Questions to Ask When Buying a Used Car: The 10 That Matter Most
If you only ask ten, ask these. Each links to the section with the reason and what a good answer sounds like.
- Can you send me the VIN?
- Can I take it to my own mechanic for an inspection before I buy?
- Is the title in your name, in hand, with no loan and no brand on it?
- Is it sold as is, or with a warranty? Can I see the Buyers Guide?
- Has it been in an accident or a flood, and can I see the repair records?
- What is the out-the-door price, itemized, in writing?
- Is this the rate the lender approved me at, and can you beat my pre-approval?
- Is my loan approval final, with no conditions left?
- What does each product cost as a total, and can I see the contract without it?
- Will you put that in writing?
Bring this list on your phone, or print the parts you need. Write the answers down. An answer that changes between the phone call and the lot, or between the sales desk and the finance office, tells you more than any single answer.
What to Ask Before You Go: By Phone or Email
Ask these before you drive anywhere, and write the answers down. If an answer changes when you arrive, that tells you something.
“Is the car still available, and is the advertised price the price for every buyer?”
You are asking whether the price has conditions attached, such as financing with the dealer or trading in a car. A good answer is a plain yes. If there are conditions, ask what they are and get them in the email.
“Can you send me the VIN?”
With the vehicle identification number you can run the free federal recall lookup and a history report before you spend an afternoon on a test drive. A seller who will not share it has a reason.
“Is the title in your name, and do you have it in hand?”
If the title is not in the seller’s name, the person you are talking to is not the owner on paper. If it is not in hand, ask where it is. A dealer should be able to say whether it holds the title or is waiting on a payoff.
“Is there a loan on the car?”
A loan has to be paid off and the lender’s lien released before the title can pass to you. A good answer names the lender and how the payoff will happen.
“Can I take it to my own mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection?”
The most important yes on this page. The federal Buyers Guide on every dealer car tells buyers to ask for exactly this. A good answer is “of course.” A no, or a long list of conditions, is a reason not to make the trip.
“Has it been in any accidents, and is there any damage or warning light I should know about?”
You will check this yourself, but ask it now, so you can hold the answer up against the history report and the inspection.
“What is the out-the-door price, with tax and every fee?”
A dealer can quote it by email. It shows you early what fees they charge, and it is the number to negotiate from.
With the VIN in hand, run a free VIN check for open recalls and the factory specs, and a vehicle history report for the title chain, accidents and mileage, before you make the trip.
Questions to Ask a Dealer When Buying a Used Car
A dealer has paperwork a private seller does not, and these questions make the dealer produce it. Most of them come down to getting something in writing.
“Is this car sold as is, or with a warranty? Can I see the Buyers Guide?”
A dealer has to post the federal Buyers Guide on every used car it offers for sale, and the guide says whether the car has a warranty or is sold as is. What the guide says is part of your contract and overrides anything in the contract that conflicts with it. A good answer is the sticker in the window, filled in.
“If I buy your service contract, is the car still sold as is?”
If you buy a service contract from the dealer within 90 days of buying the car, the dealer cannot remove the implied warranties on the parts the contract covers. A good answer knows that. An evasive one goes straight back to the monthly price.
“Is any of the manufacturer’s warranty left?”
Factory coverage counts from the date the car was first sold, not from the model year, and can still be running on a used car. Ask for the warranty documents, and check the mileage limit as well as the date.
“Where did you get the car: a trade-in, an auction, a lease return?”
A local trade-in may come with records and a known history. A car bought at auction may have come from anywhere, which makes the history report matter more.
“What reconditioning did you do, and can I see the repair order?”
If the dealer serviced or repaired the car before listing it, the repair order shows what was replaced and what was found. A dealer who did the work can hand it over.
“Are there any open recalls, and will you fix them before I take delivery?”
No federal law stops a dealer from selling a used car with an open recall. The repair itself is free at the manufacturer’s dealers on cars up to 15 years old, counted from the first sale. Ask, and get the answer in writing.
“Are any add-ons already on the car or in the price?”
Nitrogen in the tires, window etching, paint or fabric protection added before you arrived are optional, like every dealer add-on. A good answer is an itemized list with a price on each line.
“How much is your doc fee?”
It is the dealer’s charge for the paperwork, and it belongs inside the out-the-door number. Whether your state caps it is on your state page.
“Can I see the odometer statement, and does it say the mileage is actual?”
For a car from the 2011 model year or newer, federal law requires the seller to state the mileage in writing at the sale and say whether it is the actual mileage; 2010 and older models are exempt. A statement that the reading is not actual, or exceeds the odometer’s mechanical limits, is a reason to stop and ask why.
“Do you have both keys, the owner’s manual and the service records?”
If something is missing, it is a price point, or a line on the we-owe, the signed list of what the dealer still owes you.
“Will you put that in writing?”
Ask it every time a promise is made out loud: a repair, a second key, a return policy. Spoken promises are hard to enforce. The promise belongs on a signed we-owe or on the Buyers Guide.
“Will this price still be good if I come back tomorrow?”
Federal law gives you no three-day right to cancel a car deal, so the time to think is before you sign. A dealer who will not hold a number overnight has told you something about the dealer.
What a seller has to tell you, and what it does not
A dealer has to post the Buyers Guide, mark it as is or warranty, and give you the guide or a copy at the sale. Any seller of a 2011 or newer model, dealer or private, has to state the mileage in writing. The federal rule does not make a dealer list the defects it knows about: the list of major problems on the back of the Buyers Guide is a list of things to look for, not a report on this car. Whether a seller has to disclose a title brand or a known defect is state law, and your state page says what yours requires.
How the Used Car Rule works is on the resources page.
Questions to Ask a Private Seller When Buying a Second-Hand Car
A private seller selling their own car is not covered by the federal Used Car Rule, so there is no Buyers Guide, and unless the seller writes a warranty into the bill of sale, nothing in writing about the car’s condition. The conversation and the paperwork carry the weight. These questions also help you tell a real owner from someone reselling cars.
“Why are you selling it?”
An ordinary reason (a new car, a growing family, a move) is reassuring. A vague one proves nothing, but listen harder to the other answers.
“How long have you owned it, and how was it driven?”
An owner of several years can tell you its history and its quirks. Someone who bought it a month ago may be reselling it.
“Is the name on the title yours, and can I see your ID?”
The names have to match. A title signed by someone else and left blank for the buyer, sometimes called an open or jumped title, means the person in front of you is not the owner of record. Stop there and ask why.
“Is there a loan on it, and can we finish the sale at your lender?”
If a lender holds the title, closing at that lender means the payoff and the lien release happen in one place, and you leave knowing the title will come to you.
“Do you have the maintenance records?”
Receipts for oil changes and major services tell you how the car was kept. No records means the inspection matters more.
“Are there any problems, warning lights or repairs it needs that you know of?”
Ask directly and write the answer down. A specific, honest list is a good sign. “Nothing at all” on a high-mileage car is worth testing at the inspection.
“Has it ever been in a flood, been smoked in, or been modified?”
Flood damage can be hard to see, so check the federal title record for a flood brand as well as asking. Smoke and modifications are easier to price once you know about them.
“Will you write the mileage on the title when you sign it over?”
The federal mileage statement applies to private sellers too, on 2011 and newer models. The number on the title should match the dash.
“Do you have other cars for sale?”
Under the federal rule, anyone who has sold five or more used cars in the past twelve months counts as a dealer and has to post a Buyers Guide. Someone with several cars and no dealer license may be curbstoning: a dealer posing as a private seller. The resources page has the signs.
“How would you like to be paid?”
A cashier’s check or a transfer done at the bank is traceable for both of you. The FTC is blunt that anyone who demands payment by gift card is a scammer. Pressure to pay cash in a parking lot, or to wire money to a third party, is a reason to walk.
The signs of an unlicensed dealer and other private-sale scams are on the resources page and in the printable used car scam checklist. How to close a private sale, and the paperwork you need, is in the how-to-buy guide.
Selling your own car?These are the questions a careful buyer will ask, so have the answers ready: the title in your name, the lender’s payoff details if there is a loan, the service records, and a yes to the inspection. On payment, the FTC’s advice to sellers is never to accept a check for more than the price and never to send back an “overpayment.” Pricing and closing a sale from the seller’s side is in the negotiation guide.
Questions to Ask About the Car’s History
Ask these of the seller, then check the answers against a vehicle history report. The point is not to catch anyone out. It is to see whether the story and the record agree.
“Has it been in an accident, and did the airbags deploy?”
A minor repaired collision can be fine; a deployment or structural repair calls for a body-shop inspection. Ask for the repair invoice and the shop’s name.
“Does the title have any brand on it: salvage, rebuilt, flood, buyback?”
A brand stays with the car for good and changes its value, insurance and financing. Ask whether the title carries any brand, not just whether it is salvage. The branded title page explains each one.
“How many owners has it had?”
Fewer owners is not always better, but a car that changed hands several times in a short period is worth asking about.
“Was it ever a rental, fleet, lease or rideshare car?”
Not a reason to pass on its own, but it explains high mileage and wear.
“Has it had any major repairs: engine, transmission, timing belt, head gasket?”
A major repair done well can be a plus. You want to know what was done, when, and by whom.
“Has the odometer or the instrument cluster ever been replaced?”
A replaced cluster can explain a mileage mismatch legitimately, but it should be disclosed and documented.
“Where has the car been registered?”
A car that moved through several states is worth a closer look at the title chain. The federal title record lists each title with its brand history, and a brand on that record stays there even if a later paper title does not show it.
“Have the recalls been done?”
The free federal recall lookup shows open recalls by VIN. A seller who knows the car will often have the record of the ones already done.
If the answer to the title question is anything but “clean,” read the branded title guide before you go further. If the car has been in an accident, the accident section of the buying guide covers what to inspect and how to price it.
Questions to Ask About Price, Fees and the Out-the-Door Number
The vehicle price is one number on the sheet. These questions bring the rest into the open, before the deal moves to the finance office.
“Can you give me the out-the-door price, itemized, in writing?”
Out-the-door is the price plus the doc fee, tax, title, registration and any other fee: the number you actually pay. Get it on paper before the deal moves to the finance office.
“Which of these fees are government fees, and which are yours?”
Tax, title and registration are set by government. Dealer fees and pre-installed add-ons are the dealer’s, and negotiable.
“Which state’s sales tax is in this number, and at what rate?”
If you will register the car in another state, the tax line can be wrong. The out-of-state questions below cover it.
“Does my trade-in lower the taxable price here?”
States differ on whether a trade-in reduces the price that gets taxed. Your state page says how yours treats it.
“What are you giving me for my trade, as its own number?”
What you finance is the spread between the price and the trade allowance. If the allowance goes up, check whether the price went up with it.
“Is this price contingent on financing with you?”
If a discount disappears when you pay cash or bring your own loan, you want to know now, not at the finance desk.
“Is my deposit refundable, and can you write that on the receipt?”
A deposit to hold a car while you arrange an inspection is reasonable. A non-refundable one before the inspection is a risk.
“If I pay with my own loan, does anything on this sheet change?”
The honest answer is no. If it changes, the difference was coming from somewhere in the financing.
How to use the answers is the subject of the guide to negotiating a car price, which has an out-the-door calculator that adds up the whole deal, tax and fees included.
Questions to Ask When Buying a Used Car Out of State
You will register the car in your own state, but the sale happens under the rules of the state where you buy it. These questions get both sides on paper. The answers are state law, so check them against the state guides for both states before you sign.
“I am registering this car in another state. What tax are you collecting, and for which state?”
The answer decides whether you pay tax at the dealer or at your own motor vehicle office. Get it in writing, and check it against your state guide.
“What temporary tag will you issue, and how many days is it good for?”
The tag is issued under the selling state’s rules. You want it to cover the drive home and the time your own state needs to register the car.
“Who sends the title paperwork to my state, and when?”
Ask whether the dealer files with your state or hands you the paperwork to file yourself. On a financed car the lender’s lien has to be recorded too. Get a date.
“Does my state need an inspection or emissions check before it will register this car?”
The selling dealer may not know your state’s rules, and a car that cannot meet them can be hard to register. Your state guide says what yours requires.
“For a private sale: does your state require the title signature to be notarized, and what happens to the plates?”
Both are set by the seller’s state. The state guide for the seller’s state answers them.
Each state guide covers title transfer, registration and tax for a car bought there or brought in. Open the guide for the state you are buying in and the one you will register in.
Questions to Ask in the Finance Office: the Rate, Add-Ons, the Warranty and GAP
The finance office, F&I for short, is the second negotiation. Two things get added there: a rate that can be written above the one the lender approved you at, and products offered into the payment. Service contracts, GAP and the other add-ons are optional. A lender can require you to insure the car, and you can buy that insurance from your own insurer. Each question below has a short, checkable answer, with what a straight answer and an evasive one sound like.
About the loan and the rate
“What are the APR, the term in months, the amount financed and the total of payments on this contract?”
These are the federal Truth in Lending numbers, printed in a box on the contract. Hold them up against what you agreed at the sales desk. If the payment does not match that amount, rate and term, something is inside it.
Straight answer: Each number, pointed out on the contract.
Evasive answer: “The payment is what you asked for.”“Is this the rate the lender approved me at, or is there dealer reserve in it?”
When a dealer arranges your loan, the lender quotes the dealer a buy rate, and the rate offered to you can be higher to pay the dealer. The buy rate is not one of the required disclosures, so it is not on your contract. Asking tells the room you know it exists.
Straight answer: “That is the buy rate,” or the buy rate and the difference, stated.
Evasive answer: “That’s the best rate out there,” with no number to compare it to.“Can you beat my pre-approval?”
A pre-approval from your own bank or credit union is the number the dealer has to beat. If they beat it, take theirs. If not, use yours.
Straight answer: A lower rate on the same term, in writing.
Evasive answer: A lower payment on a longer term.“Can you send my application to my credit union, or to a lender that pays you a flat fee?”
Some lenders pay the dealer a flat fee per loan instead of a share of a higher rate, which takes away the reason to raise yours. The federal consumer bureau says financing straight through a bank or credit union tends to be cheaper, because there is no dealer markup.
Straight answer: “Yes, we can run it there.”
Evasive answer: “They won’t approve you,” before anyone has asked them.“Which lender is this loan with, and is the approval final?”
If you take the car home before the financing is final, which the trade calls spot delivery, the dealer can call you later to say the loan cannot be made on those terms. That call is yo-yo financing. Make sure the financing is final before you leave.
Straight answer: A lender’s name, and “approved, nothing outstanding.”
Evasive answer: “You’re good to go, we’ll finish it Monday.”“Does the approval have any stipulations?”
An approval can come with conditions, such as proof of income, residence or insurance. If you cannot supply one, the approval can fall through after you have the car.
Straight answer: A list, and a yes from you on every item.
Evasive answer: “Just paperwork, don’t worry about it.”“Has the term changed since the sales desk?”
A longer term lowers the payment and raises the total, which is how a product can be added without the payment moving much. Check the number of months.
Straight answer: “Same 60 months.”
Evasive answer: “The payment didn’t change,” without the months.“Is there a charge for paying the loan off early?”
The disclosure box on the contract has to say whether there is. Read that line.
Straight answer: The line, pointed out.
Evasive answer: “Nobody pays these off early anyway.”“Is there an arbitration clause, and can it be struck?”
An arbitration clause sends a dispute to an arbitrator instead of a court, and can give up other rights, such as joining a class action. You can ask for it to be struck. The dealer can say no, and then you decide.
Straight answer: A yes or no, and where it is in the contract.
Evasive answer: “It’s standard, everybody signs it.”
About the extended warranty (vehicle service contract)
“Is this optional, and does my loan approval require it?”
A service contract is optional. If you are told the lender requires one, ask to see that condition on the lender’s approval, in writing.
Straight answer: “It’s optional.”
Evasive answer: “The bank likes to see it on the deal.”“What is the total price, not the change in my payment?”
A product quoted at a few dollars a month over a long term can cost far more than it sounds, plus interest when it is financed. Ask for the total, and for the term with and without it.
Straight answer: One dollar figure.
Evasive answer: “It’s only a few dollars a month.”“Who backs this contract, and who pays the repair shop?”
The company named on the contract, not the person selling it, decides claims. Ask who the administrator is, who stands behind the contract, and whether you can use any licensed shop, including one where you live.
Straight answer: Names on the contract, and “any licensed shop.”
Evasive answer: “Don’t worry, we take care of our customers.”“Does it list what is covered, or what is excluded?”
A listed-parts plan covers only what it names. An exclusionary plan covers everything except what it names. Read the exclusions and the wear-and-tear terms, and on a higher-mileage car ask about seals and gaskets first.
Straight answer: The contract, open to the exclusions.
Evasive answer: “It covers everything.”“What is the deductible, and is it per visit or per repair?”
Per repair means three repairs on one visit can mean three deductibles.
Straight answer: A dollar amount, and “per visit.”
Evasive answer: “It’s small.”“Can I cancel it, what is the refund formula, and where does the refund go?”
Cancellation is a term of the contract, not a rule. Many contracts can be cancelled for a prorated refund after a short free-look window, and some cannot. On a financed contract the refund goes against the loan balance, not to you, and your payment does not change.
Straight answer: The cancellation clause, read out.
Evasive answer: “You can always cancel.”“Can I buy this later instead of today?”
Usually you can, from the dealer, the manufacturer or another provider. A price that is only good today is pressure, not a feature.
Straight answer: “Yes, and the price is the same.”
Evasive answer: “This price is only good tonight.”
About GAP and other add-ons
“What does GAP cost here, and what would my own insurer charge?”
GAP is an optional product that covers the difference between what you owe and what insurance pays if the car is totaled or stolen. Your own auto insurer may offer it. If you are told it is required, ask where the paperwork says so: when GAP is left out of the finance charge as optional, the paperwork has to say in writing that the lender does not require it.
Straight answer: A total price you can compare.
Evasive answer: “The bank requires it on this deal.”“Do I need GAP at all on this deal?”
It matters when you owe more than the car is worth: a small down payment, a long term, or an old loan rolled in. With a large down payment you may never owe more than the car is worth.
Straight answer: An answer about your numbers.
Evasive answer: “Everybody gets it.”“What does this GAP contract not cover?”
GAP contracts have limits written in, such as a cap on what they pay, and can exclude your insurance deductible or products rolled into the loan. Read the limits before you count on it.
Straight answer: The limits, read out.
Evasive answer: “It pays off the whole loan.”“Which of these other products can I decline: paint, fabric, etching, tire and wheel, key replacement?”
All of them. Each is its own decision with its own total price, and most add-ons can be bought elsewhere.
Straight answer: “Any of them.”
Evasive answer: “That’s already on the car.”“Can you print the contract with every product removed?”
The payment and the total of payments without the add-ons show you exactly what each one costs.
Straight answer: A second contract, printed.
Evasive answer: “The system won’t let me do that.”
How the buy rate and dealer reserve work, and what to do about them, is in the finance office section of the negotiation guide. Whether an extended warranty or GAP is worth it for you, and how to cancel either one, is on extended warranties for used cars. If you already signed and want a product off the contract, the cancellation steps are on the resources page. Before you sign, read the seven lines on the contract the negotiation guide lists.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Sign
The last questions are for you, at the desk, with the pen in your hand. If any answer is no, the deal can wait until it is yes.
“Can I afford the total, not just the payment?”
The total of payments on the contract, plus your down payment, is what the car costs you. If it is more than the budget you set before you shopped, something was added.
“Did an independent mechanic inspect this car, and did I read the report?”
If the answer is no, you are buying on the seller’s word.
“Does the paper match the deal I agreed to, line for line?”
Price, trade, APR, term, products. Any difference is a question before you sign, not after.
“Is every promise in writing?”
A repair, a key, a return policy, a warranty: if it is not on the we-owe or the Buyers Guide, it is very hard to enforce.
“Is the loan actually approved, and is my insurance in place?”
Driving off on an estimate is how a yo-yo call starts. Almost every state requires insurance, so have it in place on this car before you drive it.
“Am I signing because I want to, or because I am tired?”
Add-ons are usually offered at the end of a long day at the dealership. If you need to sleep on it, ask for the deal in writing and come back.
This is the last moment the answers are free. What your state gives you after the sale is on your state page, and the buying guide covers returning a used car.
Already Bought a Used Car? Questions to Ask Now
If you have already signed, the questions change. Some still have money attached, and a few have a clock running.
“Is my financing final?”
If the dealer calls to say the loan cannot be made on the terms you signed, the federal consumer bureau’s guidance is that you do not have to agree to different financing and can walk away from the new deal. What happens to your trade and your down payment then depends on your state, and your state page says.
“When will the title be in my name, and has the lien been recorded?”
Ask the dealer for a date. If it passes, your state page names the agency that licenses dealers.
“Can I still cancel the service contract or GAP, and how will the refund be applied?”
Read the cancellation clause in each contract for the window and the refund formula, and send the cancellation in writing. On a financed product the refund goes against the loan balance.
“Are there open recalls I can get fixed now?”
Run the VIN through the free federal recall lookup. A recall repair is free at the manufacturer’s dealers on cars up to 15 years old from the first sale, whoever owns the car now.
“Do I have a copy of everything I signed, including the Buyers Guide?”
A dealer has to give you the Buyers Guide or a copy at the sale, and it is part of your contract. Keep it with the contract, the we-owe and the odometer statement.
“Something is wrong with the car. What can I actually do?”
Federal law gives no general right to return a car because you changed your mind. What can matter is what you were told and what you were given in writing: a warranty, a we-owe, a title brand that was hidden, a mileage statement that was false. Your state page and the buying guide cover the remedies.
The steps for taking a product off a signed contract are on the resources page, and how the refund works is in the extended warranty guide. What your state lets you do about a car that was misrepresented is on your state page.
What to Ask When Buying a Used Car: Questions People Actually Search
Where to Go Next
- How to buy a used car: the nine steps, the inspection checklist and the paperwork.
- How to negotiate a car price: the out-the-door number and the whole deal.
- Extended warranties for used cars: service contracts and GAP.
- Branded titles: salvage, rebuilt, flood and the rest.
- Used car buyer protection by state: your state’s rules, with the statutes cited.