You do not need to just take his word for it. There are different ways to check even a used car and understand if everything is ok, if the price is fair and all that. I recommend always doing a VIN check. There are services like
FAXVIN where these reports are created based on data from official sources, registries, insurance companies. Also you need a mechanic to inspect the car. And then you already have the full picture of the car’s condition.