Used Cars and Trucks: A Good Value or Not?

ORLANDO, Fla. - Sept. 20, 2013 - PRLog -- Many consumers have decided to purchase 2-4 year old, used vehicles to replace their older ones. And while letting someone else take the initial depreciation is usually a good idea for the thrifty car shopper, many consumers may not know that there can be a dark side of used car buying.

Larry Perry, president of the Magic Mechanic Auto Service Center in Orlando FL and Host of the Magic Mechanic Show (aired every Saturday from 3:00 to 5:00 PM on News 96.5 FM) highly recommends that any potential buyer always have an inspection performed on any used vehicle they may be considering.

Perry states ever since Hurricane Sandy and the floods in the Central and Mid-West U.S., a large number of flood damaged vehicles are showing up at his shop. Many of these vehicles are being purchased by unsuspecting wholesalers at local auctions for private consumers. The problem is that the majority of these flood damaged vehicles go through these auctions with washed titles as a clean ride and drive vehicles when, in fact, most of these vehicles will need thousands of dollars worth of repairs.

“Seems everyone knows someone that's saved big money by purchasing a vehicle through a wholesaler,” states Perry. “They've purchased vehicles at an auction but the customer or the wholesaler doesn't normally have the luxury of test driving or having the vehicle checked out until after it’s been purchased. Bottom line: Don't buy any used vehicle until a complete inspection has been performed.”

Perry also mentions that when ‘kicking the tires’ always look under the dash. Rusty dash brackets, seat brackets, and seat bases usually indicated that the buyer should move on and continue shopping.