Finding Out What's Wrong With That Used Car Before You Buy

Everyone buying a used cars should get an Experian AutoCheck Vehicle History Report, they get data from a substantial number of dealers and aftermarket repair shops, nearly 5,000 sources. A mechanic can put the car on a lift and instantly spot previous crash damage, hidden frame damage, corrosion, and fluid leaks. But your mechanic can't tell you if your car title has been branded as a flooded vehicle, salvaged, junked, rebuilt, stolen, or passed through a salvage auction. Most mechanics overlook airbags. You can only tell how many owners that car had or where it's been with a history report, not just by looking at the car. This is not the time to 2nd guess. Unfortunately there are no clear laws if you sign an "As Is" paper. Any used car can have a bad past, Mercedes, Lexus, Honda or Toyota. Some municipalities don't supply accident report info, that's why you still need to have a mechanic look at it. If the police never made a report, it won't show up in the AutoCheck Vehicle History Report.

When Hurricane Katrina struck Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and Hurricane Rita hit Florida, Louisiana and Texas, it was one of the worst natural disasters to hit the United States. Aside from death and destruction, few people know what happened to the tens of thousands of cars that were totaled, most of them flooded by Katrina's storm surge and the flooding all of New Orleans. Many car dealer lots had hundreds of used cars completely submerged under water. After insurance claims, these cars will have their titles branded as totaled or flooded, then they'll be shipped to other states so their titles can be laundered back to normal status, while latent water damage corrodes the electronics. It is more important than ever for you to run an Experian AutoCheck Vehicle History Report on every used car you look at, because you can't afford to be stuck with a previously flooded or totaled vehicle.

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