That white "Buyers Guide" sheet on a dealer's used car is part of your contract and overrides it if they disagree. Here's what "As Is - No Dealer Warranty" really means, which states limit as-is sales, what the 2016 revision added, and what the sticker can't tell you about the car's history.
In most California private sales the seller owes the buyer a smog certificate that's good for 90 days, and "buyer pays smog, sold as-is" doesn't change that. Here's who's exempt, what the transfer fee is, what happens when a car fails, and how to look up smog history by VIN before you pay.
A fake, expired, or wrong-dealer temp tag can mean no title, an unlicensed seller, or a stolen car. Here's how the Texas and New York paper tag scandals happened, what to check before you pay, and what to do if your tag runs out with no title.
The seller still owes on the car and the bank has the title. Here's how to check for a lien, the three safe ways to close the deal, and the red flags that should end it.
Most Americans drive about 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year. Here's how to do the miles-per-year math on any used car, when low or high mileage is a red flag, and what to check on the history report.
A "private seller" with someone else's name on the title is usually an unlicensed flipper. Here's what curbstoning and title jumping are, why they leave you stuck at the DMV, and how to check the seller and VIN before you pay.
The odometer box on the back of a title is a signed federal mileage claim. Here's what 49 CFR 580 requires, why the 10-year exemption ended for 2011-and-newer cars, and how to check the number before you sign.
The VIN lives on the dash plate, the door jamb label, under the hood and on major body parts. Here's where to look, what federal rules require, and how a mismatch exposes cloned or rebuilt cars.
A window sticker lookup by VIN shows how a used car left the factory, not what happened after. Here's how to get the original Monroney, spot recreated stickers, and what still needs a history report.
Position 9 of every North American VIN is a math check. Here's how to calculate it, what a failed check digit means, and why a cloned VIN still passes.
