More people are turning to the Internet for car buying these days. And why wouldn’t they? The selection is great, you can shop for a car whenever you want and you don’t have to deal face-to-face with car salesmen. Shopping online can be an extremely convenient way to buy a car. But like just about every business transaction, you can get scammed when buying a car online if you’re not careful. Here are some tips to avoid getting scammed when buying a car online.

Avoid the Lot and Shop for a Car Online

Look for Seller History

When shopping on a website for a car, do a little research on the website. Search for the company on the Better Business Bureau website and see if any complaints come up. If you’re using an auction site like eBay.com, look at the seller’s history. Have they received positive feedback? This is usually a good indicator as to how they will treat your transaction.

Talk to the Seller

You may not be able to easily talk to the seller in person, but you should at least talk to them over the phone. Ask them for more details about why they’re selling the car, how long they’ve owned it and whether they’ve had many problems. This will come in handy when you have the vehicle inspected.

Get the Vehicle Inspected

Talk with an independent mechanic and arrange to have the vehicle checked out. This will cost you some money, but it will be worth it. You’ll be able to cross check what the mechanic says with what the seller told you and see if everything makes sense. If you catch the seller in a lie you may not want to trust them with your money.

Get a Vehicle History Report

This is another investment that will pay off in the long run. The seller may tell you that the car has not been in any accidents, but a good way to find this out is by running a vehicle history report. There are plenty of sites that offer this service. A few to consider are Auto Check and CarFax.

Know the Value

Research what the car is worth using a site like Kelley Blue Book. Make sure you’re getting a fair price before signing up for the deal.

Try to Pay Securely

Using a site like PayPal to complete the transaction will help eliminate the chance for getting scammed when buying a car online. You may also want to try to pay with a cashier’s check which limits the amount of sensitive information you are passing on to others.