How to Avoid “Cash for Cars” Scams

If you go to Google and type in: cash for cars, sell my car Los Angeles, sell my car online, used car value, the result will be pages full of companies offering to buy your car. Now you have to determine which ones are reputable and which ones to avoid.
The most common are “lead generators”. These are companies can be thousands of miles away from you or possibly in another country. They gather your information from either from your phone call or a form you filled out. Then they sell your name, the year, make and model of your car to a company in your area. These are very easy to spot. If the website appears very generic and has no map or easy to find address, that is a giveaway. Also if it has no phone number, stay away. You want a local dealer for obvious reasons; you can easily drive there, meet real people, have your car looked at and get paid on the spot.
The next thing you want to check is the status of the dealer license. First go to the “About” page of the website and make sure the California Dealer License # is present. In our case it is 60055 and if the license number is not on the website of the dealer you are inquiring about then that is a red flag. The best way is to confirm the validity of license is to go to the California DMV website dealer verification page and follow the prompts which will tell you: the status of the license, current administrative actions and any prior administrative actions.
If you are given a quick quote on the phone without any detailed questions you can assume this is a high price just to get you into the dealership. When you arrive the price the dealer will pay will be vastly lower. The only way to get an accurate and honest quote is to bring the car here for us to see it.
When you call us for a free quote we will ask you several things: the condition of the body and paint, condition of the interior, is the “Check Engine” light on, all options, how it runs, mileage, etc. We will then give you a price up to which we can pay and make an appointment.
If it does not pass smog we can still buy it. If you still owe money on it we can still buy it. If you cannot find the title and have a registration in your name and a valid ID we can still buy your car. If you came by yourself we can even give you a ride home!
We want to buy your car but we also want you to be educated and have every possible bit of information you need so you know you have made the right decision.
Please visit www.dennisbuyscars.com or call 310-253-9977. We will make it quick and easy, promise. Ask for Dennis Goddard.