A tan, silver, and black Ford Fusion are part of our used car challenge.
"I'm looking for mismatched paint," explained John Pena.
In round one, two men take our used car challenge.
"I'll give you a clue one of them was involved in a side swipe and there's major structural damage," Strathman told the second tester.
"Hmmm.I have to look some more. I can't tell off the bat," explained Phil Hostetler.
Meanwhile, Pena was on the ground looking under the silver car looking for any damage that wasn't fixed underneath.
Our testers checked every angle for damage.
"Anything popping out?" Strathman asked.
"Negative," explained Pena.
"What's your hunch? Which one?" Strathman asked.
"The black one," Pena said.
One vote for the black car. What about our other voter?
He was having a tough time but the back panel caught his attention.
It was the front panel that caught my attention because of the gaps between the hood and side panel. They were not the same width on both sides of the car.
With two votes silver, and one vote for the black car we asked Bart Voloshin of Woodbridge Motors which car is the wrecked car.
"It's the silver one," Voloshin explained.
We're ready for round 2.
"What are you ladies looking for?" Strathman asked.
They popped the hood looking for dents or collision damage.
They ultimately chose the silver car too. Choosing right this time, but Ginny Bennette has chosen wrong in the past.
"I bought a used car and the car would literally just stop," explained Bennette. "I had it inspected by the people selling it and that's the wrong thing to do."
You should always have your car inspected by an independent mechanic.
While small things stood out for our testers, our car experts say they chose the right car for the wrong reason.
"Fit and finish," is a big thing according to Voloshin. "The spaces in between the fender and the hood."
Voloshin said you should feel for differences in gaps and paint texture.
"You feel the edges if its nice and smooth this is original. This has not been painted. You feel over here it's rougher. It doesn't have the same finish," Voloshin said as he ran his hand over the back panel of the car.
Rough surfaces on the trunk and gap cap clue you in to body work.
CARFAX tracks the history of cars, And estimates drivers should pay $4,000 less for the previously wrecked silver car. CARFAX warns you could pay an even bigger price down the road.
"What's the concern if that car has structural damage?" Strathman asked.
"What I would be concerned about is the alignment. Your tires are going to wear prematurely, not wear right, and you'll replace more often which costs you money," explained Chris Basso of CARFAX.
There's an even costlier concern.
"If you are in a car accident it may not protect you when you need it most," Basso said.
While CARFAX is one tool to use when buying a car, it's only a tool. There are times when car's have been wrecked and the information is not included in the CARFAX report. The information is only as good as the data feeding it. That's why you should also have your car inspected by an independent mechanic. Most mechanics will inspect your car for less than $100. Do this BEFORE you buy it. So often we hear from drivers who don't do this until after they drive off the lot.
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