EDMONTON- Buying a used vehicle often seems like a good idea because it can save you money. But, it also comes with a lot of risks if you don’t do your homework.
Colleen Courtoreille, who lives in Whitecourt, recently bought a used vehicle after seeing an ad on Kijiji.
The car had everything she was looking for, so she met the seller in Edmonton and bought it for $5,000.
“It was in very immaculate condition, very good condition. I thought hmm, just that little voice that says ‘why would he sell that?'” Courtoreille recalled.
But, she didn’t listen to that voice and two months later, much to her dismay, the car wouldn’t start.
“I thought it was frozen because we had it parked out in the parking lot here and we didn’t have it plugged in.”
Courtoreille had the car towed to a nearby mechanic shop to have it checked out.
“(The mechanic) said ‘well, there’s something here that I’ve found which is causing it to stop.'”
It turns out the car had been locked down and located through a GPS unit. A Bailiff had also showed up at the mechanic shop to seize the vehicle.
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“He said the previous owner owed almost $10,000 and the car company is taking it back and you’re out of a vehicle and you’re out $5,000,” Courtoreille explained.
“Oh my goodness, I was speechless. I felt helpless,” Courtoreille recalled. “It’s been very, very devastating.”
She says she wasn’t sure what to do next, and was told her only option was to take the seller to court, which she is now doing.
The bailiff also told Courtoreille she should have done a lien search prior to buying the vehicle.
“I had no idea about a lien search before, until it happened, and then I found out the hard way that a lien search was needed.”
Lien searches can be done at any registry office as long as you have the vehicle identification number (VIN). Lien searches only cost about $10 to $25.
The author of the Lemon-Aid new and used car/truck guides says a lien search is just the beginning when it comes to buying used vehicles.
Phil Edmonston says he has heard numerous horror stories from people who have bought used vehicles, and has a few tips for consumers.
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“It’s a good idea, a used car, but not if you don’t get it inspected. If you don’t get it inspected you’re going to have a lot of repair problems later on.”
He also suggests checking the vehicle for any recalls. Recall searches can be done online, on websites such as www.safercar.gov.
Edmonston says not only should consumers be inspecting the vehicle before they purchase it, they should also be inspecting the person that is selling the vehicle.
“If you are buying it privately you have to be really very careful, because in this area in particular there are a lot of what they call “curbsiders,” people who are not private people as they pretend to be, but people who are working directly for the dealership out of their home, or they’re buying these cars used or at auctions and they are very poor quality,” He explained. “And these are the guys that you have to protect yourself from.”
Edmonston urges consumers to ask for any and all paperwork on the vehicle including repair history and any warranties that may still be valid.
“If that seller doesn’t have any of that it’s because that hasn’t been that sellers car for very long.”
He also urges consumers to ask the seller when they bought the vehicle and request to see a copy of the bill of sale.
“If you don’t get a satisfactory answer to any of these questions, get the heck away.”
With files from Julie Matthews.
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