Performing a Mississippi vehicle title search is an essential step for anyone buying or selling a used vehicle in the state. A Mississippi vehicle title lookup helps add some transparency to the process by offering the buyer information about the vehicle’s past, ownership and legal status. This information can help the buyer better understand the vehicle’s value, condition, safety and possibly even long-term reliability. Sellers may benefit from offering a full Mississippi vehicle history report to buyers to build trust and facilitate a smoother and faster sale process.
Going beyond providing history about the vehicle’s title brands like salvage, reconstructed, lemon and junk, an MS car title search may provide information about previous accident events, odometer discrepancies, lemon law claims and theft records.
A Mississippi title check may also provide insight through a detailed vehicle history report in Mississippi, giving you a better understanding of the vehicle’s background before making a purchase. Whether you're a private buyer, dealer or seller, performing a Mississippi title search is a smart and proactive step toward making a secure and informed decision.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Car in Mississippi
Performing a Mississippi vehicle title search is essential for gauging the vehicle’s condition, legal status and value. However, many buyers unknowingly make mistakes that lead to incomplete results or risky purchases. By using a trusted Mississippi vehicle title lookup service, you can avoid some of these issues.
- Don’t trust the seller’s every word
While many sellers are normal everyday human beings with a moral code, there are some amongst us that lack any sense of morality and often engage in deceptive and even illegal tactics in an effort to misrepresent the vehicle they are selling. The best thing is to be cautious and always try to verify the seller’s claims before committing to the purchase. This is possible through the use of a Mississippi title check service.
- Buying a car with open liens
A lien represents an outstanding debt that is owed on the car, most commonly in the form of unpaid loans or repair bills. Some buyers forget to verify that the car is free from liens before paying for the vehicle. The issue arises when the new owner of the car is left on the hook for the debt incurred by the previous owner/seller. In many cases you may not even be able to register the vehicle in your name until such time as the outstanding balance is paid off and the lien is discharged. Needless to say, it is vital to check and avoid vehicles with outstanding liens.
- Not checking for or understanding the importance of title brands
A vehicle with a branded title is an indicator that the vehicle at one time was written off by the insurance company as a total loss. The issue with a lot of vehicles with branded titles is the fact that they get hastily repaired and pop up on the used car market with new shiny paint jobs, often hiding catastrophic damage affecting the vehicle’s vital systems, including things like airbags. Most common branded titles include rebuilt, flood, junk, reconstructed, salvage, lemon and junk. Buying a car with one of these titles can lead to diminished safety and reliability and a higher cost of ownership. A proper vehicle history report in Mississippi may identify over 60 title brands and highlight them as red flags.
- Entering an incorrect VIN during the title search
While this may appear to be a minor trivial error, even a small typo in the VIN can produce inaccurate results. Make sure the 17-digit VIN is entered correctly for a precise Mississippi vehicle title lookup.
- Opting Against Doing a Pre-Purchase-Inspection (PPI)
Coupled with an MS car title search, a professional pre-purchase inspection may provide a wealth of information not only as it relates to the vehicle’s history but also about its current condition.
- Skipping a full vehicle history report
Many buyers overlook checking accident history, odometer issues or theft records, all of which are crucial components of a thorough Mississippi title lookup.
- Waiting too long to perform the title search
Conducting your Mississippi vehicle title search early gives you more time to spot issues and negotiate based on accurate data.
