Car Buying/CarFax Pros

[ABC]

On 9/16/2016 at 0:49 PM, Taylor said:

So there's a car I'm interested in on Craigslist, and I got the VIN from the seller and ran a CarFax. While the CarFax is clean (no reported accidents, no total loss, etc.), a couple things give me pause:

1. There are hardly any service records reported. This car has 94,000 miles on it, but the last oil change reported was at 36,000 miles, and no service records since. How accurate is CarFax when it comes to service records?

2. The current seller bought the car a month ago. I asked him about this, and he said he bought the car just before learning he had to move out of state and so he's selling the car because he doesn't want to drive it 20 hours. I guess that makes sense, but it gives me pause.

Am I right to be a little suspicious? Ideally I'd have it looked at by a mechanic, but the car is an hour away so it would be tough to arrange that.

 

Carfax/Autocheck do not report every accident. Even accidents reported to DMV and insurance. As for service, many dealerships do not report to carfax for privacy reasons. Independent shops rarely report to carfax. Many times independent shops perform significantly better repairs and maintenance than dealerships anyway...you wouldn't believe the shit I've personally seen with my own cars from Toyota to Mercedes. 

The 20-hour drive story sounds like BS. Even if he doesn't want to drive it, he can easily ship it. 

Always get a mechanic to look at the car. Always. There are many shops in every area. If the car is an hour away, first check yelp for local mechanics who can perform the inspection. Coordinate with seller and mechanic. There are even mechanics who will travel, check out craigslist, but I recco a local shop. Personally I would never drive that far to buy a high mileage car unless it is more than just an average car.

Even if the car has 5K miles, get it inspected because it may have been wrecked. Don't get scared away from minor cosmetic paint work if it is a simple bumper spray. But walk away from any evidence of more damage. 

[ELEVEN]

On Sunday, September 18, 2016 at 5:00 PM, mp170.6 said:

I do all regular maintenance items myself and keep good records, thus, nothing would appear on a Carfax. 

The reason I never buy used vehicles from a dealership is because I want to know WHY a vehicle is being sold.  That, to me, is a pretty big indicator of what to expect.  Put a private seller on the spot and nicely grill them for specifics.  As hokey as this sounds, you want a seller who is sad, not desperate, to sell.  People with emotional attachments to cars are the ones who usually maintain them well.  IMHO, the ideal seller is someone who purchased the vehicle new, or has owned it for a long time, and needs a different vehicle for work, family reasons, because they're moving, etc. 

94,000 miles is not "high mileage" anymore.  For a used Toyota or Honda, that would be considered low mileage.  I agree with the others that selling a month later is suspicious, even if he had to drive "20 hours".  Think about it, the hassle of selling this car and buying a new one will probably take another 20 hours for this seller, so his logic doesn't make much sense. 

By the way, another tactic that makes dishonest sellers nervous is to bring a flashlight and a checklist when you come to inspect the vehicle.  Get under the car and start looking for accident damage, excessive rust, or oil, coolant, power steering, brake fluid leaks, or anything, really.  It's amazing how much new information is suddenly revealed when you point out a problem.

That 20 year old Tacoma I bought from you 16 months ago just did a 4300 mile vacation from SoCal to Kansas City MO, and on to Telluride CO and back to Cali with no issues. You took such care documenting all of your maintenance, that I entered it all into my Carfax. I have even taken notes and entered my own maintenance on the site since. It seemed a shame not to. I've since put 44K miles on her with no major issues. 151K plus and running strong. I should buy all of my vehicles from you.

[mp170.6]

On 10/7/2016 at 9:47 PM, ELEVEN said:

That 20 year old Tacoma I bought from you 16 months ago just did a 4300 mile vacation from SoCal to Kansas City MO, and on to Telluride CO and back to Cali with no issues. You took such care documenting all of your maintenance, that I entered it all into my Carfax. I have even taken notes and entered my own maintenance on the site since. It seemed a shame not to. I've since put 44K miles on her with no major issues. 151K plus and running strong. I should buy all of my vehicles from you.

I'm happy to hear the updates!  By the way, I think that's the Blue Rocket's first visit east of Arizona / Nevada. 

For a truck, it gets surprisingly good highway mileage. 26-28 MPG was not uncommon as I recall.

[ELEVEN]

6 hours ago, mp170.6 said:

I'm happy to hear the updates!  By the way, I think that's the Blue Rocket's first visit east of Arizona / Nevada. 

For a truck, it gets surprisingly good highway mileage. 26-28 MPG was not uncommon as I recall.

I ran some Seafoam thru the gas tank a couple of times during the trip. Got 29ish MPG most of the Hwy driving and over 34 while 10.000 feet up to Telluride & back thru those mountain roads.

I love me this old truck.

[Don]

On 10/10/2016 at 7:33 PM, ELEVEN said:

I ran some Seafoam thru the gas tank a couple of times during the trip. Got 29ish MPG most of the Hwy driving and over 34 while 10.000 feet up to Telluride & back thru those mountain roads.

I love me this old truck.

I've always found that high altitude thing interesting with regards to mpg. I had a Civic with a K&N air filter (put on by the previous owner) all through college that would average 35-37 highway mpg normally. I drove it back and forth from CA to KS four or five times while I owned it, and it would get 42 mpg or more every time through the Rockies. I think the highest I ever got (based on pump/trip odometer math) was 46.

[nate]

13 hours ago, Don said:

I've always found that high altitude thing interesting with regards to mpg. I had a Civic with a K&N air filter (put on by the previous owner) all through college that would average 35-37 highway mpg normally. I drove it back and forth from CA to KS four or five times while I owned it, and it would get 42 mpg or more every time through the Rockies. I think the highest I ever got (based on pump/trip odometer math) was 46.

That is interesting.  You would think the mileage would be worse because there is less oxygen in the air.

[arch stanton]

But the thinner air makes a bigger difference. Same with airplanes. Thinner air means less resistance thus it's easier to push the mass, meaning less fuel expended. And I believe older cars with carburetors did have efficiency issues with altitude change but EFI fixed that.

[nate]

That is good for the people that live there because the Eagle/Vail area is the most expensive gas I have experienced.  So Cal was $3.75 it was over $5 in Vail.

[Blarg]

Vail is a section of Santa Monica? 

[nate]

Colorado

[arch stanton]

It's the Malibu of the Rockies

[Blarg]

50 minutes ago, nate said:

Colorado

You've never had to fill up in Santa Monica.

[Troll Daddy]

Interesting takes ... I buy cars for a living. The majority of used cars sold at dealerships are bought at auction. 

[Tank]

5 hours ago, arch stanton said:

It's the Malibu of the Rockies

they must have a really nice INO.

#poornate

[Troll Daddy]

Btw stay away from cars that were sold new out of state.

Duh

[Taylor]

2 hours ago, Tank said:

they must have a really nice INO.

#poornate

Sadly, they don't. 

#poortaylor

[nate]

I got my INO fix, I am good for a while, we plan on visiting once a year now so I will survive.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

On 10/13/2016 at 5:57 AM, arch stanton said:

But the thinner air makes a bigger difference. Same with airplanes. Thinner air means less resistance thus it's easier to push the mass, meaning less fuel expended. And I believe older cars with carburetors did have efficiency issues with altitude change but EFI fixed that.

Not entirely. Years ago I owned a 1984 Lincoln Town Car. During my many trips between Oklahoma City and Las Vegas, I would invariably get an engine knock when traveling through Flagstaff on I-40. It got to the point that I would just fill up with premium unleaded on my last fuel stop before hitting Flagstaff.

[arch stanton]

11 hours ago, Vegas Halo Fan said:

Not entirely. Years ago I owned a 1984 Lincoln Town Car. During my many trips between Oklahoma City and Las Vegas, I would invariably get an engine knock when traveling through Flagstaff on I-40. It got to the point that I would just fill up with premium unleaded on my last fuel stop before hitting Flagstaff.

That model would have either a 2 barrel carb or a first gen throttle body injection system. Either way it would need to be adjusted for altitude. Newer cars do that on their own. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

It was throttle body injected.

[ELEVEN]

19 hours ago, Vegas Halo Fan said:

Not entirely. Years ago I owned a 1984 Lincoln Town Car. During my many trips between Oklahoma City and Las Vegas, I would invariably get an engine knock when traveling through Flagstaff on I-40. It got to the point that I would just fill up with premium unleaded on my last fuel stop before hitting Flagstaff.

Could be lower octane in the lower tier unleaded. Driving through Oklahoma & Kansas, I encountered 85 octane unleaded, and bumped my purchase up to the 87 mid tier priced gas. 

[Tank]

You probably should have used deionized water.

[Taylor]

So now I'm trying to sell my car on Craigslist. I've had two guys come look at it, and both of them agreed to buy it for a particular price. They left to get money out of the ATM, and then disappeared. Wouldn't respond to texts or calls. This happened twice in the span of three days, with two different people who spent time driving the car, asking questions, negotiating the price and agreeing to buy it. Then they left and never came back.

Did they change their minds after leaving and wanted to avoid an awkward conversation? If that's the case, how difficult is it to shoot me a text and let me know instead of going total radio silence? Thanks, Obama.

 

[ABC]

That's weird. But that's CL for you.

You're selling your car for cash you can get from the ATM? I think my limit is 500.

[mp170.6]

Taylor, you need to take a shower more often.