Buying a new car from anyone but a registered car dealership is a risk. You can end up losing everything if you’re not careful. Certain types of people are more likely to give you problems than others, however.

The Car Salesperson Posing as an Individual Seller

To find out if someone is just selling off the lot without giving you the legal details, call and tell them that you’re calling about the car. Most real sellers will only have one car for sale, so if the person sounds confused, you may have a fake on your hands, trying to pass off a bad vehicle.

The Grandson

The story is an old one. An elderly woman has decided to give up her car and asked her grandson to sell it for her. While this may sound sweet, you’ll never actually meet this old lady and you could end up with iffy papers. When you ask about mistakes, it will always be the grandmother’s fault, but she’s never around to defend herself.

The Curber

This is someone who buys a number of vehicles, but never transfers them to his own name. He may end up with a number of cars by the side of the road for sale. The problem here is that the curber is just out to make a profit, regardless of whether or not the car is worth it. He’s also skipping paying taxes, which is illegal.

Watch out when buying a new car. You never know what you’re going to get.