Unaware that it had been seriously damaged in a wreck, Kristin Ferguson of Barrington, Ill., bought a 1990 Honda Prelude. One day a bolt in the car's suspension snapped, and the car plowed into a raised curb. Ferguson suffered a head injury and three years of debilitating pain. A VIN history with auto auctions or multiple sales across several states. Uneven paint, or body parts that don't line up.
Most qualified mechanics can identify rebuilt cars.
Saturating the Market . Last February, six days after her son, Nathan, got his driver's license, Diane Zielinski went to buy him a car. Zielinski says that when the turn signals, fog lights and power windows failed, Nathan's grandfather examined the vehicle. He found water stains under the dash and a power-window motor coated in rust. Shortly after, the car broke down for good.