Staying safe

What we do

Unsmoggables is a place to list a car and talk to the person on the other side. We host the listing, pass messages and offers between you, and take reports about bad behaviour.

We don't take payment for a car, we never hold anyone's money, and we don't handle title or registration paperwork.

What a phone-verified badge means

A badge means someone confirmed a phone number by entering a code we texted them. That's it.

It is not an identity check, a background check, or any promise about the person, the car, or the sale. Treat every deal the way you'd treat one from a classified ad.

Paying safely

Payment happens directly between buyer and seller — cash at a bank, a cashier's check verified with the issuing bank, or a wire you initiate yourself.

If you'd like a neutral third party to hold the money, you can choose a licensed, bonded escrow company yourselves, such as Escrow.com. Their terms govern the money and we're not part of it.

Never use an escrow site, link or invoice sent to you by the other party, and never send gift cards, crypto or payment apps to someone you haven't met.

Title and paperwork

The title transfer, the bill of sale, smog or emissions paperwork and the DMV filing are handled by the two of you, under your state's rules.

Check the VIN on the car against the title and the door-jamb label before money changes hands, and confirm there's no lien on the title.

Modified and non-passing vehicles

Plenty of cars here are modified, tuned, swapped, or unable to pass an emissions test somewhere. Emissions, inspection and registration rules differ by state and change over time — a car that's fine to own, sell and register in one state may not be in another.

Sellers must describe modifications and emissions equipment honestly, including anything deleted or altered. Buyers should confirm the car can legally be bought, moved, registered and driven where they live before paying.

Nothing on this site is legal, mechanical, emissions or tax advice, and we make no claim that any vehicle complies with emissions law.

Other companies we mention

Escrow providers, transporters, inspectors and history-report services named anywhere on the site are independent of us. We don't endorse, vet or guarantee them, and anything you do with them is under their terms.

Reports and account action

We remove listings and suspend accounts for misrepresentation, stolen or unauthorised vehicles, harassment, and scam attempts.

Report anything that looks wrong from the listing page — it reaches us directly.