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stranger1977
New User
Jan 11, 2013, 3:22 PM
Post #1 of 7
(2315 views)
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Hello, I'm considering a car...would anyone with an unlimited carfax be kind enough to get a report for me? Much appreciated...
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nickwarner
Veteran
/ Moderator
Jan 11, 2013, 3:41 PM
Post #2 of 7
(2310 views)
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Re: Carfax, anyone?
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Thats not what we do here and honestly Carfax isn't going to be much good for you anyway. Certainly not worth paying for. If you like the car take it to a mechanic and pay them to do a full inspection on it. They have no interest in if you buy the car or not so you can be assured the results are unbiased. If the seller objects to this then walk away from the car, he is hiding something. I've seen clunker money pits that were going to nickel and dime a guy to death have perfect Carfax results. Carfax doesn't show you if this has been maintained. It doesn't tell you how its been driven. It just tells you where to enter your credit card number so they can make money.
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stranger1977
New User
Jan 11, 2013, 3:47 PM
Post #3 of 7
(2306 views)
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Re: Carfax, anyone?
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Thanks. On that note, do you know if it makes a difference whether I take it to a dealer to get it checked out or a gas station mechanic? The car I'm looking at is in another state, so I can't take it to my mechanic. My choices are a European car dealer (takes a long time, $$$) or a gas station attached mechanic who claims he can do the job.
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jan 11, 2013, 4:00 PM
Post #4 of 7
(2300 views)
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Re: Carfax, anyone?
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Isn't there something in between available. All you need is a competent and honest technician and I'm not sure the gas station will be that.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Sidom
Veteran
/ Moderator
Jan 11, 2013, 9:03 PM
Post #5 of 7
(2286 views)
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Re: Carfax, anyone?
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I'm on the fence about car fax....I've seen times where there was some very good history on a car a buyer would of never been aware of & then other times where it comes up blank on a car with history....I guess it's kind of hit or miss on what gets on there......but any info at a reasonable price is good info..
Which is what the inspection is about.....You have to realize that this is just a visual inspection of the car and with issues that are going on with it right now. brakes almost to metal, broken axles or other suspension parts, big oil leaks, etc..... So any reliable tech could do it, I wouldn't spend any more than 50 to 100 on it....Its mainly a drive, inspect under the hood, put it in the air, pull the wheels to check the brks & inspect the underneathl, pull the codes and make sure all the moniters have run...... An incomplete moniter is a red flag, either there is a problem in the computer system not allowing that moniter to run or someone just cleared the codes to turn off a check engine light. In that case the light would come back on very shortly.....
An inspection isn't going to tell you if the engine or transmission is going to blow up next week or next month or if an alternator is going fail or window regulator break....That is just a risk you take with a used car and why almost no one offers a warranty on one...
Most disputes that I have seen involve people who bought cars with pre exsisting conditions or ones that had major problems shortly after they bought them....... Both groups lose their cases but a presale inspection would've saved the 1st group from a bad sale...
Also be sure to drive the car yourself....for some time...not just a quick trip around the block.....get it out on the freeway and up to speed....The radio only goes on to see if it works, turn it off on the test drive, you can listen to it AFTER you buy the car....Which brings up another good point....Test every option that car has, cruise control, put a cd in the player to make sure it works, the mirrors, trunk lock, the seats, make sure there is a spare tire...everything....Make a list if you have to......
(This post was edited by Sidom on Jan 11, 2013, 9:04 PM)
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stranger1977
New User
Jan 11, 2013, 9:36 PM
Post #6 of 7
(2278 views)
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Re: Carfax, anyone?
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Thanks for the tips! I actually went ahead and bought the carfax, and it was a pretty skimpy one. It had only one minor service records and registration renewals. Hard to believe that in 5 years the owner serviced the car once. The car is an Audi, so I am a little uneasy about potential maintenance issues that might come up. It has about 50K miles. Do you have any idea at what mileage these start to have problems?
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Sidom
Veteran
/ Moderator
Jan 11, 2013, 10:15 PM
Post #7 of 7
(2276 views)
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Re: Carfax, anyone?
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Well that's the problem with carfax.....It's what gets reported and what doesn't......I really don't know how they compile their data but it's not like every shop's database is tied into one server. So you can get reports like the one you got...very lacking......I can't say for sure but I believe it would be a little better in the title area and if there were any problems tied into that since a lot of those issues are public record.
Euros can be a little bit more to own & operate but if you have already owned them and already have a shop then you know all this....There is no real mileage mark on when any car is going to have problems. A lot of it really falls down to maintenance and who does it & who doesn't. Lack of maintenance takes life off the back end....What I can say is over the years the mark was 100k for most cars but that has really gone up over the years.....You routinely see cars & trucks at the 200k mark some it better shape than others but it goes back to how well they have been take care of...
You can use this site to ballpark some numbers on maintaining costs http://xxx.edmunds.com/tco.html (just switch the Xs to Ws)
For this you really can't go off of carfax but if the owner has maintained the car they should be able to show you records of that. I would want to see shop records, no maintenance reports they kept on their computers, anyone could make those...
Just do your homework....Make sure the cost of driving it, is in your price range.....Get it in the air.....You would be surprised what shows up when you can stand there & look up, most places will let you come into the bay & take a look (as long as you put on safety glas$es & look like a geek)....Get a good answer to "So why are you selling this?" and put some miles on the car,
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