8 Things Always Keep In Mind When Planning To Buy A Used Car Online

These days people seem comfortable with online shopping, and online shopping extends to buying a vehicle mainly used vehicle. Sure you can pre-order and configure a new car from a manufacturer’s website, but it’s a bit more complicated when you’re looking to buy a used car. While there are reliable sites which helps you for searching reliable used vehicles at reasonable prices, a lot of people visit other websites to find certain kinds of deals which leaves them open to risk. Here are some essential things for you to always keep in mind when you are looking to buy a used car online: [Note - The trusted Toyota service Dubai centre powers the tips for all our potential users]

Don’t Get Baited Please

Like with many things on the web these days, you need to be aware of misrepresentation. Misrepresentation also implement in the case of buying a pre-owned car as well. Please Do not commit to a purchase solely based on images provided by the seller. Also, when you’re meeting the expected seller or buyer, do so in a public place, park, mall, inside society, etc.

If the seller does not wish to meet or talk in person and only communicates via email or text or call, consider this red flag or spam. Another sign of a likely risk is if the seller says that they don’t have a car with them.

Always Do Inspection By Own

Make sure you carry out your checklist to verify that it is the exact model that is displayed and doesn’t have any hidden damage. Be sure to inspect the car personally. You can also consult with an external car expert before finalising the purchase to help verify the condition of the vehicle.

Fraudsters and Impostors

Sometimes people falsely advertise online about them, and their profession is to extort money from you. Seller may pretend to be NRI/ex-pat or even a diplomat who has already left the country and claims that the vehicle is parked in the parking area or parked at an airport cargo-hold. Therefore, the impostor would ask you to pay airport cargo charges in advance to see the vehicle or have it delivered.

Another common fraud is, the seller may pose as a member of the Navy, Air Force, or Army and may even share own service Identity card with rank and ask for an advance payment to get entry into the army camp or some fabricated expense. In any case, please do not make advance payments without car delivery.

Document Verification

You must always check all the necessary documents before finishing the transaction. Beware of false papers, seek counsel from the trusted expert. Also, do not make advance payments until you are satisfied with the seller and the authenticity of the car.

Ask For The Identification

It’s common wherein a buyer meets a seller who is not the real owner of the vehicle. You should always check for documents and Identity that verify that the seller you are meeting does indeed own the car which is on the sale. If the seller is not the listed owner of the vehicle on the deal, then abort the transaction immediately, and walk away.

Always Check The History Of Car

While buying a used car online, make sure you are on a verified website which also presents a detailed history of the vehicles on sale. The site must show information such as the number of previous owners, total mileage, any involvement in a significant accident and more.

Escrow Scams Beware Of It

When you transfer money to a trustworthy escrow company, and it turns out to be a fake website, that’s an escrow scam, beware of it. An easy way to identify these types of sites is when they have cars listed with prices that look real and go along with a believable back story, for why the seller wants to get rid of it fast. Seller would ask you to transfer the money to an escrow company, and by the time you realise its fake, but they have vanished without a trace.

Compare The Prices Across More Websites

Just like buying anything online, you do check multiple websites to see where you can get the best offers or deals. Same when it comes to pre-owned cars, do compare prices it helps you to recognise potential frauds. Don’t think of saving lots of money, and in most cases, you should stop considering it altogether.

Less prices may also be a hint of the car suffering from technical and mechanical issues that may not be visible. In the case of false pricing, you can report these kinds of sellers to the relevant authorities.

ServiceMyCar.ae especially thanks to all the readers and suggesting others to check our beautiful website at least once. The links are mentioned in the article.