Thinking of buying a used car over the net. Yes there is protection offered through paypal and such but here are a few tips when looking at vehicles.

Be weary when you are looking, there are always things you can see. The main rule of thumb is that if it seems to good to be true... it is.

1. Always get pictures of the door without the panels on! Seem wierd? When people want to move cars in numbers they will get painters to put a quick coat on. if you are able to see lines (these are called tape lines) then the vehicle has been recently been painted, and done cheaply.

2. check the gloss on the paint, if it is shiney, yet it doesnt seem to have depth in the paint then it is single stage. (the $99 paint job) that fades within a matter of months and costs more to get sanded down repainted.

3. A MUST get pictures under the hood, look at the lines on the two sides, a carfacts check only shows reported accidents, you can also see this on the before said doors... different color... then I would definantly start asking questions.

4. make sure that the vin numbers match, ask for pictures of the vin on the motor, and on the car itself... if they dont match then the car atleast has a new block on it, so intern it has been rebuilt.

5. Has the carb recently been rebuilt? What does this mean? A caring car owner? Probably not, when a car sits, the carb dries and the internal components sieze up.

6. Get pictures of the gas cap on vintage cars (when they are metal) if there is rust on the cap, then there is in the tank unless it has been dipped.

7. Ask the person to get pictures on the underside of the car, check for rust...  new floorboards are expensive and even more expensive to put in.

8. Get pictures of each wheel well, remember that rust in these areas is hard to get rid of, and expensive to fix.

9.  Get pictures of the tires, are they inflated? Check for rot and cracks in the tires, this is a good sign if the vehicle has been taken care of or not.

10. Ask for the vehicle to be taken to a local mechanic of your choice at your expense. Call the shop in advance... make sure it is a bonded shop, agree? then they are probably telling the truth, if they dont than there is something to hide.