How to avoid being scammed when buying a vehicle from a private seller.

The internet is rife with horror stories of people misrepresenting themselves while selling a vehicle, and scamming shoppers with schemes that seem legitimate, but end up with them losing hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars. How do you protect yourself from people who would abuse an honest car shopper?

Should I trade in my vehicle or sell it myself?

Breck often tells customers that it would be better for them, financially, to sell their vehicle privately than to trade it on a new vehicle. But how is that distinction made? Breck says it's fairly simple.