Carfax Request/General Advice

[AccordWarrior]

Hi all,

I might be looking at a car for my mom this weekend, and I located what appears to be a decent car. It's a 90 EX with 148K on it. I already emailed the seller asking all the basics.

What should I do when I actually get to see the car. I mean I know the obvious checking for rust, checking to make sure there's no mold in the car, that it tracks straight, etc etc. But is there any way to assess the general mechanical shape of the car? I doubt the guy will let me bust out a compression tester, etc. Also other than listening to weird clunks and the link, any way I can test the suspension. I wouldn't know what to do with the wheel wiggling and stuff.

Every car I've ever looked at has been in shitty shape, but this one doesn't look too bad. For the budget, is the nicest condition'd one I've seen.

If someone has a Carfax, could they run this vin for me?

1HGCB7667LA112953

[blackice]

emailed you a carfax, let me know if you don't get it

edit: emailed you a checklist for used cars also

[phatdoughnut]

He should let you do a compression test.

[deckeda]

First thing I do is get the VIN and run it through CARFAX --- before I go to see the car. If CARFAX tells me some bad news, I call the guy and say forget it, not interested. If I can't get the VIN from them in the first place, same thing; I don't even want to look at it.

If CARFAX gives me something to question, like recent ownership changes/accidents/registered-in-Katrina-area etc. I will question the seller and see what kind of answers I get. If they don't jibe, or he seems to want to gloss over a few things, I'm not interested.

Driving it will tell you how the suspension is to a great degree. But look for a road that will test it. Show up a few minutes early and scout out the area first; don't just drive down whatever road he suggests. And if it's something you're already familiar with such as an old Accord, you'll additionally have that frame of reference.

As far as the mechanical goes, the drive will still tell you something about it. But check the fluids. Get a feel for how well it's been maintained. Adequate records are like gold --- I'll always pay more for a car that has documentation, especially for the big stuff like timing belts, milestone service (30K, 90K etc.), dealership service, etc. Look under it. Oil leaks? CV boot leaks?

Hate to say it, but stereotypes matter here. Nicer neighborhoods, family-owned car, one-owner vehicle, middle-aged owner, another nice car in the garage, a garage, --- all of those are good signs.

Lastly, pay attention to anything minor that needs fixing. Chances are, if the owner fixed the small, annoying stuff, the important stuff is fine too. I can't stand people who say, "well, that's just a $50 fix but I didn't get around to it.") <<< those are the people who also let oil changes, radiator flushes etc. lapse.

You're looking for a good vibe, as well as the hard facts like a compression check. This is as much art as it is science.

[AccordWarrior]

Hmm.

I checked the history (Thanks a bunch blackice), and I'm coming up with 2 owners, he bought it at 96K, its got 148K. It was one accident and it's flunked inspection twice. The last time it did was 2004, but it passed the past two years.

The pictures of the car show it in a decent neighborhood and the guy claims he just wants to let it go becuase he boguth another car (according to the ad). I have next to no budget to work with and its for my mom, so it has to be in good shape mechanically. I'll still look at it, but I think I'm going to memorize that carfax and see if his answers jive with the facts.

[deckeda]

So far so good. Don't worry about the failed inspection necessarily ... I failed last year because of the gas cap. $12 later from the dealer and I was good to go.

And who says you have to memorize it? Just print it and take it with you ...

[AccordWarrior]

I received a response from the seller. He pretty much confirmed everything that was replaced, including timing belt, pads, rotors, calipers, tires, exhaust and it matches up pretty well with the Carfax. He even had it to the mile on a few of the repairs, so I'm thinking he does have good records.

He didn't disclose the accident on the record. Should I be worried. I'm well aware its a cheap cheap car, but my mom expects perfection for a quarter of what I'd sell my car for.

He also says it has a slight hesitation around 2K rpm and his mechanic says its a computer issue, but he wouldn't have it replaced? Any insight?

[CustomLowz]

First thing I do is get the VIN and run it through CARFAX --- before I go to see the car. If CARFAX tells me some bad news, I call the guy and say forget it, not interested. If I can't get the VIN from them in the first place, same thing; I don't even want to look at it.

If CARFAX gives me something to question, like recent ownership changes/accidents/registered-in-Katrina-area etc. I will question the seller and see what kind of answers I get. If they don't jibe, or he seems to want to gloss over a few things, I'm not interested.

Driving it will tell you how the suspension is to a great degree. But look for a road that will test it. Show up a few minutes early and scout out the area first; don't just drive down whatever road he suggests. And if it's something you're already familiar with such as an old Accord, you'll additionally have that frame of reference.

As far as the mechanical goes, the drive will still tell you something about it. But check the fluids. Get a feel for how well it's been maintained. Adequate records are like gold --- I'll always pay more for a car that has documentation, especially for the big stuff like timing belts, milestone service (30K, 90K etc.), dealership service, etc. Look under it. Oil leaks? CV boot leaks?

Hate to say it, but stereotypes matter here. Nicer neighborhoods, family-owned car, one-owner vehicle, middle-aged owner, another nice car in the garage, a garage, --- all of those are good signs.

Lastly, pay attention to anything minor that needs fixing. Chances are, if the owner fixed the small, annoying stuff, the important stuff is fine too. I can't stand people who say, "well, that's just a $50 fix but I didn't get around to it.") <<< those are the people who also let oil changes, radiator flushes etc. lapse.

You're looking for a good vibe, as well as the hard facts like a compression check. This is as much art as it is science.

Good info