The short version
Twenty questions is a lot for one text thread, so spread them: ownership and history before you agree to visit, condition and paperwork at the car, price once you've seen everything. Then compare the answers to the records and the metal. A seller whose story holds up against the VIN, the title, and the inspection has earned the asking price. A seller whose story shifts at any point has answered every question at once — thank them, and keep scrolling.
A private seller knows everything about the car; you know what the listing says. Twenty minutes of questions closes most of that gap — but only if you know what a good answer sounds like. Anyone can ask "any accidents?" The skill is hearing the difference between "a parking-lot scrape on the rear bumper, I have the body shop invoice" and "nothing major."
The questions below are grouped the way a deal unfolds: who owns the car, where it has been, what shape it's in, what paper comes with it, and what it's worth. Each comes with the answer you want and the answer that should send you back to the listings. Ask them over text where you can, so the replies are in writing.
Ownership: who you're actually dealing with
The first four questions establish whether the person selling is the owner, how long they've been the owner, and why they're stopping. A seller who fails this group isn't worth the drive, whatever the car looks like — usually because they're a dealer posing as a private seller.
- "Is the title in your name?" — Good: yes, and they'll have it at the meeting. Bad: it's in a relative's name, a friend is "helping sell it," or the title is open — signed by a previous owner and never transferred. An open title in someone else's name is the fingerprint of a flipper.
- "How long have you owned it?" — Good: years, with a story that fits the mileage. Bad: weeks or months. Short ownership means a flip, or a problem they'd rather pass along than fix.
- "Why are you selling?" — Good: a boring, specific reason — company car, third kid, moving abroad. Bad: a vague answer that changes between the listing and the call, or a reason that doesn't fit the car, like selling a two-year-old car "for something more reliable."
- "Do you have any other cars for sale right now?" — Good: no, or a plainly explained second family car. Bad: hesitation, or a phone number that turns up on several listings. Private sellers sell one car.
History: where the car has been
History questions do double duty. The answers tell you about the car, and they give you claims to check against the VIN's records later. A wrong detail may be bad memory; a wrong answer to something they had every reason to know tells you what kind of seller they are.
- "Can you text me the VIN?" — Good: it arrives in minutes, and it matches the dash plate and the door-jamb sticker when you visit. Bad: "I'll give it to you in person," "I'm not sure where it is," or a VIN that decodes to a different year or trim than the ad.
- "Has it been in any accident, even a small one?" — Good: a specific incident, what was repaired, and by whom — ideally with the invoice. Bad: "none" on a car with mismatched paint, or "none that I know of" from someone who has owned it for six years.
- "Has it ever had a salvage, rebuilt, or flood title, or been declared a total loss?" — Good: a flat no, and no objection to you verifying it. Bad: a pause, "the title is clean now," or a story about how it was "professionally rebuilt." Clean now can mean washed.
- "Where has it lived, and where was it registered?" — Good: one or two states, with a plausible story for any move. Bad: an unexplained recent arrival from a coastal or flood-prone region, or a car that has changed states several times in a few years — the pattern title washing depends on.
Condition: what shape it's in today
Condition questions are the ones sellers rehearse, so listen for specifics. Honest sellers volunteer small faults; they know a buyer will find them anyway. The seller who reports a flawless car is either lucky or hiding something, and ten-year-old cars are rarely lucky. Every answer gets checked at the car and then on a lift — a pre-purchase inspection is where their claims meet a mechanic.
- "What needs attention right now, or will soon?" — Good: a short list — brakes in a few thousand miles, a slow leak in one tire, a check-engine code they've had diagnosed. Bad: "nothing, it's perfect," or a list that arrives only after you've found each item yourself.
- "Any warning lights on the dash, now or recently?" — Good: no, and a cold start proves it, with every light coming on and going out. Bad: a light that "comes and goes," or an expected light that never appears during the bulb check, which can mean the bulb was pulled.
- "When were the tires, brakes, and battery last replaced?" — Good: rough dates or mileages, ideally with receipts. Bad: no idea on all three — or brand-new consumables on a claimed low-mileage car, since the parts that testify about mileage are the ones a rollback replaces.
- "Has it ever been repainted, and are there any dents or rust?" — Good: an honest inventory — a resprayed bumper, a door ding, surface rust under a rocker. Bad: "all original" on a car with overspray in the door jambs or a panel that doesn't quite match in sunlight.
Paperwork: what you'll actually be handed
The paperwork questions are the ones buyers skip, and they decide whether you register the car next week or spend a month arguing with the DMV. Rules vary by state, but the shape is the same everywhere: a title in the seller's name, free of liens, signed over to you at the sale. A car with a loan on it can still be bought, but only with the lender in the loop.
- "Is the title physically in hand, or is there a loan on the car?" — Good: the title is in a drawer at home, no lien. Bad: the bank holds the title and the seller wants your money to pay it off before you get anything.
- "Does the title show a lienholder or any brand?" — Good: they read you the front of the title and it names nobody but the owner. Bad: a lender still printed on it with no release letter, or a brand the seller "forgot" to mention.
- "Do you have service records?" — Good: a folder, a glovebox full of receipts, or a dealer service history they can print. Bad: nothing at all on a car they've owned for years, or records with a conspicuous gap around one year.
- "Will you sign a bill of sale and an odometer disclosure with the mileage written on it?" — Good: of course. Bad: a preference for "as-is, no paperwork," or an offer to write a lower price on the bill of sale to save you tax. A seller who will lie to the state for you will lie to you.
Price: what they think it's worth, and why
Price questions come last, and by then you usually know the answer. Everything above either supports the asking price or knocks it down. It's also worth running the ad itself — a free listing check reads a Marketplace or Craigslist post for the patterns fake listings share, so you spend your questions on real cars.
- "How did you arrive at the price?" — Good: a named source — a pricing guide, comparable listings — and a number in the same range. Bad: "that's what I paid" or "that's what I need for the next car," neither of which is what it's worth.
- "Is the price firm or negotiable?" — Good: either, stated plainly. Bad: "firm" on a car listed for weeks, or a price that drops sharply the moment you hesitate — a discount that easy usually means the seller knows something you don't yet.
- "Would you be open to a pre-purchase inspection at a shop I choose, at my expense?" — Good: yes, and a suggestion of when. Bad: any version of no. No other question filters as hard; a refusal means the inspection would have found something.
- "How do you want to be paid, and where do you want to meet?" — Good: cash or a cashier's check handed over at a bank, in daylight. Bad: a deposit before you've seen the car, an escrow service they picked, a wire, gift cards, or a payment app's friends-and-family mode.