articles, books and websites dealing with buying a used car.
- Test drive the car under different road conditions - on hills, highways and in city traffic.
- Ask for the car's maintenance record. If the owner doesn't have copies, contact the dealership or repair shop where the work was done.
- Talk to the previous owner, especially if the current owner doesn't know the car's history.
- Have the car inspected by a mechanic you trust.
Besides the steps above you should also find out about the car title's history. Every used car will have a history that started when the first owner drove it off the lot. Whether that history is good news or bad news depends on how people drove and took care of the vehicle. It could be a dream car...or the start of a nightmare.
Each time a car is sold, a record of its history goes on the title. Eventually, almost all cars quit running or start to fall apart. The miles already put on a car can be a good way to tell how much useful life is left. More miles mean it is more likely parts have worn out and need repair. To get a detailed title history you can contact the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Vehicle Services. The DOT keeps a record of all the car titles issued in Iowa. You can get a vehicle history and have searches done on the vehicle's title, registration and owner name. There is a cost for these DOT reports but it's small. There's also a limit on how much time you can ask the DOT to spend on conducting searches for you. To conduct a search you'll need either the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), owner's name, title number or license plate number.
One way to obtain a quick summary of a vehicle's history is to buy a "Carfax" report from www.carfax.com. From that report you can learn about liens, salvage titles and other damage, odometer rollbacks, repairs, lemon cars, emissions inspections and the use of the vehicle, e.g. rental car, taxi, leased vehicle. The Carfax reports cost about $20.00 for a single report or you can get an unlimited number of reports for 30 days if you pay about $25.00. The second option is best if you'll be looking at several different vehicles before you buy one. You'll need the vehicle's VIN and a credit or debit card to pay for the reports. Although these reports can be very useful they are not free from errors. Some odometer rollbacks do not show up on a Carfax report. Dealer-to-dealer transfers of a vehicle also don't appear on the reports. Other services like www.CarFraud.com and www.autocheck.com also provide fast summaries of a vehicle's title history.
Most importantly, don't buy a used car without first knowing as much about it as you can. Know how likely it will need repairs and know who has driven it in the past and how.
Return to Toolkit
|
