With second-hand cars being a huge market, people have begun using a myriad of tools to help them find out more details about their purchases.
Most people are using things like Carfax, but even that source has its limits. It can only disclose what has been reported to one of its many sources. Nothing beats a mechanic looking at a car in person and checking every detail. With that in mind, Lemon Squad came into the picture. The company aims to help people choose the right vehicle and avoid scams or cars with hidden damage through its network of inspectors that will go and check the car on-site.
It seems this is a brilliant idea, as the company grew fast and reached a volume of about 50,000 inspections annually. Unfortunately, out of that total, a worryingly large portion are lemons. According to Andy Dabbs, CEO of Lemon Squad, about 20,000 of the cars they look at each year have problems so bad that they steer the potential buyer away from them.
What’s worse is that another 1,000 vehicles don’t even exist. They are complete scams, some of them more elaborate than others. The methods range from posting a fake ad using pictures from a real listing to creating a fake dealership. According to Andy, scammers could go as far as to recreate an online page for a trusted dealership that had gone out of business. They then use it to convince people to make down payments or even pay the full price of the car without ever seeing it, let alone inspecting it.
With a large enough sample, like what he presented, we can conclude that buying a used car without a thorough inspection is a coin flip. It seems that the odds of either getting a good vehicle or a lemon are close to being equal, which is somewhat of a concerning idea. And this is not in reference to bad maintenance but more serious issues a seller might choose not to disclose.
Hidden rust, bad repaints, and body and frame damage are among the more common issues which should discourage potential buyers. Water-damaged cars are also troublesome, as a minor splash does not cause much harm to the vehicle, and that’s what most people claim happened. However, Andy says that’s usually a lie, and the cars they look at are severely damaged.
With so many risks involved when buying a car, companies like Lemon Squad are a godsend. Anything that can take the hassle out of the experience should be a priority for anyone looking to buy a used car.
As a kid, Bogdan grew up handing his dad the tools needed to work on his old Citroen and asking one too many questions about everything happening inside the engine bay. Naturally, this upbringing led Bogdan to become an engineer, but thanks to Top Gear, The Fast and the Furious series, and racing video games, a passion for automotive entertainment was ignited. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News