Short, practical guides for anyone buying a used car from a dealership. Written by the Truth Trade team, with sources you can check.
How to research a used car before you visit the dealer
The VIN, the free checks, the history report, the model year, the price and the dealer, in the order that saves the most time.
7 min read →25 questions to ask before you sign
The five questions our team would ask before buying any used car at a dealership, how to ask them, and what the answers tell you.
6 min read →3What Carfax can’t tell you
History reports only know what was reported to them. The crashes, cash repairs and recalls that never make it in, with the numbers.
5 min read →4How to get a used car inspected before you buy
What a pre-purchase inspection covers, what it costs, how to arrange one when the dealer makes it hard, and what it cannot tell you.
5 min read →5What the dealer paid, and why it matters
How a trade-in becomes a listing, how to find out what the dealer paid, and how to use the gap when you negotiate.
5 min read →6How to negotiate a used car price at a dealership
The out-the-door price, the four separate conversations, negotiating with specifics, and asking for a hold.
6 min read →7Flood cars, washed titles and rolled odometers
Three problems that hide well in a listing, how common they are, and how to check for each.
6 min read →8Buying a used car in Florida: what’s different
No used-car lemon law, the window sticker, hurricanes, recalls, and what gets added at the desk.
5 min read →Get the five questions by email
Not buying this week? The five questions are also a one-page email, so you have them on your phone at the dealership. Get the email → No newsletter, no follow-ups unless you ask.
Looking at a used car right now?
Our team finds the previous owner and asks them. Start a report in about two minutes.
Or call (813) 550-5077.