Selling a junk car in Los Angeles can be a difficult task. With the used car market flooded with newer and more desirable vehicles, selling one with excessive mileage, signs of age, and necessary but expensive repairs could prove to be challenging. Although L.A. is known as the “City of Angels,” there are plenty of conmen, hustlers, and unscrupulous types who could attempt to rip you off when you’re selling your junk car. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid these slithery snakes.
How To Know When You’re Being Scammed When Selling Your Junk Car
Selling a junk car can present its owner with an entire host of challenges. Older vehicles must compete with shinier and new ones in the used car marketplace. Trying to earn a buck selling one could require endless hours of communicating and dealing with tire kickers, random weirdos, and, unfortunately, scammers and hustlers. To avoid being scammed by an online or in-person conman, it’s crucial to recognize the red flags that are common to them.
Of course, a simple solution to avoid an unpleasant encounter with a hustler is to sell your clunker to a junk car buyer in LA. These specialized dealers aren’t looking to con you and will pay you good cash for your difficult-to-sell vehicle.
The Overpayment Scam
This typical scam can be used either during an in-person sale or an online one. The buyer will agree to your junk car price but will supply you with a check payment that is more than the agreed-upon price. For in-person sales, the scammer will apologize for the incorrect amount on the check and will ask you to refund them in cash. For online sales, they’ll ask you to send the overpayment amount to a car hauling service that will ship the car to them.
In both cases, the check is fake. Some hustlers will push you for an immediate payment of the purchase price, either by cash or some type of app. For an internet purchase, the shipping company they want you to pay is a sham company. Don’t fall for this common hustle.
The Sight Unseen Scam
This common junk car buyer hustle is done entirely online. The seller will receive an exciting email or text stating that this is exactly the car they’re looking for, but they’re currently either out of town or overseas and cannot come and pick up the vehicle themselves. What follows next is typically the overpayment scam or some sort of phishing attempt to get the banking and other personal information of the seller. They’ll use this information for nefarious means.
Bogus Payments
It’s important to remember that when you’re selling a junk car, you’re in charge of the terms of the sale. No matter how friendly and seemingly honest an interested buyer is, be incredibly leery of those who push for an alternative method of payment. Personal and bank checks can be forged, so never hand over the vehicle’s keys and title until the check has cleared the bank. Never accept gift cards as a form of payment, as they are almost always fakes.
The Hustler and Hassle-Free Way To Sell Your Junk Car
While you may think that selling your junk car to a private individual is the best way to get the most for it, it does involve a lot of time and effort. You’ll need to advertise the vehicle and vet prospective buyers before meeting them in person for that ever-important test drive. It opens you up to all types of risks. Not all prospective buyers could be interested in your vehicle. Some may be looking to hustle you out of your hard-earned cash.
There is an easier way to sell your junk car and not be exposed to weirdos and criminals. Selling your junk car to a specialized dealer is the risk-free and most profitable way to unload an unwanted or unusable vehicle. They’ll come to you, tow it away, and leave you with more cash in hand without the hassle of dealing with unscrupulous buyers.
Dodging Junk Car Hustlers and Getting Good Cash for Your Clunker Explained
As P.T. Barnum said, there’s a sucker born every minute. Junk car buyers can be quite good at hustling you out of your cash, and you could be the sucker they’re looking for. Avoid the risks of selling your clunker by selling it to a specialized dealer who purchases all unwanted vehicles.