Buying A Used Car in Texas? Here’s How To Check It

There are a number of reasons why anyone would want to buy a used car. Used cars are cheaper, cost less to insure, and they attract fewer dealership and registration fees.

Buying a used vehicle has its advantages and disadvantages. A good one can serve you for a reasonable number of years, but a bad one can make your life a tad more difficult.

Whether you are getting a used car from a dealer or buying from a private party, purchasing a car is a big deal. You do not want to make the wrong decisions.

With the frequent flash floods and the antecedent rise in auto fraud cases, purchasing a used car in Texas has become a tricky affair. If you are in the market for a car at this time, you need to be careful when buying a family car. We’ll explain how to ensure that you are not purchasing a car that has been damaged by flood.

Things to check when buying a used car in Texas

A major concern for many people buying used cars in the Texas area is that they may be unwittingly buying flooded vehicles.

The problem with these flooded vehicles is that having their parts submerged in water for some time can cause a lot of damage. Even after these cars are fixed, they will continue to develop faults.

Here’s how you can protect yourself when shopping for a used car with a Texas license plate lookup tool online.

Check for physical evidence of flooding

Does the car smell musty? Are there signs of rust? Is there water in the oil of the car? All these could be an indication that the vehicle might have been flooded.

Check the title of the car

Texas has a flooding problem. The state is still recovering from the disastrous effect of hurricane Ian.

More than 60,000 cars have been written off by insurance companies as flooded cars to be sold for parts, but a large chunk of these cars are being snuck back into the state by some unscrupulous individuals.

These people collect the VIN of other cars and attach them to these flooded vehicles. This new VIN automatically transfers a different title to the car, thus effectively erasing the salvage title previously attached to the vehicle.

Insurers prefer not to insure a car bearing a salvage title. Insurance companies have written off these cars as no longer roadworthy. If you purchase these types of vehicles, you will not be able to get comprehensive insurance coverage.

However, reviewing the actual title can prevent this kind of situation. A car’s title may look clean on paper even though it is defective. One way to find out if a good title covers the car is to look up the VIN or license plate number on EpicVin.

EpicVin is a free online VIN lookup tool that can show the details of a vehicle once you input the car’s VIN or license plate number.

To provide a more accurate and comprehensive report, EpicVin gathers data about the car by running the VIN or license plate number through the data of insurance companies and government agencies like the National Motor Vehicle Title System (NMVTIS).

EpicVIN provides a report on how the car was used, pictures of the car from previous sale listings, accident reports, odometer readings, and whether the vehicle has been reported to be stolen.

Type in the VIN or license plate number into the search query. In less than a minute, your results will be ready, and you can decide for yourself if the car is the right fit.

Check the Vin

Check other parts of the car to be sure that all the vehicle identification numbers on the car are the same. Some people have been known to clone VIN.

If a car seller is trying to sell you a car with a cloned VIN, you might notice that the VIN on the other parts of the car where a VIN should be might have been scraped off or worked on to cover up the fact that it has been tampered with.

Do your research. Find out all the parts of the vehicle where the VIN can be found. Make sure you check that the VIN on all the other parts corresponds.

For instance, the VIN of a Honda Civic 2020 can be found under the front passenger seat floor mat. The VIN can also be found on the dashboard and by the door jamb of the driver’s side.

Check all these parts of the car to ensure all the VINs on the vehicle are the same as what you have on the title. Then, check the VIN using a VIN lookup tool.

If you don’t find the VIN on the car, or you need to be double sure that you are not being deceived with a false VIN, there is another way to check a vehicle’s history.

Using the vehicle’s plate number, you can perform a license plate lookup anywhere in Texas. On the website, type in the license plate number and the state, then click CHECK PLATE. EpicVin will produce the results at no extra cost.

Protect yourself

There is a high demand for cars by those looking to replace the vehicles damaged by the flood, and unscrupulous individuals are taking advantage of this to sell off refurbished bad cars.

Protect yourself. Ensure you take a look at the history of the car you are interested in before completing your purchase.

Click here to use the free EpicVin to check any car’s VIN or license plate number.