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Carfax question

QueBert

QueBert

Lifer
I'm looking to buy a used car, the only one for sale near me shows an accident report on the Carfax, but no information on it. Doesn't say a date or if it was minor or major. It does say accidents have to be reported when the damage $750 or over. That could be a cracked bumper for all I know. It does say no structural damage and the air bags haven't been deployed. I'm going to call the dealer tomorrow, but if they don't have any info to give me here. Is there any way I can find out more about the report on my own? I'm wary about buying a car that's been in an accident, but maybe it was something small.
 
A new bumper cover, taillight, and blind spot sensors for my housemate's Lexus were $6k. No such thing as "small" accidents anymore.

If there was a police report, maybe? Those are public info. But you'd have to know what the license plate of the car was, at least. (Old plates still on it?)

Information reported to Carfax is incomplete at best, deceptive at worse. Take the car to a third-party mechanic for proper pre-purchase inspection (you will pay for this), ask them to check for what they think might have been the damage - they'll be speculating, but they can usually spot things like paint overspray when it's up on a lift, or masking lines from a repaint. That'll give them an idea of what body panels might have been repainted, repaired, or replaced. If they can't spot anything, then it's probably a darn good repair job that you shouldn't worry about too much.

Ask the dealer to check the alignment or provide a printout from when they did. It's not guaranteed to show anything, but if the non-adjustable parts aren't pretty close to symmetrical (and within spec) then there's quite possibly frame damage.

Also, when you have it on a test drive, spray some water on a microfiber cloth and give the car a quick wipe-down in all the places rain doesn't usually get. (inside the doors, along the bottom of the car, inside the trunk lip, etc.) Cheap paint jobs sometimes rub off. Not kidding.
 
If you can get the VIN you can ask the dealer to check their system. I have a friend who works for a Ford dealer and they have a system that can check for any repairs on the vehicle that goes beyond carfax.
 
I know this is going to seem silly but maybe call the owner and ask them before us? 😱

If they don't have any more info, don't buy it. I am in disbelief that there is only one car for sale in your area. Does everyone else ride horses?
 
mindless1 said:
I know this is going to seem silly but maybe call the owner and ask them before us? 😱

If they don't have any more info, don't buy it. I am in disbelief that there is only one car for sale in your area. Does everyone else ride horses?
Click to expand...

Yes, I posted this late at night and planned on calling the dealer the follow morning but I thought I'd ask here first. Dealers. especially used car ones tend to not be totally straight forward. And will tell you what you want to hear to get you to come in. I'd trust an AT dude over a used car snake oil salesman. As for the only 1 car for sale in my area, no there are tons for sale but only the 1 for the exact car I want. I found like 6 of them for sale online, but that's for the entire country. I'd never go with a car that has a damage police report on it unless that was the only option for that car. My other options here are to have the car shipped from another state, and for a used car I think that's an awful idea.

Any ways, I called the dealer and left a message and they haven't called me back yet.
 
^ There's nothing to trust from posts here because we have no relevance to what extent it was wrecked. Rather than trusting a statement from the seller you could insist on seeing the repair bill. That's at least as important to keep as all the other service and repair records you'd want if this vehicle has significant value.
 
My advise is pay a mechanic of your choice and get the car inspected before buying. Do not trust anything the dealer or seller says until you can verify it with the independent mechanic. If they don't let you take the car to a mechanic, walk away.
 
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