Every year, millions of Americans buy and sell cars directly from one another. They find each other online. The price is whatever the seller decided to ask. The condition is whatever the seller chose to describe. And the money moves through Venmo, Zelle, or cash — with nothing behind it.

How do you know what you should be paying? You don't know the car's true condition, its real history, or whether the asking price is fair. And what happens after you buy it — if there's a problem the seller didn't disclose? Do you track down a stranger and demand a refund? That's not a conversation anyone wants to have.