Before You Buy a Used Car

Whether you buy a used car from a dealer or an individual:

• Examine the car using an inspection checklist. You can find checklists in magazines, books, and on websites that deal with used cars.
• Test drive the car under varied road conditions — on hills, highways, and in stop-and-go traffic.
• Ask for the car's maintenance record from the owner, dealer, or repair shop.
• Talk to the previous owner, especially if the current owner is unfamiliar with the car's history.
• Hire a mechanic to inspect the car.
• Determine the value of the vehicle before you negotiate the purchase. Check the National Automobile Dealers Association's (NADA) Guides, Edmunds, and Kelley Blue Book.
• Research the frequency of repair, maintenance costs, and recalls on the models you're interested in. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Vehicle Safety Hotline (1-888-327-4236) and websitehave information on recalls. Ask the dealer for information showing the vehicle was repaired, and corrected, for the recall issues.
• Get an independent review of a vehicle's history. Check a trusted database service that gathers information from state and local authorities, salvage yards, and insurance companies. For example, the Department of Justice’s National Motor Vehicle Title Information System(NMVTIS) offers information about a vehicle’s title, odometer data, and certain damage history. Expect to pay a nominal fee for each report. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) maintains a free database that includes flood damage and other information. You can investigate a car's history by its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). You also can search online for companies that sell vehicle history reports. If the report isn't recent or you suspect that it has missing or fabricated information, verify it with the reporting company. The information in the reports may not be complete, so you may want to get a second report from a different reporting company. Some dealer websites have links to free reports.