Beware Of Curbstoners!
Pay no attention to my plaid jacket, my cousin is the original owner!
A Curbstoner is someone who is illegally selling cars without a dealers license. They pose as private sellers, and take advantage of unwary car buyers. In other words, they are scam artists. The vast majority of people today will trade their used car in rather than try to sell it themselves in the newspaper. That means that the vast majority of the alleged private sellers out there are most likely Curbstoners. Be very wary when buying from a private seller. Make sure you examine the Title carefully and see that the name on that Title matches the name of the person selling the car. That old saw “I’m selling it for my girlfriend/brother/mother” is a dead give-a-way. Once you are satisfied that the seller and the owner are one and the same person, then it is time to have that vehicle thoroughly examined by the Auto Analyst.
January 20th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
In my search for a used car from an individual, I’m finding MOST of the people I call from Craigs List seem to be these “curbstoners” It’s very difficult and frustrating finding a real “owner” thats selling his car. What happened to them all??
January 20th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Ha! Well they all traded their cars in rather than deal with the hassle of selling it themselves.
Cheers,
The Analyst