4 Used Car Dealer Scams and How to Avoid Them

To say that there are a lot of used car dealers in Charlotte, North Carolina would be an understatement. A quick search on Google Local bags about fifty results, and it certain that the real world numbers are much higher. Used cars have always been popular here in Charlotte, but even more so in recent years due to the economic downturn when people had less expendable income and lower credit scores. Considering that a well-maintained vehicle with less than one hundred thousand miles on the odometer  that is only a few years old can save a potential buyer two to three thousand dollars when compared to a current model it’s easy to understand the appeal.  But for every used car dealer with a good reputation and customer service record there is another looking to make a quick dollar at the customer’s expense. Here are some things less than honorable used car dealers may do to get over on you, the unsuspecting customer, and of course how to avoid them.

Odometer Fraud

This is in fact the oldest trick in the book. It’s certainly the most widely known but sadly it’s also the probably the most prevalent. With the most basic engineering abilities a unscrupulous car dealer can simply turn back the odometer, making a high-mileage vehicle appear to have much less miles. The benefits to this are obvious. A lower mileage vehicle will on average be of much higher quality and less likely to break down. Obviously this means that a lower mileage vehicle would be worth much more which is obviously the point. The only sure fire way to avoid this is to pull up a detailed CarFax vehicle history report before you decide to buy.

Curbstoning

This is, believe it or not, a fairly common practice. Curbstoning is when a used car dealer will pose as a private individual looking to sell a car that they own, usually to skirt past regulations from the Federal Trade Commission or some other government body. It’s actually become very popular since this practice is fairly easy to do online. While it may seem to be harmless at first glance that fact is that dealers usually do this with cars that they couldn’t sell legally otherwise. This simply means cars that have extensive and costly damage which can be invisible to the uneducated buyer. The result is that you are swindled out of your hard earned money yet again by someone selling an inferior product. The only way to fight this is to yet again obtain a vehicle history report.

Yo-Yo Financing

This scam doesn’t deal with the vehicle at all but rather the way you pay for it, and is targeted at anyone who has bad credit, which many people now do. Yo-Yo Financing is when the salesman convinces you that your credit is approved for a certain amount during the sales process. Days or perhaps even weeks after you have brought your new car home the dealership calls to inform you that your financing didn’t go through and you have to be refinanced at a much higher rate. Oftentimes your previous vehicle will already be sold or scrapped to provide you additional reasoning to keep your new vehicle. The reality is that now you are stuck with a vehicle for several years that you now have to pay an insanely high interest rate on and of course the dealer ends up making money hand over fist. How to avoid this is by simple awareness. Make sure that your financing is completely finalized before you make your purchase, and don’t get sidetracked by any of the salesperson’s parlor tricks.

VIN Cloning

VIN cloning is the replacement of the Vehicle Identification Number on the actual vehicle with another one. Traditionally this was done to cover up the fact that a car was stolen, but more and more dealers are doing this so that they can present a Vehicle History Report of a car that is in better condition and that has lower miles. The way to avoid this all you have to do is simple detective work. The VIN is physically located on a car either on the driver side of the dashboard making it clearly visible through the windshield or on the bottom of the driver’s side door jam. Wherever you find it make sure it matches up with the VIN on the vehicle title, registration, and history report and that it hasn’t been tampered with.

There you have it. These are four common scams that used car dealer try to push on unsuspecting customers and who to avoid them. So no matter where you may go for your next used car here in Charlotte you will be ready and prepared. Or conversely you can come to Crown Auto Sales and Finance, where we always treat our customers fairly. Happy hunting!

It's Tax Time Again!

It’s tax time again and we all know that means that people will be making big purchases. Sales for everything from large televisions to washing machines go up when people start getting their tax returns. But none of this more so than vehicles.  People often use tax time for investing in a new ride and while there are many options to choose from in Charlotte, NC Crown Auto Sales and Finance provides and unique service that many others do not. The difference is the variety of versatility of the services we offer to our customers.

First off Crown Auto Sales and Finance is a locally owned and operated business that is not only a well-established name but also a member of the Charlotte community. Everyone from the owner to the guy the details the cars before they are taken to the lot for sale are life-long Charlotteans. We are not just a company, we are your family, friends, neighbors, and fellow church-goers. While we uphold ourselves to the highest levels of professionalism it’s actually our personal investment in our community that makes us take care of every single customer that comes into one of our dealerships as if they were one of our closest friends.

Above all else it’s our business model that sets us apart in the used car market here in Charlotte. You see, we maintain an in-house lender that allows us to finance our cars per the economic situation of each customer. We actually help you determine what you can afford and then set up a payment structure that best suits you. As a customer the benefits to this are very evident. Instead of a traditional dealer who has already determined what you pay before you ever walk onto the lot, we work the other way around, using the financial information that you provide us with to work with you to get you the car you want at a price you can afford. Essentially this gives power of determining the payment scheme over to the customer.

Maybe you’ve had credit problems in the past. With the economy who hasn’t? We honestly don’t hold that over you at all. A lot of dealers say “Your job is your credit” but here it’s the only way we operate. As a Buy Here Pay Here dealer we don’t check your credit history.  No matter what has happened in the past we can still work with you. We’ll work with you even if a company has repossessed a vehicle that you had purchased in the past. Even if that company was us. 

Then again let’s say that you are in the market for a used car but honestly don’t think you can make the $14,000 or $15,000 investment. That’s not a problem at here with us. We carry vehicles for just about any price range from luxury vehicles that go for $17,000 to compact cars that are priced at $7,000. And no the less expensive cars aren’t whatever we find at the back of the lot that’s held together with bubblegum and baling wire either. These vehicles have been repaired, serviced, inspected and maintained the same as the rest of our inventory. In fact even if you come to one of our locations and don’t find what you want tell us and we will pull it from another one of our lots or even find it and purchase it for you and let you know when it has arrived. So no matter what you are looking for you will leave Crown Automotive happy and in the used car you want.  One of thing is that we are always close to you. We have lots serving North Charlotte, East Charlotte, Stanly County, North Carolina, and York County, South Carolina. We are by far one of the largest used car dealers in the Charlotte area and beyond so no matter where you are we can serve you.

But don’t take my word for it. Come down to your nearest Crown Auto dealership and try it out for size. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. There is a reason that we have gone from two cars sitting on a car lot to four dealerships spreading across three counties and that reason is excellence. So come and stop by and get professional service with a person touch with us at Crown Automotive and Finance, where we provide cars and credit for everyone!

To see the best selection of used cars in Charlotte, NC just view our inventory at BuyAtCrown.com.

Used Car Buying in Charlotte

Take a drive down North Tryon Street. Start near Uptown Charlotte and go straight onto the UNCC area. As you go make sure to look to your left and your right and you’ll find a landscape dotted with car lots. This is just one street in a city of over 700,000 people. When you spread out to the metropolitan area that surrounds Charlotte that number jumps to well over a million and the number of used car dealers multiplies accordingly. The argument could be that the most difficult part of buying a used car in Charlotte is actually finding the right dealer to go to.

But the reason that these used car dealers exists is quiet simply because there is a demand for them. Charlotte is very much a new city, with most of its urban growth occurring within the last 50 years. Unlike older metropolitan areas such as Boston or New York where urban planning envisioned the city as a central hub for business, recreation, and living, Charlotte is much more decentralized in its development. If you want a good cup of coffee you might want to go to NoDa, if you want a good movie or book you might try Plaza Midwood, and if you want authentic Mexican food you will end up some place in South Charlotte.  And it stretches on from there. If you want to go to the mall you usually will drive to Pineville or Concord, and some of the best golf courses are down in Rock Hill. In short, Charlotte is a city where you drive.

Besides that used car sales are the most lucrative part of the automotive industry, and the options to buy a used car in Charlotte are as diverse as they are numerous. Dealerships range from large multi-state super stores to small dealers selling salvaged titles and pipe dreams. While you should always go for the dealer and the car that is right for you, your first inclination may be to run to the larger dealers out there and snap up the first thing you see. But  you should consider weighing your options first. Before you ever hit the lots you should do your research online. While it may not behoove you to go crawling through car manufacturers sites since you are in the used car market, most car dealers maintain their inventory online in a number of places. The first would be their actual site (such as Crown Auto’s vehicle inventory is hosted at buyatcrown.com). Searching for a car dealer by name will provide you with the added benefit of seeing customer reviews from places like Yelp, Google, and Yellowpages.com. Next on the list would be the large, directory style sites like Autotrader and Cars.com. While their inventory doesn’t show every car for sale in the area it does give you the option to find something that you can afford while combing through several different dealers’ inventories. Finally there would be the online ad-generating websites, obviously the most famous of which is Craigslist. While such sites are known for shadey business practices, more times than not costly items such as vehicles are tightly monitored, which results in excellent quality. However this comes with the major drawback of you passively browsing instead of actively searching, giving you less control over what you see.

Whatever the method you use however, make sure to do proper research. With a used car many reviews will be available from others who have driven the same model of vehicle for a number of years. Make sure to check for any recalls or known issues with that particular make and model of vehicle, and if possible pull up a CarFax report on the particular vehicle you intend to buy. Remember those old GI Joe PSA’s that used to say “Knowing is half the battle.”? Well the same holds true for buying your next used car. Equip yourself with as much knowledge as you can. Then contact the dealer.

After you contact the dealer, and obviously take your used car for a text spin, get it checked out by an independent mechanic. While we aren’t saying that car salesmen aren’t honest (after all we’re car salesmen and we are pretty honest) it’s always better to have a second opinion. Once this is done now you have to sit down with the dealer and talk turkey. Notice that coming down on the price of a vehicle and coming down on your monthly payments are two different things. If the dealer lowers what you are paying every month, the vehicle is still the same price and you will end up paying more in the long run due to interest. Always doublecheck all of the paperwork before you sign, and most of all use your head.

Follow our advice and no matter where you go, your next used car buying experience will be a positive one.