Cadillac Escalade on sale in Florida found to be hiding a big secret

This man found a fairly new Cadillac Escalade in Florida that looked like it was in mint condition, but it was actually a cover-up job.

Shiny cars at used car auctions often look great, but if you don’t do your due diligence, you might miss a huge problem.

Fortunately for this man, he dug a little deaper to find the SUV’s history, and someone was most certainly trying to get rid of it.

And now he’s sharing his ‘golden rules’ for buying used cars.

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Man finds new Cadillac Escalade with a shocking history in Florida

YouTuber Sam from the channel Samcrac was wandering around an auction lot in search for a decent project car.

That’s when he came across something that looked like it didn’t belong — a new-looking Cadillac Escalade.

The car’s condition obviously seemed too good to be true, so he started digging.

After a quick search of the car’s VIN, he found images of the same car but severely damaged.

That’s because it had been in a pretty serious crash despite being made to look ‘normal’.

Someone probably smashed it, clipped out the airbag, and tried their best to make it as pretty as possible.

It’s a common tactic for not losing much money, but it’s also heavily unfair to whoever buys it next.

Since Sam is a salvage auction expert himself, he had no trouble figuring out the truth.

Only recently, he bought a flood-damaged Bentley Continental GT for $9,000.

After spending endless hours, he managed to fix it for just $330.

How to buy a used car in an auction

As for this Escalade here, Sam laid out his ‘golden rules’ for buying used cars.

First things first, you should always inspect the car for any damages and check out the vehicle’s history of repairs and accidents.

Next, be wary of the list price because it might not be the final price.

Almost always, these cars will have hidden fees pushing that final price up.

Finally, check your state’s licensing criteria, as some states require special licensing to purchase salvage vehicles.

For instance, you’ll have to buy a salvage vehicle through a broker if you’re in Florida.

If you go just one state up north to Georgia, you can purchase one as an individual without any licensing.

These rules are like a standard checklist, and while they won’t guarantee that you end up with a perfectly fine car, they’ll certainly help.

Even an expert like Sam got into trouble once when he bought a used Tesla Model S and ended up spending thousands on repair bills.

It might seem like a lot of work, but he said this list is absolutely imperative if you’re serious about buying a used car.