SAN ANTONIO – In a hidden camera investigation, the KSAT 12 Defenders found cars being sold in San Antonio with important problems concealed and got expert advice about buying used cars.
One car being sold had been declared a salvage vehicle and that fact was not revealed.
Another vehicle had apparently had the mileage rolled back, a common problem in Texas.
The Defenders confronted the sellers in both instances.
In one example, a Craigslist ad showed a 2001 GMC Yukon for sale for $5,900, advertising that it had 124,000 miles.
KSAT interns Paul and Presley went with hidden camera to look at the vehicle and found that indeed the odometer read 124,803 miles.
However, the Defenders found a Carfax report that showed the mileage at 195,035 in 2011.
Carfax is a for-profit service that provides information about a vehicle's history for a fee.
The Defenders confronted the woman selling the car about the discrepancy.
"We're here from KSAT 12," I told the woman. "We're doing a story on how to teach people to buy cars."
But the woman selling the truck was not anxious to talk.
"Did you guys know about this?" I continued.
The woman selling the car is not being identified.
"No, I had this vehicle for three years," the woman said.
Adamant she had done nothing wrong, she then called the police.
In another posting on Craigslist a 2000 Chevy Silverado was advertised for sale with no mention of any problems.
A Carfax report indicated it was a salvage vehicle that had been in a bad wreck.
The interns went to look at it as well.
The wife of the man selling it said it had no damage.
"No damages, no salvaging or anything like that?" Paul asked the woman. "It's a good truck?"
The woman said the truck was good and did not mention that it was a total loss vehicle with a salvage title.
The Defenders confronted the woman, but she quickly went back into the home after a brief conversation.
The man selling the truck then contacted the Defenders and Ruben Perez said he wanted to clear some things up.
He said the truck was bought off Craigslist for $3,000 to fix up and resell and he knew nothing about it being a salvage vehicle.
"I know definitely we wouldn't have paid that much money for it if we had known that it was a salvage vehicle," Perez said. "We never realized that it was a salvage vehicle."
He said he will in future disclose that fact to potential buyers.
Isis Morales is an unhappy used car buyer for another reason.
She bought a car from a dealership that came with a warranty and ended up having a lot of problems.
"I feel like I was taken advantage of big time because of the situation I was in," Morales said. "Every problem I've had with it they've turned and said it was not covered under their warranty."
Morales was in need of a used car and found a champagne-colored 1999 Buick LeSabre at the dealership.
She took the car home but said things soon went downhill.
"One day my car wouldn't start," Morales said. "I couldn't make it home. I was 45 minutes from my house. Me and my daughter went all winter with no heat, went all summer no air conditioning."
The problem was that she and the dealer could not agree on what was covered by the warranty.
The Defenders contacted the dealer to try to help but Morales ended up losing the car.
"When they tell you there's a warranty, find out exactly what the warranty is covering," Morales said, agreeing she had learned a lesson. "Read the fine print and make sure you understand everything you're hearing."
Experts said that is good advice.
Chris Basso is with Carfax and said there are a number of common-sense things car buyers can do to avoid buying a lemon.
"About one in five cars on the road has been involved in an accident," Basso said. "Accidents, flood damage, branded titles, all things that we've seen for sale online here in San Antonio."
Basso said vehicle history information can reveal things buyers usually fail to see in a car.
"Most of us start by shopping online, and you want to start shopping at a trusted place where vehicle history information is readily available," Basso said.
First, he said, never buy a vehicle sight unseen.
"We've all heard the horror stories about buying cars from perfect strangers, especially sight unseen, which you should never do," Basso said. "You want to touch the car, you want to drive the car, you want to have experts look at the car."
He urged shoppers to go to places providing vehicle history information and to test drive the vehicle to look for red flags.
He also said it would be a good idea to take a prospective purchase to a mechanic for a thorough inspection.
"There are mechanics out there, trusted mechanics that can look for problems that may not be reported to anybody," Basso said. "But their trained eye can spot those signs. It's absolutely worth it. It's one of the most important steps you can take when you're shopping and buying a used car. It may cost you about $100 but it's a drop in the bucket compared to what you're laying down for that car."
He says a $75 to $100 cost can save a lot of money and heartache. Carfax sells its vehicle history reports, but there are also free services on the Carfax website including a list of vehicle recall notices and a way to check vehicles for proper odometer readings.