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The National Automobile Dealers Association Releases Checklist for 'Salvaged' or Damaged Vehicles

12 June 2000

The National Automobile Dealers Association Releases Checklist for 'Salvaged' or Damaged Vehicles

    WASHINGTON - The National Automobile Dealers Association warns customers -- 
particularly those buying from private parties -- to use caution and check the
vehicle's history for damage before buying a used car or truck.

    "While franchised new-vehicle dealers conduct routine inspections, making
every effort to ensure that only the best used vehicles are on their lot, that
doesn't necessarily hold true on used car lots and in private transactions,"
said Harold B. Wells, NADA Chairman and a new-car dealer from Whiteville, N.C.

    Some signs of damage that consumers should be on the lookout for include:
    * A damp or musty smell inside the vehicle
    * Mud under the carpet and in the crevices of the vehicle
    * New interior upholstery or carpeting installed in an older car

    NADA supports state and federal legislation to uniformly brand flood-
damaged or "salvaged" vehicles. This would prevent unscrupulous rebuilders
from victimizing both dealers and consumers by obtaining "washed" titles for
severely damaged vehicles that should have branded titles.

    The National Automobile Dealers Association represents more than 19,500
franchised new-car and -truck dealers holding nearly 40,000 separate
franchises, domestic and import.