New Bill Aims to Inform, Protect Used Car Buyers

Up until recently, I have never owned a brand new car.

I would always choose a used car because they are cheaper and oftentimes in good condition. In doing this however, I have always wondered how safe the car is.

"What if I get into a crash? Will the air bags deploy?" I would ask myself.

I would often wonder what type of accident the car was in before it was placed on the lot. One of my cars, I found out, was a rental car that was involved in a nasty accident.

I later found out that the air bags were not working when someone hit me and the bags failed to deploy. It wasn't a large accident, just a fender bender. But I got rid of that car quickly, simply because I didn't want to be driving around in a vehicle that was suspected of being unsafe.

Now, used car buyers will have even more reason to wonder. According to Car Safety First Coalition a new law that's going into affect on July 1 will place consumers at risk.

Under the law, used car dealers will be required to provide a NMVTIS, essentially a report to all consumers buying used cars.

Car Safety First Coalition states: "NMVTIS admits 'it does not contain detailed information regarding a vehicle's repair history."

CSFC states consumers may not know if used cars had:

• Air Bags Deployed
• Frame Damage
• Structural Damage
• Vehicle Repairs
• Open Recalls

The report, CSFC said, gives consumers a false sense of security. But a new law, authored by State Sen. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, will allow auto dealers to obtain a vehicle repair history report from a commercial data provider of their choice, instead of solely the NMVTIS.

Read more about the bill here.

Do you agree with SB 990?

What has been your experience in buying a used car?