Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is warning consumers to research cars before purchasing from a used car dealership.

BBB logged 6,915 consumer inquires into used car dealerships since the beginning of 2011, making used car dealerships one of BBB’s most inquired about industries in Southern Arizona.

“Used car dealers are nothing new in the BBB complaint realm,” said Kim States, BBB President. “But with the economy the way it is, we expect the number of complaints to continue to increase.”

When purchasing a used car, BBB suggests:

• Research the dealership with BBB.
• Get everything agreed to in writing. Verbal agreements guarantee nothing.
• If the dealer is responsible for repairs, be sure to get them on a due bill.
• Have a mechanic independently contracted examine the vehicle prior to purchase.
• Test drive the car in varied conditions. Avoid buying a car you cannot test drive.
• Obtain a CarFax report and be wary of any refurbished vehicle.
• Check for any recalls with the U.S. Department of Transportation.
• Realize there is no “cooling off” period for used cars unless the option is purchased along with the car.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 30th, 2011 at 2:16 pm and is filed under alert, Life, scam, Tips. Tags for this post: BBB, Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona, car buying, car dealer, tips, Tucson, used car. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.