Tips to help you sniff out lemons

But how can a buyer avoid getting stuck with someone else's motorized nightmare? How can shoppers weed out the truth from fiction when it comes to a car's condition? And are there real deals out in the hinterland of sheet metal and rubber?

Your first priority when looking for a real deal is to select a reputable business or seller. Buying from a stranger off the street is riskier on average than buying from a licensed car lot or dealership.

The biggest problem in purchasing from a private seller is the difficulty in having an independent or professional assessment done before sealing the deal. Few private owners are willing to just hand over the keys to allow a potential buyer to whisk the vehicle off to a garage or service centre in order to have an inspection completed. And if something goes wrong with the car after the fact, the buyer is left to work his or her own way through legal channels and small claims court to get compensation.

That's not to say great deals aren't available from private sellers, nor does it mean customers don't get burned buying from dealerships and certified retailers. When it comes to price, private sellers usually set their asking point at a similar level to what dealerships are tagging comparable makes and models. Of course, with the dealership or professional retailer's price comes association and legislated processes to ensure as much as possible that clients don't get stuck with a proverbial lemon. And then there's the dealership's goodwill or policy adjustment pot that may pay for otherwise unrecoverable expenses such as a tire blowout or wind noise or rattle repair. Try asking a private seller to cover any one of these if that happens just a week after you buy the car.

When it comes to kicking a few tires, here are a few tips that might help you sort the wheat from the chaff:

1. Emission test records. If you're considering a vehicle from Ontario that's newer than 1987 but more than five years old, chances are good it's had an emission test and those records are available to anyone by logging onto www.driveclean.com and clicking on the "vehicle emission history" link on the left side of the home page. By entering the vehicle serial or identification number (that 17-digit affair on the ownership or dash) you can see how well your candidate has done over the years. If it's had more than two failures or achieved only a conditional pass, you may be buying a headache. Remember, the vehicle has to pass unconditionally in order to transfer ownership.

2. Speaking of serial numbers. Check to see that the one on the dash plate (usually seen from the outside through the left lower corner of the windshield) matches the ownership, and information stickers found on the driver's door jamb or glovebox. You can also find this number embossed on inner fenders or the engine side of the firewall or bulkhead as well as several locations under the vehicle. If any of these numbers appeared to have been tampered with, don't ask questions, just walk away.

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