A high percentage of so-called "private sales" of vehicles are conducted by unlicensed dealers, known as "curbers." This series of videos outlines the many problems caused by curbers and steps you should take before buying a vehicle from a private seller. If you don't know the private seller personally and the individual is not a licensed dealer, you are taking a risk.
Tips for buying a good used car
Many used-car buyers rely on vehicle history reports from companies such as CarFax to see if a vehicle has been in a wreck. But these services are far from foolproof.