I Just Wanted a Car, Not Noah’s Ark

You thought you found a great deal on a used car – low miles, looks great – almost too good to be true. There’s a great chance it isn’t. Right now, with all of the floods in the Midwest, thousands of cars have gone underwater, and unscrupulous folk will try to pawn them off on unsuspecting buyers. But there’s a way to find out if your dream car is really a nightmare.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau now has a database that lists cars that have been declared a total loss or reported as stolen. Just enter the VIN number of the vehicle, and you’ll know if your car has a history filled with red flags.

While the database is fairly comprehensive, it only includes results reported by members of the NCIB, so your auto may not show up there. Still, it’s one more free way to protect yourself before buying a lemon.

If you do buy one of these lemons, not only can you have a myriad of mechanical problems, you can have one heck of a hard time getting auto insurance on that car. Worse, if the car you bought has been reported as stolen, you will be investigated and the car will most likely be returned to the original owner, leaving you both car-less and money-less.

So, before you get the cashier’s check for that new sports car, take 60 seconds and search the VIN number. Hopefully it will come up clean, and you’re good to go. If not, send an email to the NICB to thank them for saving you from a nightmare.