Buying a used car with a lien from a private seller

Quote from Ancalagon : Salvage brands ought to be on Carfax, as they're recorded at the DMV. In Florida, salvage is the status before being inspected, when it becomes rebuilt. Many states have a title status check that lets you check on lien information for a title and VIN.

That is what I thought. Thank you for clarifying.

Quote from jmor : The car has a clean Carfax/Autocheck, but has been in an accident. The driver of the car hit an animal, and it was taken to a shop to get repaired. The damage to the car was on mostly all to the body. The hood, lights, radiator support, and grill all had to be replaced. From what I can tell, nothing mechanical was damaged or replaced.

what exactly qualifies as a "clean carfax/autocheck"? i'm just curious [and ignorant].

Quote from tresh : what exactly qualifies as a "clean carfax/autocheck"? i'm just curious [and ignorant].

A clean Carfax should mean that the car has never been in an accident, nothing to indicate that the vehicle would be a risk. This is in a perfect world.

However, a lot of places do not report to Carfax, therefore many things do not show up on the carfax report, which can be very bad sometimes. I have a 2001 Honda Accord which has had several accidents and none were reported. The Carfax came back 100% free of any negative remarks. This is why you should always take a car to a trusted mechanic.

Not to scare the issue even more, but I work for the Tax Collector's office in Florida (we handle motor vehicles as an agent for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles) so I have more of a first hand look at motor vehicle fraud than most.

Most states report real time to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), but there's about half that don't, or half that only report in batch processes every 3 months or so. Also, each state handles title brand reciprocation differently. What this means, for example, is you could have a total loss insurance vehicle in State A with a salvage title. Someone could take this vehicle to State B and transfer the title, and if that state doesn't reciprocate the brand, the end result is a clean title with no hint of an issue.

http://www.vehiclehistory.gov/NMVTIS_Map.pdf

In Florida, when we process an out of state title, we receive real time electronically every piece of title history that has been reported by any other electronic state. Where you have to be cautious is when you're buying from a state that doesn't report real time or is only in development, or not participating. South Carolina used to be a hot spot for title washing because they'd drop salvage brands from other states, but now that they're real time, they're far safer. These days, Illinois is the biggest red flag you could possibly see on a title history. Personally, I would not buy a vehicle that had a title that went through Illinois, based on what I've seen from work. New York / New Jersey titles are also very suspicious, even though they report online, but it's usually altered titles and cloned vehicles from up there. Due diligence in reviewing the physical paperwork, VIN plate, etc, can prevent issues there.

Bottom line: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. In your situation, it seems like a fair deal, but you absolutely need to do your homework and have your own trusted mechanic fully inspect the vehicle, and I'd also call their lienholder as well to get any information you can.

Quote from Ancalagon : Not to scare the issue even more, but I work for the Tax Collector's office in Florida (we handle motor vehicles as an agent for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles) so I have more of a first hand look at motor vehicle fraud than most. Most states report real time to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), but there's about half that don't, or half that only report in batch processes every 3 months or so. Also, each state handles title brand reciprocation differently. What this means, for example, is you could have a total loss insurance vehicle in State A with a salvage title. Someone could take this vehicle to State B and transfer the title, and if that state doesn't reciprocate the brand, the end result is a clean title with no hint of an issue. http://www.vehiclehistory.gov/NMVTIS_Map.pdf In Florida, when we process an out of state title, we receive real time electronically every piece of title history that has been reported by any other electronic state. Where you have to be cautious is when you're buying from a state that doesn't report real time or is only in development, or not participating. South Carolina used to be a hot spot for title washing because they'd drop salvage brands from other states, but now that they're real time, they're far safer. These days, Illinois is the biggest red flag you could possibly see on a title history. Personally, I would not buy a vehicle that had a title that went through Illinois, based on what I've seen from work. New York / New Jersey titles are also very suspicious, even though they report online, but it's usually altered titles and cloned vehicles from up there. Due diligence in reviewing the physical paperwork, VIN plate, etc, can prevent issues there. Bottom line: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. In your situation, it seems like a fair deal, but you absolutely need to do your homework and have your own trusted mechanic fully inspect the vehicle, and I'd also call their lienholder as well to get any information you can.

Wow, this is very very good information my friend. I live in Texas and your pdf says that the state provides data, but does not make inquires. I don't think I should be worried, as the Carfax says one owner and was purchased here in Texas. Unfortunately, the person I am meeting lives three hours away and I don't have a trusted mechanic, but I will take someone who knows a thing or two about cars. I will also be taking the car to a Honda dealership to have it inspected. Thank you again for the valuable information.

Saw a report a few years ago that Carfax wasn't as reliable as other car accident&history report system. I suggest you google and find another more reliable source to verify Carfax's info is up to date.

Quote from calnbs : Saw a report a few years ago that Carfax wasn't as reliable as other car accident&history report system. I suggest you google and find another more reliable source to verify Carfax's info is up to date.

I also ran an AutoCheck and checked NCIB. I did google for some other ones, but I'm not sure which ones to trust. Do you know which ones are good?

Carfax is not a good benchmark for how good a car is because if one repaired the vehicle privately from a smaller "mom and pop" shop, they often do not report it.
IMO, It does seem that the seller is acting in good faith, which is a good thing. I would go a step further and ask whether the warranty on the repairs is transferable. Most reputable shops offer a lifetime warranty on this work --Example if the paint starts peeling, panel misalignment, body rust... etc. Its not a guarantee against everything, but goes some way..

Quote from SANDY2424 : Carfax is not a good benchmark for how good a car is because if one repaired the vehicle privately from a smaller "mom and pop" shop, they often do not report it. IMO, It does seem that the seller is acting in good faith, which is a good thing. I would go a step further and ask whether the warranty on the repairs is transferable. Most reputable shops offer a lifetime warranty on this work --Example if the paint starts peeling, panel misalignment, body rust... etc. Its not a guarantee against everything, but goes some way..

He got his work done at a Honda dealership and when we talked on the phone, he did mention that the warranty was not transferable..