Before you buy
Buying a car on Facebook Marketplace: the checks to run first
5 min read
Listings on Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree carry the most risk and the least paperwork. The checks to run before you message, drive out and pay.
Before you message: check the plate
Run the plate through your state's free rego check. It costs nothing and confirms that the registration is current and which vehicle it belongs to. A plate that belongs to a different model from the one in the ad is the cheapest red flag you will ever find.
Before you drive out: run the PPSR search
Search for money owing, written-off and stolen status before you spend an afternoon on a car. The plate in the photos is enough to start from. If something is registered, you have saved the trip; if it is clear, keep the certificate.
If days pass before you buy, search again on the day you pay. The certificate records the register at the moment of the search, and finance registered after it will not show.
At the car: match the VIN
Read the VIN off the car itself, on the compliance plate, the driver's door frame or the lower corner of the windscreen, and check it matches your certificate and the seller's papers. A cloned car is one wearing another car's identity, and the VIN is where it shows.
Paying: the usual traps
Most losses on private listings happen at the payment, not the inspection:
- Never pay a deposit to hold a car you have not seen. Deposit scams are among the most common on listing sites.
- Pay by bank transfer to an account in the name of the person on the registration papers, not a third party.
- Be wary of a price far below the market, a seller who cannot meet in person, or a story about being overseas.
- Get a written receipt with both names, the VIN, the price and the date.
Common questions
- Is it safe to buy a car on Facebook Marketplace?
- It can be, with checks. Confirm the plate with your state's free rego check, run the PPSR search for money owing, written-off and stolen status, and match the VIN on the car before you pay.
- Should I pay a deposit on a Marketplace car?
- Not before you have seen the car and checked it. A deposit on a car you have not inspected is the shape of the most common listing scam.
- Can I check a Marketplace car with just the plate?
- Yes. The plate and state are enough for your state's free rego check and for a PPSR search that starts from the rego.
Check the car you are looking at
Enter an Australian plate or 17-character VIN. Run an instant free identity check, then add the official register searches this guide is about.
