[NitroLX]

Hello all!

Would you buy a used car from a dealership without the carfax?
They gave me a auto trade link but i do not trust that. would you?


The car looks amazing and does not seem like there is much wrong but the auto trader has me a little.. worried.

[trjn]

If you like the car, buy a carfax report for it or even better take it for a PPI.

[rulonger]

I do not trust carfax. PPI is the only way to go.

[NitroLX]

ppi even tho its from the dealership still?

[AM330i]

What's wrong with auto trader? Any used car you buy is a risk no matter what info you can get on it. Doesn't matter who you buy it from or where you buy it, it's always a risk. Most of the time the car will be ok but once in a while you might get a dud. I have purchased 5 used BMW's and only one of them I had to have the dealer buy back due to a bad transmission. No indication there was a problem until after I signed the contract and drove off the lot. All the dealerships I have dealt with will provide a carfax report. If they refuse to give you one and you absolutely need one then move on or purchase one, they don't cost that much.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by NitroLX

ppi even tho its from the dealership still?

+ yes. Carfax is updated by GUESS WHO? The dealer/service shop.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by rulonger

I do not trust carfax. PPI is the only way to go.

I went to look at a Lexus, no accidents per the carfax. Huh? Go to see it and with my bare eyes I see overspray on the left, the right, right tailpipe crooked, and dealer paperwork showed the replaced ONLY the right front and right rear shocks. Hmmmmm, both right rims scraped. Take carfax with a grain of salt, even it says it doesn't show all accidents.

Ps know as much as you can yourself. You cannot buy a car without the dealer making a nice profit. They will not let you leave with the car unless it's the case. I notice if you lowball (like offer trade in on the low side), they won't even counter offer....don't be afraid to walk out, and if you see the car's price dropped two weeks later cuz it sat, go back. There's no shame in trying to get the lowest reasonable price.

[hassmaschine]

Carfax is a good reference but is not the end all. I've seen cars that had a "clean" carfax that were obviously repaired (poorly) from a bad accident. Doesn't do you any good if somebody put a car into a tree, doesn't report it, then "fixes" it in their backyard.

I would get an independent PPI too. If the seller objects, walk away. Don't take a car dealers word for anything - used car dealers have a reputation for being slimeballs for a reason.

[unrulyteach]

Looks can be deceiving. It's not how it looks it's how it drives and how will it hold up later on down the road. Get a PPI will be money well spent

[jt335i]

Don’t strictly rely on Carfax because it doesn’t always give you all the information about a car’s history so that’s why you should always do your own thorough homework/research (vehicle inspection by independent or trusted mechanic, test drive, check all the bells and whistles as if the car was yours, look for any strange paint mismatches, body panels not aligned, etc, etc.) before pulling the trigger on a purchase.