The Dangers of Buying a Used Car on Facebook

Ever since we started exchanging money for goods and services, we’ve heard the phrase “let the buyer beware”. This phrase was put in place for the people who are constantly in search of the “great deal” and ignore the idea that the item they’re purchasing may be too good to be true. These days, people don’t seem to be paying attention to anything we’re supposed to be learning about the consumer process. No, these days, we’re just going in blindly and expecting everything to work out in our favor, especially when it comes to buying used vehicles. It’s important to know the benefits, but more important to be aware of the dangers of buying a used car on Facebook.

Previously, buying a new vehicle meant that we went to a dealership or made an arrangement through the newspaper classified ads, but with the advent of the internet, that’s not the case anymore. Sure, we’ve been using sites like AutoTrader, Craigslist, or dealership websites for years now, but we still haven’t ironed out all of the wrinkles in that system just yet.

Before we’ve perfected the art of buying a used car on all of the other mediums, we add in the possibility to purchase our vehicle from Facebook. You know, Facebook, where we can’t even trust the people with whom we’re friends. Of course, this seems like the perfect place to try and buy a vehicle that we want to last for a good long time. If you’re thinking of using social media to find your next vehicle, take the below advice into consideration.

DON’T Do This

Of course, there are thousands of places we can be fleeced for our money, but Facebook is not a great place to meet the most honest salespeople in the world. As previously stated, we don’t even know that we are able to trust our friends with what they say on the social media channel, and yet we are going to trust photos and the word of mostly, perfect strangers. Here are some things not to do when looking for a used car on Facebook:

• Keep It Online – Don’t keep all forms of communication with the seller online. You need to know that there are several others means of contact should they up and delete their Facebook page shortly after the transaction. As many means of communications as possible would be better than just Facebook messenger.

• Trust Their Word – Ask for a couple of hours with the car or take someone with you who knows their stuff when it comes to vehicles. It’s far too easy for a seller to pull the wool over your eyes via the internet and then disappear into the hole from which they emerged.

• Buy Without Driving – Never ever buy a car without first getting behind the wheel. There are certain nuances to every single car on the road, and used ones especially. You need to know if you’re going to need to replace shocks or struts, brakes, tires, or wheel bearings within a week of buying it. DRIVE IT.

• Wait for the Exchange to Talk Price – If you want to haggle, start the process before you see the car. Let the seller know that you have a specific amount of money in mind and that you’re not willing to go over that. This saves an awkward conversation when you actually meet up with the person to purchase the car. Haggle up or down further once you see the condition.

• Go Alone – Never go alone when purchasing something from a virtually anonymous buyer. Craigslist has proven the danger of these tactics more than once. Take someone with you. Even if your life isn’t in danger, your money may be. Make sure someone is there to document everything, and also, have them pay attention to the entire transaction. Chances are that there may be some details thrown out at the last minute by the seller that you’re too excited to hear.

We have to face it, people, buying a vehicle on Facebook is very different than the buying process on other sites or in normal face to face dealings and there are a lot of swindlers out there. As with any making any purchase from an unknown source, make sure all of your ducks are in a row first.