Experts told about mistakes when paying for used cars

Buying a used car requires caution, not only regarding its technical condition, but also the issue of secure payment. Mistakes in conducting it can lead to unpleasant losses, legal difficulties and play into the hands of fraudsters. Experts from the SberAuto service told Izvestia on March 26 about the most common mistakes when paying for a car and ways to avoid them.

"The crudest, but nevertheless one of the most common mistakes is that if the buyer pays the amount before or even without signing the purchase agreement, and the deal breaks down, it can be difficult to return the money. To avoid such a situation, it is important to sign a contract before carrying out any settlement operations, even making an advance payment, and indicate the exact amount of the transaction and the payment method in it," the experts said.

There is also a disregard for supporting documents among motorists. If the payment is made in cash, in addition to the contract, it is necessary to issue a receipt confirming the transfer of funds — the same applies to the advance payment. Otherwise, it becomes problematic to prove that the money was fully or partially deposited. Any payment should be recorded upon the fact in the contract or receipt, experts stressed.

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"Some sellers ask to transfer money not to their own account, but to a relative's or a third party's card — and this may sometimes be due to an attempt to hide the traces of the transaction. It is better to transfer money only to the owner of the car indicated in the documents. It is advisable to specify in the purpose of the payment: "Payment under the car purchase agreement (model, VIN)". Before transferring, you should re—check whether the seller's passport data matches the information in the TCP and CTC," the service added.

In addition, when transferring large amounts of cash, there is a risk of receiving counterfeit banknotes for deposit. To avoid such a situation, experts advised transferring funds without change, or making a payment at a bank, where you can immediately transfer money to the seller's account and verify the authenticity of the bills. All actions on the bank's territory are recorded by cameras, and this increases the security of interaction with the seller.

"Unscrupulous sellers can put pressure on the buyer, demanding an urgent transfer of money under the pretext that there is already another buyer for the car. Rushing to pay, in turn, can lead to inattention. But it is undesirable to buy a car without checking its legal purity. In addition, before the transaction, it is important to track the car through the traffic police databases, the registry of pledges and other sources," the service emphasized.

Earlier, on March 21, it was reported that Russians most often bought cars with Lada brand mileage last winter. Kia is in second place in popularity. Toyota is in third place, according to the data from the SberAuto service.