Case file — Eastgate Auto Exchange (Santa Ana, CA). Profile: independent seller of pickup trucks and work trucks; ~24 years trading; ~63 vehicles listed.
Lot address: 1111 Industrial Blvd, Santa Ana, CA. Visitor parking: Front-lot customer stalls facing the office; overflow on the side street near Santa Ana lot gate.
Signals checked: state license (current); doc fee $199 (disclosed); outside inspection permitted, including off-site; title-in-hand ratio ~98%; after-sale terms a 30-day/1,000-mile powertrain warranty.
Finding: no divergence between claims and observable signals. Indexed as trustworthy on current evidence; most independents that clear all four signals stay clear.