Car dealers

[The PIT]

Mmm I've had the AA check my first ever car from a dealer. Guess what they ****ed up and I still ended up buying a dud. It's okay if the mechanics a friend because he'll look for you if he isn't you're still left with the "can I be bothered attitude" or "I can fob this guy off and still make some easy cash". Where I live there isn't a garage I trust.

[Brian R.]

About six months ago, I test drove a 98 BMW 528 which was perfect. I looked it up and found out it had a Salvage Title in VA and was retitled in MD. Sure enough, I looked the car over and the dashboard was missing the S/N and there was alot of welding done in the suspension. God that car was sweet. I wish the dealer had told me about the Salvage title in the first place and not wasted my time.

[Strahd]

7 years ago I was looking at buying a Camaro. I took it to a mechanic I sort of knew. I had been there once. So you know they didn't know me. Anyway, I got the inspection done. They told me the car needed a valve job. They couldn't say how long it would last before my valves went, but that it would definately need to be done. Told me it would cost me roughly $1200.00. Being an avid lover of GM, and especially the Camaro, Firebird and Corvettes, I said screw it. I'll buy it anyway. Now, 7 years later, 85 000Km added on, there's not even a ping under my hood. Car is 15 years old, looks about 5, and runs like a champ.
Now, if they screwed up in the good way, how often do they screw up the bad way? No sir, this car is in perfect shape. The next week the drive shaft drops out and you go hurling over the barrier of a bridge, drop 450ft into a river and have an oil tanker mow you down.

Inspections don't mean anything.

Rags: You're right, my last post was pretty retarded. I just like a good debate. I'd never bring ten cars in for inspections.

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[This message has been edited by Strahd (edited 31 August 2000).]

[Strahd]

Originally posted by The PIT:
Mmm I've had the AA check my first ever car from a dealer.

You brought your car to Alcoholics Annonymous???

Over here it's AAA or CAA.

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[Rags]

The keys to getting a GOOD inspection of a used car are:

1. Use your usual repair facility. They will go the extra mile for repeat customers. If you don't have a repair shop you usually take your car to, then (besides start upkeeping your own car better) ask around for a respectable place. A good lesson here is to perform Prev. Maint. on your cars, and stick with one shop that treats you well. This develops into a relationship that can be beneficial to both sides in the long run.

2. PAY for it. Don't look in the paper for the 15.95 oil change people who do 30 point inspections for free. They aren't going to waste their time to look a car over for you. By pay, I mean really. Pay anywhere from 80-130 dollars for a good inspection where they perform all of the services I mentioned earlier in this thread. And I think 130 dollars is a steal for a GOOD inspection. Flat-rate pays 1.0 hr for most compression tests, .8 for most engine analysis, 1.3 for most computer analysis, and .6 for an underbody inspection. With the average labor rate at 50-60 dollars an hour, you can see that 130 dollars is not bad. You want to pay for several reasons: One, it's in good taste; two, repair shops are there to make profit, and usually do inspections fairly well at no charge, but it's a stretch to ask them to do a freebie inspection on a car that they will most likely not get to repair so their incentive is nil.

3. Make an appointment. Most will get you in the next day, or the day after. This doesn't pressure them for time as much, and reduces your chances of getting a "rush" job done.

4. Leave the car with them first thing in the morning, and offer to pick it up the next day. This gives them enough time to do the job thoroughly.

5. Express to them how important it is to you to find everything possible wrong.

6. Ask to look at visible problems when they are found.

7. Look around yourself. If anything doesn't look/feel quite right, tell them. this helps them to focus where to look.

8. Insist they have a technician test drive it to have his opinion on what it feels like.

9. DON'T RUSH THEM.

Rags

[Brian R.]

Also, my experience illustrates the usefullness of carfax.com for historical peace of mind.

[Rags]

Yup, carfax is a good idea.

[The PIT]

Strahd I'm in the UK so it's the AA.
But I'm a Alcholic at the weekends.

[Strahd]

LOL

Aren't we all???

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The waitress is practicing politics, as the business man slowly gets stoned...
...Yes they're sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it's better then drinking alone.

[The PIT]

The drink ran well last night too well really. Looking forward for tonight now. Hick Hick.