Avoiding car purchase scams
 

I've been eyeing a car on Auto Trader for sale by a private owner. It would be a long distance transaction and I've read enough horror stories on here to be pretty nervous about a transaction like this. Any advice on how to avoid a scam?

It's probably a long shot anyway, but I'd appreciate any advice.

Perhaps by getting a prepurchase examination of the car by a shop of your choice (and on your dime) that’s local to the car?

Title in hand and face to face transaction. Take it with you.

Initially:
Ask for specific photos of the auto
You want documentation of repairs, ask for the name of local repair shop and that you plan to speak with the mechanic
Find out the Location of the p-car and if they will allow a PPI.
A scammer will have problems obtaining the specific information you request
A scammer will ask for money very quickly in your conversation.

Others will chime in with suggestions

Don't buy a car from a flipper who has had it for a short time especially if the car isn't in his name !

The other tip to verify the car exists if to ask the seller to take a video of him opening the passenger door while saying "Tommy Z, the car is real".
The loophole to this is that a scammer could ask the real owner to make the same video and then forward it to you. However, this request would probably eliminate 90% of scammers.
So, the way around this would be to additionally ask him to video his driver's license and title, and verify the names match.

https://www.escrow.com/fee-calculator
$267 fee for a $30k transaction
Cheap insurance for a remote buyer
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