(NAPSA)—More than 725,000 vehi- cles driven on U.S. roads every day may be dangerous, according to new research from Carfax. These vehicles were damaged so severely in an accident, byfire or flood that DMVsacross the country require permanenttitle marks to warn people about the damage. Still, thousandsare back on theroadin everystate, and worse, manyof the owners may have no idea they’re driving a rebuilt wreck. That's because some unscrupulous sellers resort to what's known as “title washing”; that is, they alter the car's documents. These criminals patch badly damagedcars back together, erase documented evidence of the damage and resell them to unsuspecting buyersin other states. Manyofthese cars are sold onfree online classifieds sites, in busy parking lots and other high-traffic areas. “I was shopping for a car for my daughter and arranged to purchase one off Craigslist that looked immaculate,’ said car buyer Scott Liker. “The seller asked if I could pay cash and told me the vehicle had cleantitle. I went to Carfax and was shockedto find it was issued a salvagetitle out of Florida. Within days, the vehicle wastitled in Tennessee and a month later was in Missouri, now with a clean title. I was shaking, because | had just dodged a bullet.” North Carolina, Mississippi, New Jersey, California and Georgia have the highest number of these potentially dangerous vehicles. Thousandsof people are driving potentially unsafe vehicles—but you don’t have to be amongthem. Crooks also seem to be moving andreselling these vehicles in cities along the 1-40 corridor, the research suggests. “Hundreds of thousands of peo- ple driving unsafe vehicles is a serious threat to public safety,” said Larry Gamache, Carfax communications director. “In addition, anyone duped into buying one often pays thousands more than the car’s really worth. Insisting on a vehicle history report and mechanics inspection first will help you avoid unknowingly buying a car with major problems that crooks made disappear on paper” You can shopfor used cars with con- fidence at www.carfax.com, where every car listed for sale comes with a free Carfax Report. Victims of title washing can contact their states Consumer Affairs Departmentor Attorney General's office for help.
