If you think buying a used car is simply a matter of picking something that looks clean and driving away, think again. Dodgy dealers have turned deception into an art form, and their bag of tricks is bigger than most people realise. Every scenario—from sawdust in the engine to high-tech odometer fraud—has played out on dealership lots. Here’s what every savvy used car hunter must watch out for:
Odometer Clocking
Let’s start with a classic. Whether they’re spinning analogue dials or hacking digital dashboards, dealers may roll back the mileage to make a tired old car look fresh. Modern technology hasn’t killed this trick—crooks now use specialised software and chip swaps to mask real distances. Always check for signs of wear that don’t match up: worn pedals, saggy seats, and suspicious gaps in the car’s service history.
Title Washing and Lemon Laundering
There’s nothing a dodgy dealer loves more than wiping away a car’s troubled past. Flood damaged? Written off? Lemon buyback? They ship vehicles across state lines or fudge paperwork so dangerous histories vanish, and unsuspecting buyers end up with ticking time bombs. If a deal sounds too good to be true, dig deep—run your own detailed VIN check, and insist on proof.
Sawdust and Additives in the Engine
A trick straight out of the old-school playbook: sawdust, heavy oil additives, thick grease, or “miracle” stop-leak fluids get dumped into an engine or cooling system to temporarily silence nasty noises, leaks, or a failing head gasket. By the time the engine literally grinds itself to death, the dealer’s phone number has gone cold and the warranty is just words.
Hidden Accident or Flood Damage
A shiny paint job and a fresh interior can hide major sins. Crooked sellers know how to patch up bent frames, cover rust, and replace airbags or electronics after a flood or crash, all without reporting it. Worse, some stock fake service books to back up their story. Always inspect in the daylight, run a magnet along body panels (watch out for hidden filler), and get a trusted mechanic or inspection service to look for new welds, uneven gaps, and mismatched parts.
Stolen Vehicles and VIN Cloning
Legit paperwork doesn’t always mean a legit car. Dealers have been caught selling cars with cloned Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) or with paperwork that’s been “cleaned up” after theft. Buyers end up with cars that may be seized or worse, putting you on the hook for a crime you didn’t commit. Cross-check everything—VIN in the engine bay, on documents, and the digital record.
Fake Fees and Dodgy Finance Deals
From “certified pre-owned” labels slapped on unrepaired wrecks to fake inspection reports and inflated paperwork fees, some dealers use every trick in the book to pad out the price and distract from nasty problems. Watch for yo-yo financing schemes—where they approve a loan, let you drive off, then call back days later to hike up payments or dump you into a worse deal—or “co-signer swindles” that leave you holding the bag.
Pressure Tactics and Ghost Sellers
Then there are the hustlers who advertise cars they don’t even own at prices that seem impossibly good. They invent stories about being in the defence force, FIFO, or needing a fast sale before an overseas posting. The pressure ramps up, and they’ll ask for a bank transfer before you’ve even seen the car. Once money’s gone, so are they. Real dealers allow test drives, in-person inspections, and legitimate payment methods.
Miracle Repairs and Tampered ECUs
With cars getting smarter, some dodgy sellers try to hide terminal faults with temporary “miracle” repairs—resetting check engine lights, swapping out diagnosis computers, or installing cheap replacement parts to mask underlying problems. Some even falsify emissions and safety tests.
How to Outsmart the Scammers
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Always get a full mechanical inspection—don’t trust paperwork alone
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Vet the car’s history with independent sources and full VIN checks
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Check for matching service logbooks and verify with previous owners
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Confirm the ownership and identity of both the car and the seller
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Walk away from pressure—it takes time to buy right
Dealers aren’t all crooks, but the dodgy ones hunt for victims who let their guard down or trust a handshake. Don’t fall for shiny surfaces or clever stories. When you’re buying used, knowledge is armour—and it’s the only way to drive away with confidence instead of regret.
When buying a used car, remember: every step you take to dig for the truth is a step away from someone else’s expensive mistake. Stay sharp, question everything, and don’t let a slick-talking dealer outsmart you—because the smartest buyers keep their cash, and their cars, safe.
