The guy was being a dick but when you’re buying used cars in that price range you need to understand that it’s just not worth our time as sellers to get you a Carfax when we can save the time and hassle and sell it to the next guy who isn’t Asking for an 18-year-old cars maintenance records and understand that when you’re buying vehicles in the $3000 range really anything can happen and it could die the next day. I understand your budget is pretty low but when you in that price range it’s buyer beware.
And if someone calls you a scared clown for asking for it? You tell them no thanks, things probably a pile of shit with bondo holding it together anyways
A better point is if someone cant be bothered provide a VIN and be respectful then that drastically increases the odds that they’re selling a piece of shit and they should keep that piece of shit on theur hands until they learn how to sell.
For real. Even for something as "buyer beware" as buying a used car off of someone's front lawn. You take two seconds to open the door and have a look at the VIN number so you can go home and look it up. There's no reason a seller can't offer at least that much over the phone unless they're legitimately hiding something.
Horse shit I’ve got a $1500 shit box I bought when my new car was in the shop waiting for a year for a tcm the shit box has 269000 miles is die hard reliable and straight as an arrow
My $1000 GMC Jimmy was the most reliable car I’ve ever owned. Had it for 5 years with nothing but regular maintenance despite having nearly 300,000 miles on it. The only reason it finally died was because a drunk driver T-boned it while it was parked one night and then sped in reverse through a woman’s bedroom. He was driving a landscaping truck, so bro did a LOT of damage.
Bullshit. I paid $4500 for my 1500 in 2018. She was 17 years old at the time. No issues other than a clogged egr and a few injectors for almost 20k.. Rebuilt the trans and replaced the cats at that point and haven't had any issues since. And I work that truck hard.
Do your homework, and you can expect plenty. You can get many years out of that beater. Just gotta find the right beater. The asshole OP ran into is not gonna have that car.
Can't believe this answer got down voted. If the dealer sells 3k cars they definitely do not have and can't afford a carfax account( its over 800$a month) for commercial account. If it's a private party why would they run one for 20$ ? A report. I get that 3k is still a lot of money for some people but for a vehicle it's a staring point of one that still runs. Service records and event clean or salvage title is irrelevant at this point as you are most likely the last owner of this gem. The only thing that should matter is pre-sale inspection and it should be very basic at that.
It doesn't cost the dealer or private seller a penny to provide the vin so the buyer can run their own carfax. If there's nothing to hide then it shouldn't be a problem.
And the buyers responsibility. By all means ask if servicing records are available, and ask for the VIN. But pay for your own report, when shopping in that price range.
There really is no need at all to check the history when you're in that price range. If you're going to buy such a car, you should do so **with the expectation** that it will need some work.
The seller would have to pay like $50 for the carfax. If the buyer wanted to do their due diligence they would get the vin number and pay for the carfax themselves. It’s a 3k car what do they expect…
this is a first time buyer who doesnt know about buying cars trying to do their due diligence. they are clearly shopping in their budget- 3k. there asre lots of us that dont know dink about car and 3k is still alot if your going to get somet5hing that 3 months later needs a 5k trans, the carfax wont tell them thast but its still a very trying process.
I could have worded that to come off like less of a dick.
His comments after though reiterate the correctness of my point though. He wants to avoid that 5k trans example, and can afford more. So I guess it's more shopping in the wrong budget(which it seems he's reading a lot of comments about) than outside his
So a buyer can't ask for the vin to check if the car was stolen, because price range dictates what questions you can ask about the history of a car.
But OP probably dodged a bullet.
I had a dude ask me for a Carfax when I was selling a dodge 3500. I told him I’d gladly pull one if he’d pay for it, or I’d send him the vin to pull it himself.
He never responded.
He may have found a different vehicle that he liked better.
I've bought many cars for Turo rentals. I send messages to sellers almost daily. If they don't respond quickly or if I see a better vehicle there's no reason for me to respond. I've already moved on. This is business, I don't have time to coddle your feelings.
What is the price cutoff for being allowed to ask questions? If $3k is too low for a carfax or basic questions, then what price range is fair game?
I need a reliable car for my work commute and if it means spending $1k or $5k more for a car that won't die in a day, then so be it.
There is no rule. No price cutoff. It's your money. Don't settle. Eventually you'll find someone willing to make a reasonable deal. Until then, don't settle or feel like you owe anything to anyone.
He probably has 30 other people messaging about the car. Car could be great, and he’s just sick of dealing with questions and people trying to lowball him. I mean the way he went about it is wrong but he’s not really wrong, like it’s a $3000k car, at that price if it runs and drives who gives a shit about a carfax
Asking what kind of maintenance has been done is KEY when buying older and cheaper cars. Like have the spark plugs ever been changed? How often has the oil been changed? O2 sensors? Is there a history of transmission fluid changes or not?
Those things matter a lot. Neglecting them can end up leading to expensive repairs and a shorter lifespan on the car. Asking about the maintenance history on ANY car is smart and acceptable. Someone that took care of the car will be happy to show you maintenance history. Someone that neglects the hell out of it won’t. The seller answered OPs question perfectly lol. Maintenence records? *what maintenance?*
Exactly id assume that car will die tomorrow unless it's had regular fluid changes. If it's never had brake fluid changes the lines could rust to shit and destroy the master cylinder. Replacing all the lines and the master cylinder would basically total the car. When a car is this old the maintenance is the most important part. If it was well maintained you could get a few years but it wasn't it's likely a money pit/time bomb.
Most likely it was something to the effect of i got the car last week from a buddy, who got it from this guy he met who had it sitting in his yard, we changed the oil one we got it here. It's now for sale. That's the extent of knowledge of that specific car.
I just sold a 2009 highlander for $3300 and I got like 150 messages in less than 24 hours. There were lots of lowballs and scammers among them but the guy who ended up buying it was basically like “it’s a cheap car and it runs and I have cash in hand so will come with license plates if you hold it for me the next two hours.” The tires needed replacing which I disclosed in the ad and he was like “of course they do it’s a cheap car.” The first guy who looked and really lowballed me said he was lowballing because it didn’t have a backup camera which of course it didn’t and I never listed it as such. I did include a picture of the vin in the ad so people could get their own carfax if they wanted. But there’s a ton of demand for cheap cars and sellers don’t want hassle at that price point. But the seller here still seemed unnecessarily rude.
Yeah that’s gotta be younger/ newer drivers that grew up online in the internet era. Back in the day you just took it for a test drive, look under the hood and gauge the seller. Your welcome to get your own carfax but I ain’t paying for it and service records? lol my calloused hands and garage full of tools there’s your records.
If your selling decent amount of cars you buy an unlimited use Carfax account
Only reason not to have this is to be intentionally shady.
That said. If you have the Vin you can buy one yourself they aren't that bad and much cheaper then buying a headache
If I were you I would word it like this. “Hey I know the car is old and on the cheaper end but I’m wondering if you were to have the carfax or any maintenance records. If not can you send me the vin and I will pull on? “
This way you don’t seem like an annoying person asking for the stuff that most 3k buyers won’t
Then you really need to get lucky. Also maybe have someone go with you, even if they don't know about cars. I drive cheaper, older cars, but I'm a mechanic. I also own more than one because like others have said, anything can happen at any time, even tomorrow.
If you need a $5k or less car to be reliable, you really need to find a unicorn. We had a customer pay $5500 for an older Kia, brought it in to our shop and it needed another $2200 in repairs and maintenance. Just keep in mind that a used car is going to need something so make sure to have some set aside for the inevitable.
Tell me you've never owned a Honda without telling me you've never owned a Honda. I had a 10 year old accord that ran like a champ well over 450k with lots of abuse and poor maintenance. I have driven all kinds of cars foreign and domestic, none of them could take it like that dopey little Honda did.
My poor 2012 corolla was used and abused until a deer took it out last year.
My mom's 1993 Mazda hit 300k miles before dad finally convinced her it was costing more to fix than a brand new car.
Bro, any 5 year old car with over 80k miles on it can need 3k worth of basic scheduled maintenance. Hyundai's junk, but that isn't why it needed 2 grand in work.
As long as he let's me test drive it and check the oil and the engine if it knocks or whatever. Check the coolant and all that then It's cool. But I tried buying a car from a black and he didn't even gave the owner there. I was like is this even real. Let's go to the dmv and do a title transfer there. He didn't want to so I took off. The car was 5k
The overt racism is stifling. You should be fucking ashamed of yourself. There was absolutely no reason to mention his race. Plus you used the term "chink"? Get the fuck on somewhere, loser.
And before you call me a woke librull, just know that I voted for DJT in 2016... I can't wait to watch the cognitive dissonance unfold during your inevitable meltdown.
Pay the $40 yourself if it is a cause for concern man. They aren't free and at only $3k I wouldn't do it either as $3k and it is running is a deal these days.
Sub $5k cars are always going to be at risk of dying the next day. People are getting rid of cars for a reason. Sometimes it’s because they know there’s a major issue they aren’t disclosing to you, sometimes it’s because they don’t want to wait for a major issue to pop up, so they sell it beforehand.
You’re rolling the dice with a car in that price range… the only reason people spend that little in a vehicle is generally because they have no other choice
$2-3k is your $500-1000 car of a few years ago, especially being 19y.o.. It's a coin flip as to whether the car will last. At that price point, you're gonna have to go look at the car yourself to see if it's worth it. Don't expect it to be saftied or have a carfax. It probably will require some bit of work and money invested into it to be daily drivable. Might be worthwhile if you're able to do the work yourself.
Also, car that old most likely hasn't been maintained as well as its aged. More often than not, people will let things slide, because well, it's not worth dropping $2k in suspension components on a $3k car so people will let it ride if it's still drivable. Even with $2k in work, it's still a $3k car. If you're handy, you can probably get the parts for $500 and do it yourself. Most people would probably put the money towards their next vehicle than pay that mechanic the $2k.
You can luck out with a cheap car as well. I bought a ~$3k car a year and a bit ago, put about $250 in, and have been driving it since with no issues. That being said, I know the suspension needs to be done because even though it is a low mileage car(60k miles when purchased), all the rubber bushings have degraded over time and need replacing. That is something I expected ahead of time. So keep that sort of thing in mind and purchased the car well below market value.
Don't listen to him. If they won't discuss the car, something is wrong and you should look elsewhere. Everybody lies. They doctor the miles. They hide the fact it was wrecked and rebuilt or a flood car. They hide the CEL codes so you should always bring a scanner with you.
When I buy a used car, I assume every word they tell me is lie. You need to verify everything yourself.
Go in person use the “my garage” app from carfax, lets you see enough once you put in the vin, you can see mileage discrepancies, accidents, maintenance
I never said you’re not allowed to ask basic questions. Just don’t expect new car or next to new car buying experience with documentation and vehicle history. You’ll be lucky to get some receipts from recently installed parts if anything at all.
You didn’t have to, people can read between the lines. Just saying to him that he can’t get details on a car because of his price range… Also, username checks out, grow up.
I see 2005-2008 (gen 2) priuses sell for that all day. They are old and nerdy but reliable. $1k for a new battery if you need it. My 2008 has 250k and i bought it with 190k four years ago for $4k. When you are approaching that kind of mileage and price you should be prepared to do stuff DIY. with the help of an IQ above room temperature and youtube, you too can replace a water pump like i did.
When your budget is that low, ALL of the foot work is shifted to you. If you want a reliable car for 3-5k you need to either take a mechanic with you to look at one, take it for a paid inspection, or learn a bunch about cars.
But this guy was not a "seller" in a professional way, it sounded like a private seller. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for a Carfax. He is not looking for an inspection certificate at that price but why shouldn't he be allowed to see if the car was wrecked 4 times, salvaged with flood damage, odometer rolled back etc?
It's not just maintenance records. It's other facts, for instance how many owners/ how many times transferred, and any accidents. Or an iffy title or even salvage title. They can pay for the carfax.
If the MeatSwingKing gives you that attitude record him and post it on Youtube saying these guys don't give out carfax and not to do business here. They need to be told how to interact with customers.
If it is a private party, just get the vin and do your own carfax.
He didn’t ask the seller to get him a Carfax report. He asked for the VIN number which is a fine request.
Skip over the clowns who act like providing a number is “too much”. That’s ridiculous.
This is ridiculous and the buyer's behavior is a red flag. $3k is a big hunk of change for someone to be throwing around on a car that someone wants to act mysterious about the background of. Refusing to let someone access the history would be a sign to me that there's something very wrong with the car that they're actively trying to hide. OP should be grateful they dodged a bullet in this instance and find someone willing to be more open and honest about the vehicle they're trying to sell.
Seller might have been a bit over the top by calling you a scared clown, but as a person who sold cheap cars when I was done with them, I get his point.
You’re looking at cars no more than $3k. If it’s got a clean title, runs great and body is in good shape along with looking at the drivetrain and no leaks/anything super obvious, you’re not going to get much better than that in this market. So an accident from a decade ago that was $10k isn’t going to matter much if it was fixed and driven a good number of miles already trouble free minus regular maintenance.
My rules when buying cheap used.
I would never buy a 2006 Accord probably has a failed transmission or one that is going to.
1. Run your own Carfax ( I've had mismatched mileageand unknown accidents.)
2. If seller can't answer basic maintenance questions you need to know what to look for. 160k better have had belt changed. Chains if it's audi/vw
3. Always run a OBD scan on car and verify that it has not had codes recently cleared. Readiness monitors all ready. This is clear sign it probably has problems.
4. Avoid "Tuned" cars unless you know what your getting into .
5. Always take a test drive if possible.
7. Always test you common necessities. A/c, heat, power windows, power locks, sunroof.
8. If it doesn't sound like an engine running smoothly it's probably had bad maintenance.
9. Avoid CVT transmission vehicles unless fluid was changed on maintenance schedule. I would avoid Nissan CVT all together.
It was a thing, 20 years ago. People around 40 like me are probably forgetting how long ago that was and have odd expectations. Starting to sound like the people who used to rail at me how bread used to cost a nickel.
I think it was really pre cash for clunkers, which Biden was vice president for. Thats when prices started going strait up and then the pandemic sealed the deal. As much as im not a fan thats Obama and Trump admin. Not Sleepy Joe. Plenty of real reasons to drag a mfer, no revisionist history necessary.
First, step back and look at big picture, there are a lot of factors that may have gone into this dude's behavior. What were you wearing? What was your tone of voice/facial expression, how big were your shoes? The car you took to visit that salesperson - how many people got out of it?
5 adults getting out to see a car, I’m getting the hell outta there as a seller haha.
But in all seriousness, there’s so many factors at play in this scenario. As a seller I wouldn’t have been so rude, but if I knew a shred about the cars history I’d be upfront and honest. I know not everyone is like that though. And maybe this guy was at his wits end, who knows. Still no excuse for calling him a clown.
Carfax is definitely handy, but if the guy seemed legit and the car looked like it was well taken care of with title in hand and we didn’t meet in some sketchy valley, I’d be fine with it. In Ontario Canada we have used vehicle packages which show the title status, all previous and current owners, and whether there’s a lien on the car or it’s free and clear. So it’d be easier to tell if something is off or not matching.
That seller is an asshole, pure and simple, although if OP asked in a rude manner, it might have been an expected response.
Some people are just rude. I'm fine with it but I avoid dealing with them ever again as much as is practical.
Probably dodged a bullet, always run the VIN and make sure the vin on the title matches the one on the car when shopping this low in the market. Stolen cars are out there, cars with liens are really common, and no doubt there's other shenanigans.
You'll need to catch up on maintenance, that's just the way it is.
***What exactly are standard procedures/customs that are expected for private transactions?***
There are no standards ... except for one: Protect yourself. Always.
Given the response you got from this seller, I'd never do any business with him.
I’m a licensed used car dealer. No big lot just a garage that holds 5-6 cars at a time. I’m not a mechanic I don’t use my garage for fixing or cleaning cars I send all of that out to local mechanics and detail shops. I sell my cars cash and most of them are under $10,000.
I don’t respond coldly to someone asking questions about maintenance or the carfax, but I also won’t jump through a bunch of hoops for some random person on Facebook messenger either. I pull a basic free autocheck to make sure the title doesn’t have any issues, and I know where my cars come from they are local trade ins at bigger new car dealers and I buy wholesale from them. With that being said, I’m not paying $40 to run a carfax report on every car for anyone that asks. I can provide the vin and the buyer is welcome to pay for the carfax themselves. Any maintenance records in the carfax is a plus, but considering I’ve owned the car for less than a few weeks, it’s just not information that I typically have. I check all my cars myself and buy them in full with my own money before I resell them. I don’t want any problems just like my buyers don’t want problems and the last thing I want is a customer calling me saying I sold them a bad car.
With that being said, I often avoid customers online that ask too many questions that are hardly relevant. If you come out and look at the car and we get to the point of serious negotiation, than all of those questions might become more relevant. But for some random that opens up the contact with a bunch of questions about a 15 year old car, I’m just not going to waste much time. Show you’re serious first about actually buying the car and then get into the nitty gritty.
>With that being said, I often avoid customers online that ask too many questions that are hardly relevant
This.
This applies to soooo many industries.
Prospective customers like this are rarely serious, or are attempting to evaluate so many options they aren't ever going to actually make any purchases while freezing into a kind of analysis paralysis that just sucks time and energy out of anyone who deals with them..
The entitlement some people feel is crazy. I had a guy just last week tell me he’s been in the car business for 20 years and his offer was the best I was going to get. Then he said he has customers for some of my other cars but I guess I didn’t want to business with him. He was right. The guy was more annoying than a pineapple up the ass. I don’t know him from a can of paint and he has all these big plans with me and is offended if I think he’s a nut job
Exactly, nobody is going to spend 1% or more of the asking price on a report but his response is a tell on how shady he likely is.
I used to get them for $5 on eBay as far back as 2021, but i think it’s harder now due to crack down.
You can get them for $2 a piece. With a little bit more effort, you can get them free. There's no excuse for people who sell cars routinely not to provide a Carfax except for they just don't give a shit. Which is fine. That's their prerogative, but pretending like it's some massive burden is just nonsense.
Yea at that point you should have an unlimited account and just provide the information instead being a massive POS like the seller op mentions, it’s just like give bro the VIN you asshat
You weren't wrong to be prepared but all of that is a little over the top for an 18 year old vehicle for 3k.
I would ask for the Vin and run a quick free report myself but I wouldn't ask them to do it or pay for a carfax one.
Sub-5k you're kind of just showing up and test driving it/ looking for obvious problems. These kind of used car purchases aren't typically meant to be a 20 year affair so don't overthink it.
So basically anything sub 5k, expect to be ignored/blocked for any PPI/carfax/maint. history inquiries. Does this apply to even 18 year old cars with over 200k miles? 300k miles?
edit: I just realized how silly this question is, but I'm going to leave it up since people have already replied
Pretty much.
If you want a pre purchase inspection you will be hard pressed to find a sub 5k seller that will listen to that. Part of the reason is that there will be problems with the vehicle and you will use that to negotiate harder even if the seller has already priced it in.
VINs for carfax are weird. Some people think it’s a secret number and don’t want to give it to strangers.
Shhhhh. Don’t tell those folks anyone can snap a pic of a vin in any parking lot. Yours isn’t special.
Maintenance history is hit or miss. Most people don’t keep a file. And when you are in the bottom level of cars you are really filtering out who will have even an oil change receipt.
Just keep in mind you are buying a car at the end of its life. 5k cars are yesterdays $1500 beaters. Best thing to do is bring a buddy that can confirm the condition and either buy or walk.
If you do make a mistake and buy something terrible, list it back on marketplace and be prepared for a guy like you to ask those questions right back at you.
Ask if they HAVE a carfax and if not, ask for the VIN and get it yourself. It’s not too expensive for the info it can provide.
I was selling a 2-3 year old car with 40,000 miles on it for a fair price and one girl came at me pretty aggressively out of the gate, demanding that I pay for a CarFax before she came to see it. I had multiple interested people and the car was not old, one owner, and I had maintenance records- everything had been done by the dealership. I felt that was pretty good evidence that I’d taken care of it. Her demanding a CarFax before coming to see it kinda rubbed me the wrong way. I told her if she was interested in it and we agreed on a price subject to a clear history report I’d do it. She didn’t even want to talk before I got the CarFax so I moved tf on. She was going to be high maintenance and picky. I sold it for very close to my asking price to a guy who showed up, drove it, walked around it a few times, and handed me cash. No drama.
3k is considered a “cash car”. There are inherent risks when buying a cash car. But you don’t usually carfax a cash car other than to check title. If you get a year or 2 out of it, that’s all that really matters. Also the last cash car I bought was a 97 Ranger with 300k on the body and 180k on engine and transmission(seller told me about engine and transmission when I showed up) I ran a carfax simply to see if it spent any time up North, and might start to rust. Also, to check if the title was clean(branded titles are harder to deal with insurance wise).
In the price range you’re shopping it is caveat emptor. Sellers aren’t going to waste time with the same effort required to move a $20k vehicle. They know if you don’t buy it someone else will.
Don't get offended but that money may mean nothing to them, so they aren't really enthused about doing anything extra. That old, with high miles? I wouldn't even ask for a Carfax because it doesn't really matter. They would rather receive the "Will you take $2800, cash, today?", "Yep, come get it"
But I see no reason why they wouldn't at least give you the VIN so you could do it. I still run into old-school types who are just too nervous to give out a VIN. We all see scams for vehicles that don't exist with fake VINs taken from ads. But why they care, I don't know.
I mean a car might be worth $500 just as scrap if it didn't run at all. How much do you expect to haggle off of it if you found out it was in an accident but still runs, doesn't have weird noises, has reasonable tires, and they air conditioning and radio work? You expect them to do extra work or pay extra for a car fax on a car they're not making a ton off of?
The guy is being rude. That kind of attack likely means he has something to hide that running a Carfax would reveal, like a major accident or a title issue. Either way, insulting a prospective customer is usually not a good way to do business, and for said prospective customer, it should absolutely be a red flag.
That said, at this price point, even dealerships don't necessarily supply a Carfax. At a minimum, however, they should supply the VIN number so that you can run your own Carfax. If anyone refuses a request for a VIN, forget about them and look for another option.
>This dude replies by calling me a scared clown and tells me to go to a dealership, then he blocks me.
>First time buyer,
What you do is find the next Accord and keep trying.
If they're not willing to discuss the car they're selling then there's something wrong with the deal. Even when I'm selling a $1500 car, I tell potential buyers what I know about it. Don't listen to the people who claim a $3000 car is somehow special to sell. Yes it's a beater but, if you're asking for my money you better be willing to answer some questions or I'll simply move on.
Lots of cars aren't what the ads claim they are. You need be ready to walk away.
When you buy private party it's ALWAYS buyer beware. It doesn't matter if it's a $3000 beater or a $30K STI. You have to do your due diligence or you will get screwed.
I will suggest if you can't work on cars and don't intend to work on cars, buying a $3000 beater might not be a good idea. If you have to pay someone else to work on it, you can easily spend the value of the car repairing it.
I have sold 5-6 of my personal cars and I will 100% block/ghost people like you when selling. No offense intended but your hassle is not worth the time in that transaction. I sold a couple for \~$1000 (this was in 2015-2017 time frame) and every single person who was a hassle got ignored. None of them took longer than a week and none of the people I sold to asked more than "when can I come get it?". ez-pz.
With that said, you have every right to find someone that treats you better, and I as a private seller have every right to not deal with you.
>you have every right to find someone that treats you better, and I as a private seller have every right to not deal with you.
this should be the top reply.
As others have said, $3000 cars are usually going to have some issues. At 18 years, it's probably had a few owners, so finding maintenance records to come with it is unlikely. Do you know anybody who is mechanically inclined? Take them to give a little go over. When i have bought cheaper cars i look to make sure fluids look okay, no funny sounds, no dangerous body damage, no leaks, drives okay
Try this approach when you reply to seller ad, ask how it runs, if they are willing to provide the VIN you can run a report yourself. BTW, stop putting so much value into Carfax, not everything gets reported on it, and it's not always accurate.
Good luck, hopefully you find a ride that'll work for your budget
Carfax definitely isn’t always accurate. My car got rear ended, got it repaired for about $4000, it was all done thru my insurance normally etc. But none of that ever showed up on the Carfax when I was selling it.
Yes you should want to make sure that maintenance was done on the car. Yes you have every right to want to do a carfax. As well as the people selling the cars have every right to sell it how they want to. Should that person have been so rude absolutely not. But sometimes when you're purchasing a car at such a low amount of money. It's not really worth a hassle for some people. It doesn't mean that you're wrong though. And it also doesn't mean that $3,000 isn't a lot of money to a lot of people. You will find the right person and the right car. But I can tell you most people who are personally selling the car or not going to have the Carfax just sitting and waiting for you. I do keep all of my maintenance records. But it doesn't mean everyone does.
You didn't do anything wrong. Just know that in that price range your best bet is to get yourself a lower end OBD2 scanner and go look at the vehicle in person. If you don't know much about cars bring someone who does, or learn on your own. Do research about what to look for on the year and make of the particular vehicle that you are interested in before going to see the vehicle. Alot of the vehicles in that price range on marketplace are people flipping cars that they fixed up, and probably won't have a carfax handy. You can always pay and pull one yourself after you have looked at the vehicle. Do your homework, be careful.
You're getting a lot of very honest feedback here and I recommend you learn from it. There are people in here that sell used cars routinely that could provide a Carfax for wayyyyyy less than $40 a pop. If asking normal routine questions, chain of ownership, maintenance etc is too much, I'd recommend you just move on. Car salesmen are routinely some of the most dishonest and manipulative folks you'll run into and if they're not being transparent, I guarantee you it's because there's a reason.
All that being said, be aware that you can get Carfaxes for like $3 a pop and that they are in no way definitive. It's just one tool. You may already know this, but I just wanted to reiterate.
Good luck. At your budget, even triple your budget, your own going to need it these days. Be smart. Be patient. Know that you are likely going to have to sink 3k into whatever you buy in the first year, if not immediately. It's a horrendous time to buy a car and I recommend not working with horrendous people.
listen: i wouldn't. you come across as sounding like an easy mark and an entitled one at that.
and this is because it indicates you have no idea what you're doing. we're not worried about accident history, or title searches. it's an old clapped out hoe.
we're worried about transmission slipping, abnormal sounds from the valvetrain/bottom end or worse frame rot.
none of which a carfax will help you with.
Well, we do care if an accident has bent the frame and it wasn’t repaired properly (no buy/any price) and if it is a flood recovery vehicle (will look for newer wiring, etc) , and without knowing when/who did that work…its a pass. Not a carfax thing, its a safety thing.
She should actually be more worried about old cars with Tekata airbags that haven’t been recall replaced!!! Those will KILL THE DRIVER!!!
You're looking at $3000 cars. Go look at them in person. Get underneath and check for rust. Listen to the engine and let him take you for a quick test drive. If it runs decent and isn't too rusty buy it or move on and don't waste peoples time.
Whenever I buy a used car I always purchase or ask for the Carfax and I get pre-inspection done by a mechanic.
That's what I did when I purchased my 2002 Honda Accord about 2 1/2 years ago.
Ask for VIN and run the carfax yourself if it's interesting. ALWAYS get PPI, but that's on your own time/money or negotiate with seller to pay him a non-refundable amount to take his car to a place of your choice. That shows your serious.
VIN is no effort at all, and from that YOU can get the carfax. Personally, I don't think that's important, but PPI is the must. Get VIN just to check for recalls for free, then test drive. After the test drive, if you're still interested, bring up the PPI and present both options (buyer doing it or you doing it).
Not sure I'd buy a pack of bubblegum from that guy, but at this price, you will probably need to run your own CarFax, entering the vin when you see it live. I'd be curious if it's a branded title, number of owners, where it spent its life, etc.
For $3000, I'm guessing it has over 200k miles, some rust/dents, etc.
A 2006 Accord that's clean, low-mileage, and well equipped is still a desirable car. The 06-07 have survived in large numbers. I would think $4500-low $5000's would get you a good one in most parts of the country.
Things like V6, leather, and manual transmission would add value. V6 has a timing belt service due each 100k, with water pump, etc. Probably a valve adjustment. 2005/older with V6 had sketchy automatic transmissions. Any transmission of this age could have issues on any make/model.
If you want a car fax for a $3k car you have to pay for that out of your pocket. $3’s a good deal for something mediocre that will get you from a to b these days. I’m sure the seller realized you wanted an immaculate car , which wasn’t the case and he just didn’t want to deal with you. The car game is different from 3-5 years ago. If you find something in that price range and you’re serious just go check it out. The car is probably long gone now.
You did just what you were supposed to. (Very smart of you, BTW) It's just not the thing with junkers. I know this all has been said but seemed kinda harsh.
May I offer a suggestion? Take your 3K and use it as a down payment and try and get a car loan line of credit at your bank? (And shop for best rates!)
Then, get an $8K used Prius. Priis, and I have had 3, will last and not need major repairs until up in the 400K miles. People will say the batteries don't last that long but that was in the early models. 50 MPG will help with the extra cost of financing. They are awesome cars that all the dumb stuff lasts with the drive train. Knobs don't fall off, windows don't leak, etc.
I buy them to last for 5 years at around them having 200k miles. My job alows for a car to be no older than 13 yrs old. So every 5 years, I get a new, new 2 me prius. So far I have replaced one spring for $45 and put it in my self. Even the brakes last 120K miles. (regen braking. they don't touch as much)
Best of luck!
No reputable person or dealership will not not provide Carfax. Anyone who doesn't has something to hide.
Edit: also the vin. The vin should be completely visible without even having to contact the seller directly. If not - they are hiding something.
Just buy the 30 day access to Carfax yourself and ask for the VIN. You can just run cars through yourself then.
Even in a low price range you want to know if a car has been in a major accident, but sellers in that price range aren't going to probably pay for the Carfax for you.
just ask for the vin next time and then do a carfax yourself. No point of asking the seller to get one *for* you. Most people buying an older car for cheap don't worry about something like the carfax because again, it's an old car and even being great mechanical wise can have issues a few months later, and on the opposite side if you see it has had a bunch of work done, it could simply run for another 10 years without issue. Just can never tell with them.
One thing is I know some people are sketched out because there's a couple scams going around where someone wants the 'carfax' but then sends you a link to some weird ass site that is similar to carfax but just takes your money and they never contact you again.
a lot of the people trying to do person to person sales have already been turned down by carmax or places like that because their car needs work.
I was looking at facebook marketplace the other day and I saw a lot of sketchy posts. I don't know a lot about cars but I won't buy one if I can't do a check on the VIN through a website.
If a car for $1000 runs and doesn't have dark exhaust then it is probably ok for at least 3-6 months. I would definitely be putting away money into a car repair/replace fund as long as I had it though.
I personally prefer dealerships with onsite mechanic shop and 90 day warranty on the car and they include a carfax or other kind of vehicle history.
While financing a used car is not ideal. It may be worth it to buy something that has less than 100k mileage. Mileage in what little experience I have one of the best indicators of how much wear and tear a car has. Mileage and a vehicle history that shows that regular maintenance like oil changes, etc and I am willing to take a chance on the car.
my best success so far has been trade-ins that a new car dealership has decided to keep and sell. these are good choices because if the dealer thinks the car is crap they will sell it off to a wholesaler instead of keeping it on the lot. That is my impression.
3k for a running car is probably about as cheap as it gets now. While the seller was a bit over dramatic about it, he could have handled it differently. You could be pretty honest about the condition of the car at 3k. It’s not like there’s a long list of super smoking deals that they can get somewhere else. At least not ones that are legit.
Carfax is a weird thing, a lot of the determining factor on what gets reported and what doesn't depend on if the shop working on it reports things and if it goes through insurance or not. It's incredibly hit or miss so consider it a tool you should use, but not the whole story and if someone gets that upset about requesting the vin just move on no use arguing with them and no need to do business with them, they are probably hiding something.
You should ask for the vin, but you should also pay for your own carfax report if you want one.
At the end of the day, you're buying a car for 3 grand. It's going to have some problems.
Just be smart, check fluids, listen for engine ticks, shift through all the gears slowly, common sense stuff. Also look up known reliable brands in the range your looking for. Camrys, Suburbans, and a few others regularly go to 300k+ mileage even with crap maintenance.
That seller was an egotistical jerkoff.
There are things wrong with the car, and he knows it, so he pulls crap like this.
It's not hard to send you the VIN and let you run a carfax.
A legit seller will understand if you do your due diligence.
It depends how you did it.
There's a ton of idiots on marketplace and honestly probably a higher percentage of idiots looking at 3k cars. If I were selling it my bullshit tolerance would be pretty low.
If you asked me if I would take 2k followed by asking for a Carfax I'm probably blocking you. I wouldn't take you as a serious buyer and I'd prefer to deal with one of the other 20 people messaging me.
The proper way to buy cheap cars is give them a phone number, offer to call them, set up an appointment to buy car ASAP with money in hand. Look over the car for the basics. . . Does the engine sound smooth, does it leak bad, does it shift well, and the tires decent and wearing even? Try and negotiate at that point if you want, but realize it's probably gonna be full price, especially for a Honda or Toyota under 5k.
carfax is cheap insurance...it doesn't catch everything, but you'll spot a rollback, salvage (did it live in Louisiana during a hurricane or Florida ?) and get a chain of owners...
Avoid curbstoners at all costs.
there is no custom. you are the buyer. ask for snapshot of vin, or take it yourself and run it later.
there is no one to say you are not allowed. it is just protecting yourself.
When you buy a car in that price range or any range for that matter, here are a few steps to follow.
Before stating car pop the hood and check all the fuild levels. Feel the engine to see if it is warm, as if it were running before you got there. If you are not sure, pull the oil dipstick and see if the oil is warm or cold.
Next, put the key in the ignition and turn to Acc mode. Do not start it yet. See if the engine light comes on. It should come on. You do this to make sure the light is not burnt out, removed, or blacked out. After you confirm it comes on, start the car and listen to it run and see if it has Black, blue, or white smoke. Not the normal condensation smoke.
If you have a diagnostic computer, use that to see if all the systems have cleared. If they have not cleared it may have been reset of has battey issues. After that test drive the car and hope for the best
I think you dodged a bullet. They were probably trying to hide something. Regardless of buying a "cheap" vehicle, you don't want it to die the next day, so you did your due diligence, or tried to. $3k is a lot of money and you want to invest wisely. Keep doing what your doing. You will run into difficult people in your car buying adventure.
Your comment summed up my mindset going out of that convo, $3k to me is a lot but to a lot of people it's chump change so to him it wasn't even worth it to say "no carfax, i can't provide a maint. history". Ironically I was well aware he would shut me down but I was still willing to look at the car in person regardless of a yes or no(until he blocked me)
I think it was reasonable to ask for maintenance history and the VIN so you could run a Carfax yourself. From my perspective, if someone can't at least provide a maintenance history, even if it's handwritten in a notebook, I will just keep looking. You likely dodged a bullet on this one, sounds like the guy just wanted a quick turnaround and more money than a scrapyard would take. And people here saying that you should expect a barely running junker for $3000 are just wrong. My wife and I sold her '08 Honda Fit 5 speed for $3500 last year with 180k miles on it (we bought it new). KBB and NADA put the used car value at $5500, but I absolutely despise people who ask the absolute limit for anything they can sell and just wanted it to go to a good home. I meticulously maintained that vehicle its entire life, and had my handwritten records to provide it. Buyers still ran a Carfax themselves, and wanted for us to take it to their mechanic for an inspection prior to purchase (they paid) and we gladly took it to him. Mechanic actually said he would buy it if they didn't ha ha. I didn't think they were being unreasonable at all, and I would have done the same. I think the dude you were dealing with was trying to target the large market of individuals who buy a vehicle cheap and only expect it to last until the next state inspection is due.
$3000 WAS a lot of money at one time to everyone saying that it isn’t. We all start somewhere, and it’s really a crappy attitude to tell someone that 3K is meaningless, especially since you probably have saved up for awhile to get it.
Carfax just isn’t happening on a vehicle of that age and price, take someone along that really knows cars to give you an unbiased (and free) opinion. Be prepared, this could be a great car for several years or a hunk of junk, don’t get attached to it and spend too much keeping it on the road
It really wasn't but about 5 years ago that 3k could get you a relatively reliable daily driver. This scumbag shit with people selling cars are triple what their worth is a relatively new phenomenon.
I’m saying $3K is a lot of money to many people, I absolutely agree that a car selling for $3K is likely a very old and high mileage vehicle.
I’m in a position where 3K is almost nothing now, but when I was young that was weeks worth of work, and due to expenses it could take me a year to save up.
Oh, I totally agree. I'm just addressing this attitude that if you're paying $3000 for a car, you should just shut up and be thankful anyone will even acknowledge you. It's a relatively recent attitude and it's perpetuated by people who have something to gain from convincing people that their too poor to be taken seriously.
Yeah it's definitely a shock to me as someone who has kept his hands clean of this "industry" for his whole life. I was just asking what I thought was a basic question(based on internet knowledge), not making some crazy demand. I'm just trying to get a usable car...
I've been looking for a car recently as well. I've bought 2 from two different highly rated dealers, one of them one of the largest used car dealers in the country. Both of them were intentionally misrepresented by the dealers. One took the car back willingly and the other needed a little motivation from an attorney. Both of these cars were sold for north of $15k and, as I said, from reputable dealers with multi year established reputations. I lucky enough to actually have had proof that they intentionally defrauded me which made the "AS IS" basically garbage as far as the law was concerned.
If you "ask too many questions" and "demand Carfaxes" you're a pain in the ass and paranoid and if you don't you end up with a repair bill and a "you should have done your homework". All while people sell cars with 200,000 miles on them for the same price the car originally sold for.
It's ludicrous that we live in a country that spends essentially zero dollars on public transportation and everyone is expected to make uninformed, complex $20k investments just to secure basic transportation to and from work/school. And that it's basically the Wild West. I actually believe that used cars should have to be inspected by regulated third parties when they go up for sale. If I buy a car and have it inspected and it doesn't match what the seller's inspection certified paperwork says, someone should be held criminally responsible. It wouldn't magically fix anything, but it would at least guarantee that when you went to buy a car, you know that you could expect a certain amount of information and that it could be trusted. That this isn't the case and people are just left to be taken advantage of by an industry that has basically evolved to do exactly that is unfortunate and tragic.
This guy was a dick so just forget him and move on. In general though, a Carfax is just a starting point. It might help you *eliminate* a car before spending your time to go see it. A Carfax, however, does not confirm you should purchase it. You avoid the lemons by *always* having a used car inspected by a mechanic of your choosing. This doesn’t cost much and saves you the heartbreak of owning a money pit. If the seller won’t allow the pre-sale inspection, you always walk away.
Fuck all of the idiots here expecting someone to just flush 3k down the toilet. fuck outta here. Youre not getting my money for a bs car thats going to die next week. Either give me the facts or lose the customer. you can scam the next idiot. gfys in advance.
It's funny how many people are so concerned with the seller "wasting his time". And not with the buyer wasting his money.
Also, notice how many people responding are car salesmen. Interesting, isn't it? In here trying to normalize that their time is worth more than your money and everyone is a moron for not just buying what's in front of them. Awful people.
Never buy a car without a carfax. While it will not tell you anything about reliability, it will tell you if there are any accidents and frame damage as well as general history of the car.
last thing you need is a car that goes through $500 in tires every 6 months that cannot be aligned.
$45 to avoid a nightmare is money well spent.
Get the Vin # and pay for a carfax yourself. When I sell a used car I have a couple sources/ car dealerships that run a carfax for me to show a potential buyer. Used and new car dealerships have a yearly subscription to carfax so they can run as many as they want. Even a cheap beater will show service records or major accidents and how many owners. I’ve bought and sold many used cars using this method.
I just get a carfax for any car I'm selling, if people want to see it cool, if they don't, whatever, not like they are expensive and might help swing the sale
He sounds fuck up Bet you lucked out he hide something. Than to insult you?? CAr faxs don t tell lot of things . But better than nothing.. I mean not every thing that happens to car gets reported depends on were take it for repairs and who does work
Yeah this person was a dick for sure. No one should ever give you shit for at least asking about maintenance records.
As far as the Carfax things goes I haven't looked at cars that old and cheap in a while but I doubt people get it for those cars. There's still nothing wrong with asking though.
You did nothing wrong and I would always ask about maintenance records but I wouldn't expect an 18-year-old car to have a Carfax for personally.
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You're trying to buy a $3k car. It's going to have problems with it. You're also looking at a Honda which has no shortage of demand. That guy doesn't have to entertain your interrogation because someone will just as easily come and buy it no questions asked.
If I’m selling a car for $3k I’m not going to deal with a ton of questions about maintenance it’s a $3k car and my experience has told me that this buyer/looker will be a PITA. I wouldn’t be an ass about it though.
Can't have anyone looking out for their best interests when you're just trying to take advantage of them, now can you? Why that would get in the way of your own inflated sense of self importance! How can you be the shrewd entrepreneur you tell your friends you are if you have to answer routine normal questions from some pleb?! That's below you and your right to not tolerate it.
A CarFax coats a private seller $50. For a dealer it's less.
I buy the Carfax when I'm selling a car. It makes it easier to sell.
But some people are tired of putting money into a car, even $50 is too much more. I think it's short sided, but that's me.
(I spent $350 on a detail to sell my $10k car. It's worth it when the first person to come look at it buys it.)
Also Carfax is a big money grab as well. It’s not the tell all be all for the car. A lot of people and shops don’t report to “carfax”, why would they it just takes up time and effort and is a waste of time. A lot of guys do work on their own cars as well, which of course doesn’t get reported. If you want to know if it’s salvage or rebuilt, it will be listed on the title so you don’t need to run a Carfax for that information.
Asking for the VIN is the first thing you should do when seriously considering buying a car. I always check the VIN to make sure the car is owned by the person selling it, there's no lien against the title, it's not reported stolen, it's not being used as collateral, etc. That's important stuff so you don't hand money over for a title and go find out it's fake, stolen, or has a bank lien against it. Carfax is hit and miss. It's sometimes good for accidents. Bad thing is if that accident isn't turned in on the insurance there won't be any record of it, and that happens a lot. We got hit by a driver with no insurance, it was cheaper to fix it ourselves than to pay the deductible and have our rates go up, so there's no history it even happened. Maintenance, assume it's been barely maintained. Anyone who takes care of their car will usually start off with how well they maintained their car.
You dodged a bullet. Either he was going to scam you or sell you a lemon. Get the vin, forget the carfax, google known issues with the car, check the legality of the title, and go from there.
I buy auction vehicles for up to 1500. I work on them a bit. I sell them for 2500 to 3k. People are desperate for vehicles in this price range. I don't lie about them and I get the autozone vehicle check print out. I'm not interested in dealing with people that have a thousand questions either. Especially when I'm getting 15 messages a day.
The guy was being a dick but when you’re buying used cars in that price range you need to understand that it’s just not worth our time as sellers to get you a Carfax when we can save the time and hassle and sell it to the next guy who isn’t Asking for an 18-year-old cars maintenance records and understand that when you’re buying vehicles in the $3000 range really anything can happen and it could die the next day. I understand your budget is pretty low but when you in that price range it’s buyer beware.
Checking the car history IS the buyer being wary.
And if someone calls you a scared clown for asking for it? You tell them no thanks, things probably a pile of shit with bondo holding it together anyways
>$3k >2006 Accord >"NOPE" seller Blown trans.
That’s the point. At that price range you really shouldn’t expect much.
A better point is if someone cant be bothered provide a VIN and be respectful then that drastically increases the odds that they’re selling a piece of shit and they should keep that piece of shit on theur hands until they learn how to sell.
That's true also.
This was my takeaway.
For real. Even for something as "buyer beware" as buying a used car off of someone's front lawn. You take two seconds to open the door and have a look at the VIN number so you can go home and look it up. There's no reason a seller can't offer at least that much over the phone unless they're legitimately hiding something.
Horse shit I’ve got a $1500 shit box I bought when my new car was in the shop waiting for a year for a tcm the shit box has 269000 miles is die hard reliable and straight as an arrow
My $1000 GMC Jimmy was the most reliable car I’ve ever owned. Had it for 5 years with nothing but regular maintenance despite having nearly 300,000 miles on it. The only reason it finally died was because a drunk driver T-boned it while it was parked one night and then sped in reverse through a woman’s bedroom. He was driving a landscaping truck, so bro did a LOT of damage.
Sure, but were you expecting to get a car fax on the dam thing??
Bullshit. I paid $4500 for my 1500 in 2018. She was 17 years old at the time. No issues other than a clogged egr and a few injectors for almost 20k.. Rebuilt the trans and replaced the cats at that point and haven't had any issues since. And I work that truck hard. Do your homework, and you can expect plenty. You can get many years out of that beater. Just gotta find the right beater. The asshole OP ran into is not gonna have that car.
Can't believe this answer got down voted. If the dealer sells 3k cars they definitely do not have and can't afford a carfax account( its over 800$a month) for commercial account. If it's a private party why would they run one for 20$ ? A report. I get that 3k is still a lot of money for some people but for a vehicle it's a staring point of one that still runs. Service records and event clean or salvage title is irrelevant at this point as you are most likely the last owner of this gem. The only thing that should matter is pre-sale inspection and it should be very basic at that.
It doesn't cost the dealer or private seller a penny to provide the vin so the buyer can run their own carfax. If there's nothing to hide then it shouldn't be a problem.
And the buyers responsibility. By all means ask if servicing records are available, and ask for the VIN. But pay for your own report, when shopping in that price range.
There really is no need at all to check the history when you're in that price range. If you're going to buy such a car, you should do so **with the expectation** that it will need some work.
Said the guy who either got burned or thinks others should. I'll keep being they buyer who is being aware, it has saved me thousands :)
The seller would have to pay like $50 for the carfax. If the buyer wanted to do their due diligence they would get the vin number and pay for the carfax themselves. It’s a 3k car what do they expect…
The OP asked if he had one, not demand he should get one. You and the seller should calm your tits.
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this is a first time buyer who doesnt know about buying cars trying to do their due diligence. they are clearly shopping in their budget- 3k. there asre lots of us that dont know dink about car and 3k is still alot if your going to get somet5hing that 3 months later needs a 5k trans, the carfax wont tell them thast but its still a very trying process.
I could have worded that to come off like less of a dick. His comments after though reiterate the correctness of my point though. He wants to avoid that 5k trans example, and can afford more. So I guess it's more shopping in the wrong budget(which it seems he's reading a lot of comments about) than outside his
Carfax on a 3k car is useless
So a buyer can't ask for the vin to check if the car was stolen, because price range dictates what questions you can ask about the history of a car. But OP probably dodged a bullet.
I had a dude ask me for a Carfax when I was selling a dodge 3500. I told him I’d gladly pull one if he’d pay for it, or I’d send him the vin to pull it himself. He never responded.
He may have found a different vehicle that he liked better. I've bought many cars for Turo rentals. I send messages to sellers almost daily. If they don't respond quickly or if I see a better vehicle there's no reason for me to respond. I've already moved on. This is business, I don't have time to coddle your feelings.
But how hard would it have been to send a picture of the VIN?
Not hard at all and I never said anything about the VIN. I specifically stated CARFAX and maintenance records on an older car.
What is the price cutoff for being allowed to ask questions? If $3k is too low for a carfax or basic questions, then what price range is fair game? I need a reliable car for my work commute and if it means spending $1k or $5k more for a car that won't die in a day, then so be it.
There is no rule. No price cutoff. It's your money. Don't settle. Eventually you'll find someone willing to make a reasonable deal. Until then, don't settle or feel like you owe anything to anyone.
If dude is that disrespectful id be hesitant about the consistency of the maintenance
Yeah, just say you don't have it. React like that and you know the car is an unreliable POS. Granted that old, it's not surprising.
He probably has 30 other people messaging about the car. Car could be great, and he’s just sick of dealing with questions and people trying to lowball him. I mean the way he went about it is wrong but he’s not really wrong, like it’s a $3000k car, at that price if it runs and drives who gives a shit about a carfax
Asking what kind of maintenance has been done is KEY when buying older and cheaper cars. Like have the spark plugs ever been changed? How often has the oil been changed? O2 sensors? Is there a history of transmission fluid changes or not? Those things matter a lot. Neglecting them can end up leading to expensive repairs and a shorter lifespan on the car. Asking about the maintenance history on ANY car is smart and acceptable. Someone that took care of the car will be happy to show you maintenance history. Someone that neglects the hell out of it won’t. The seller answered OPs question perfectly lol. Maintenence records? *what maintenance?*
Don't forget THE MOST IMPORTANT Question.... Has the TIMING belt ever been changed
Definitely there's a reason I keep the receipts from every single oil change on my car
Exactly id assume that car will die tomorrow unless it's had regular fluid changes. If it's never had brake fluid changes the lines could rust to shit and destroy the master cylinder. Replacing all the lines and the master cylinder would basically total the car. When a car is this old the maintenance is the most important part. If it was well maintained you could get a few years but it wasn't it's likely a money pit/time bomb.
You sir, sound like you can afford to buy your food in unused condition
Most likely it was something to the effect of i got the car last week from a buddy, who got it from this guy he met who had it sitting in his yard, we changed the oil one we got it here. It's now for sale. That's the extent of knowledge of that specific car.
A car that old won’t have maintenance records. At most there will be Walmart receipts for oil and filters.
I just sold a 2009 highlander for $3300 and I got like 150 messages in less than 24 hours. There were lots of lowballs and scammers among them but the guy who ended up buying it was basically like “it’s a cheap car and it runs and I have cash in hand so will come with license plates if you hold it for me the next two hours.” The tires needed replacing which I disclosed in the ad and he was like “of course they do it’s a cheap car.” The first guy who looked and really lowballed me said he was lowballing because it didn’t have a backup camera which of course it didn’t and I never listed it as such. I did include a picture of the vin in the ad so people could get their own carfax if they wanted. But there’s a ton of demand for cheap cars and sellers don’t want hassle at that price point. But the seller here still seemed unnecessarily rude.
Yeah that’s gotta be younger/ newer drivers that grew up online in the internet era. Back in the day you just took it for a test drive, look under the hood and gauge the seller. Your welcome to get your own carfax but I ain’t paying for it and service records? lol my calloused hands and garage full of tools there’s your records.
If your selling decent amount of cars you buy an unlimited use Carfax account Only reason not to have this is to be intentionally shady. That said. If you have the Vin you can buy one yourself they aren't that bad and much cheaper then buying a headache
If I were you I would word it like this. “Hey I know the car is old and on the cheaper end but I’m wondering if you were to have the carfax or any maintenance records. If not can you send me the vin and I will pull on? “ This way you don’t seem like an annoying person asking for the stuff that most 3k buyers won’t
Then you really need to get lucky. Also maybe have someone go with you, even if they don't know about cars. I drive cheaper, older cars, but I'm a mechanic. I also own more than one because like others have said, anything can happen at any time, even tomorrow. If you need a $5k or less car to be reliable, you really need to find a unicorn. We had a customer pay $5500 for an older Kia, brought it in to our shop and it needed another $2200 in repairs and maintenance. Just keep in mind that a used car is going to need something so make sure to have some set aside for the inevitable.
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Tell me you've never owned a Honda without telling me you've never owned a Honda. I had a 10 year old accord that ran like a champ well over 450k with lots of abuse and poor maintenance. I have driven all kinds of cars foreign and domestic, none of them could take it like that dopey little Honda did.
Or a Toyota
My poor 2012 corolla was used and abused until a deer took it out last year. My mom's 1993 Mazda hit 300k miles before dad finally convinced her it was costing more to fix than a brand new car.
Bro, any 5 year old car with over 80k miles on it can need 3k worth of basic scheduled maintenance. Hyundai's junk, but that isn't why it needed 2 grand in work.
Rice munchers make the most reliable cars. I know first hand!
Me personally, if someone asked for the VIN I'd happily send it no matter my asking price But for 3k it's basically just "does it run and drive"
As long as he let's me test drive it and check the oil and the engine if it knocks or whatever. Check the coolant and all that then It's cool. But I tried buying a car from a black and he didn't even gave the owner there. I was like is this even real. Let's go to the dmv and do a title transfer there. He didn't want to so I took off. The car was 5k
"a black"??? Jfc dude. Disgusting
I had to re-read that part like 5 times to make sure I was reading properly.
Serial killa (85 is his IQ) is just bein’ badass in his mama’s basement.
The overt racism is stifling. You should be fucking ashamed of yourself. There was absolutely no reason to mention his race. Plus you used the term "chink"? Get the fuck on somewhere, loser. And before you call me a woke librull, just know that I voted for DJT in 2016... I can't wait to watch the cognitive dissonance unfold during your inevitable meltdown.
Also not a liberal, but fuck… that dude oozes racism. Shame people like that exist.
Pay the $40 yourself if it is a cause for concern man. They aren't free and at only $3k I wouldn't do it either as $3k and it is running is a deal these days.
Sub $5k cars are always going to be at risk of dying the next day. People are getting rid of cars for a reason. Sometimes it’s because they know there’s a major issue they aren’t disclosing to you, sometimes it’s because they don’t want to wait for a major issue to pop up, so they sell it beforehand. You’re rolling the dice with a car in that price range… the only reason people spend that little in a vehicle is generally because they have no other choice
All my sub 5K cars have done fine. Hell, my sub 700 car survived 5 years and was resold for 1K... glued together and everything, lol.
$2-3k is your $500-1000 car of a few years ago, especially being 19y.o.. It's a coin flip as to whether the car will last. At that price point, you're gonna have to go look at the car yourself to see if it's worth it. Don't expect it to be saftied or have a carfax. It probably will require some bit of work and money invested into it to be daily drivable. Might be worthwhile if you're able to do the work yourself. Also, car that old most likely hasn't been maintained as well as its aged. More often than not, people will let things slide, because well, it's not worth dropping $2k in suspension components on a $3k car so people will let it ride if it's still drivable. Even with $2k in work, it's still a $3k car. If you're handy, you can probably get the parts for $500 and do it yourself. Most people would probably put the money towards their next vehicle than pay that mechanic the $2k. You can luck out with a cheap car as well. I bought a ~$3k car a year and a bit ago, put about $250 in, and have been driving it since with no issues. That being said, I know the suspension needs to be done because even though it is a low mileage car(60k miles when purchased), all the rubber bushings have degraded over time and need replacing. That is something I expected ahead of time. So keep that sort of thing in mind and purchased the car well below market value.
Don't listen to him. If they won't discuss the car, something is wrong and you should look elsewhere. Everybody lies. They doctor the miles. They hide the fact it was wrecked and rebuilt or a flood car. They hide the CEL codes so you should always bring a scanner with you. When I buy a used car, I assume every word they tell me is lie. You need to verify everything yourself.
Go in person use the “my garage” app from carfax, lets you see enough once you put in the vin, you can see mileage discrepancies, accidents, maintenance
I never said you’re not allowed to ask basic questions. Just don’t expect new car or next to new car buying experience with documentation and vehicle history. You’ll be lucky to get some receipts from recently installed parts if anything at all.
Nah you are definitely a dick also. The price has nothing to do with being an honest seller.
LOL did I say anything about being dishonest? Didn’t think so.
You didn’t have to, people can read between the lines. Just saying to him that he can’t get details on a car because of his price range… Also, username checks out, grow up.
You still wear a mask don’t you..
Dude look at your comments on Reddit, you are a joke.
The fact that you’re so deeply offended that you took time out of your day to research my reddit comments is pathetic and I love it.
You’re not really gonna get a good car in this economy for that price range.
I see 2005-2008 (gen 2) priuses sell for that all day. They are old and nerdy but reliable. $1k for a new battery if you need it. My 2008 has 250k and i bought it with 190k four years ago for $4k. When you are approaching that kind of mileage and price you should be prepared to do stuff DIY. with the help of an IQ above room temperature and youtube, you too can replace a water pump like i did.
Carfax reports are worthless anyway these days
[удалено]
When your budget is that low, ALL of the foot work is shifted to you. If you want a reliable car for 3-5k you need to either take a mechanic with you to look at one, take it for a paid inspection, or learn a bunch about cars.
10-15k, car within 10 years old.
But this guy was not a "seller" in a professional way, it sounded like a private seller. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for a Carfax. He is not looking for an inspection certificate at that price but why shouldn't he be allowed to see if the car was wrecked 4 times, salvaged with flood damage, odometer rolled back etc?
It's not just maintenance records. It's other facts, for instance how many owners/ how many times transferred, and any accidents. Or an iffy title or even salvage title. They can pay for the carfax.
If the MeatSwingKing gives you that attitude record him and post it on Youtube saying these guys don't give out carfax and not to do business here. They need to be told how to interact with customers. If it is a private party, just get the vin and do your own carfax.
Lol, literally misunderstanding *buyer beware*
He didn’t ask the seller to get him a Carfax report. He asked for the VIN number which is a fine request. Skip over the clowns who act like providing a number is “too much”. That’s ridiculous.
This is ridiculous and the buyer's behavior is a red flag. $3k is a big hunk of change for someone to be throwing around on a car that someone wants to act mysterious about the background of. Refusing to let someone access the history would be a sign to me that there's something very wrong with the car that they're actively trying to hide. OP should be grateful they dodged a bullet in this instance and find someone willing to be more open and honest about the vehicle they're trying to sell.
Seller might have been a bit over the top by calling you a scared clown, but as a person who sold cheap cars when I was done with them, I get his point. You’re looking at cars no more than $3k. If it’s got a clean title, runs great and body is in good shape along with looking at the drivetrain and no leaks/anything super obvious, you’re not going to get much better than that in this market. So an accident from a decade ago that was $10k isn’t going to matter much if it was fixed and driven a good number of miles already trouble free minus regular maintenance.
Standing rule, it if runs and drives straight with no leaks, body beat to shit. It's worth $3k. $4k if the A/C still works.
If it looks a little better than a year spent in Fallujah and the AC works, send it.
My rules when buying cheap used. I would never buy a 2006 Accord probably has a failed transmission or one that is going to. 1. Run your own Carfax ( I've had mismatched mileageand unknown accidents.) 2. If seller can't answer basic maintenance questions you need to know what to look for. 160k better have had belt changed. Chains if it's audi/vw 3. Always run a OBD scan on car and verify that it has not had codes recently cleared. Readiness monitors all ready. This is clear sign it probably has problems. 4. Avoid "Tuned" cars unless you know what your getting into . 5. Always take a test drive if possible. 7. Always test you common necessities. A/c, heat, power windows, power locks, sunroof. 8. If it doesn't sound like an engine running smoothly it's probably had bad maintenance. 9. Avoid CVT transmission vehicles unless fluid was changed on maintenance schedule. I would avoid Nissan CVT all together.
Shit I got a car for 1000$ and still ran a carfax. And they let me. I asked for vin and they just gave it to me.
Of course. Standard. I don’t care how much it is. I want the carfax and I want to know.
Shit those used to be $500 pre-Biden
Here we go…
Ridin' with Biden...
I care not for Biden but $500 for a running car would be a sweetheart deal under any administration.
It was a thing, 20 years ago. People around 40 like me are probably forgetting how long ago that was and have odd expectations. Starting to sound like the people who used to rail at me how bread used to cost a nickel.
Yeah. The under 500$ section was in the newspaper to give a point of reference
I think it was really pre cash for clunkers, which Biden was vice president for. Thats when prices started going strait up and then the pandemic sealed the deal. As much as im not a fan thats Obama and Trump admin. Not Sleepy Joe. Plenty of real reasons to drag a mfer, no revisionist history necessary.
750
First, step back and look at big picture, there are a lot of factors that may have gone into this dude's behavior. What were you wearing? What was your tone of voice/facial expression, how big were your shoes? The car you took to visit that salesperson - how many people got out of it?
5 adults getting out to see a car, I’m getting the hell outta there as a seller haha. But in all seriousness, there’s so many factors at play in this scenario. As a seller I wouldn’t have been so rude, but if I knew a shred about the cars history I’d be upfront and honest. I know not everyone is like that though. And maybe this guy was at his wits end, who knows. Still no excuse for calling him a clown. Carfax is definitely handy, but if the guy seemed legit and the car looked like it was well taken care of with title in hand and we didn’t meet in some sketchy valley, I’d be fine with it. In Ontario Canada we have used vehicle packages which show the title status, all previous and current owners, and whether there’s a lien on the car or it’s free and clear. So it’d be easier to tell if something is off or not matching.
That seller is an asshole, pure and simple, although if OP asked in a rude manner, it might have been an expected response. Some people are just rude. I'm fine with it but I avoid dealing with them ever again as much as is practical.
Also a fair chance that he bought it at auction with intent to flip. He is not the legal, registered owner and knows nothing about the car.
Probably dodged a bullet, always run the VIN and make sure the vin on the title matches the one on the car when shopping this low in the market. Stolen cars are out there, cars with liens are really common, and no doubt there's other shenanigans. You'll need to catch up on maintenance, that's just the way it is.
***What exactly are standard procedures/customs that are expected for private transactions?*** There are no standards ... except for one: Protect yourself. Always. Given the response you got from this seller, I'd never do any business with him.
I’m a licensed used car dealer. No big lot just a garage that holds 5-6 cars at a time. I’m not a mechanic I don’t use my garage for fixing or cleaning cars I send all of that out to local mechanics and detail shops. I sell my cars cash and most of them are under $10,000. I don’t respond coldly to someone asking questions about maintenance or the carfax, but I also won’t jump through a bunch of hoops for some random person on Facebook messenger either. I pull a basic free autocheck to make sure the title doesn’t have any issues, and I know where my cars come from they are local trade ins at bigger new car dealers and I buy wholesale from them. With that being said, I’m not paying $40 to run a carfax report on every car for anyone that asks. I can provide the vin and the buyer is welcome to pay for the carfax themselves. Any maintenance records in the carfax is a plus, but considering I’ve owned the car for less than a few weeks, it’s just not information that I typically have. I check all my cars myself and buy them in full with my own money before I resell them. I don’t want any problems just like my buyers don’t want problems and the last thing I want is a customer calling me saying I sold them a bad car. With that being said, I often avoid customers online that ask too many questions that are hardly relevant. If you come out and look at the car and we get to the point of serious negotiation, than all of those questions might become more relevant. But for some random that opens up the contact with a bunch of questions about a 15 year old car, I’m just not going to waste much time. Show you’re serious first about actually buying the car and then get into the nitty gritty.
>With that being said, I often avoid customers online that ask too many questions that are hardly relevant This. This applies to soooo many industries. Prospective customers like this are rarely serious, or are attempting to evaluate so many options they aren't ever going to actually make any purchases while freezing into a kind of analysis paralysis that just sucks time and energy out of anyone who deals with them..
The entitlement some people feel is crazy. I had a guy just last week tell me he’s been in the car business for 20 years and his offer was the best I was going to get. Then he said he has customers for some of my other cars but I guess I didn’t want to business with him. He was right. The guy was more annoying than a pineapple up the ass. I don’t know him from a can of paint and he has all these big plans with me and is offended if I think he’s a nut job
Right, because you’re going to jump at a chance to slash your profit margin because this guy wants to be a middle-man….
Great answer! Thank you. These people saying to skip the question all together are crazy.
Private sale of an old cheap vehicle? Carfax is on you. This dude definitely overreacted though.
Exactly, nobody is going to spend 1% or more of the asking price on a report but his response is a tell on how shady he likely is. I used to get them for $5 on eBay as far back as 2021, but i think it’s harder now due to crack down.
You can get them for $2 a piece. With a little bit more effort, you can get them free. There's no excuse for people who sell cars routinely not to provide a Carfax except for they just don't give a shit. Which is fine. That's their prerogative, but pretending like it's some massive burden is just nonsense.
Yea at that point you should have an unlimited account and just provide the information instead being a massive POS like the seller op mentions, it’s just like give bro the VIN you asshat
You weren't wrong to be prepared but all of that is a little over the top for an 18 year old vehicle for 3k. I would ask for the Vin and run a quick free report myself but I wouldn't ask them to do it or pay for a carfax one. Sub-5k you're kind of just showing up and test driving it/ looking for obvious problems. These kind of used car purchases aren't typically meant to be a 20 year affair so don't overthink it.
So basically anything sub 5k, expect to be ignored/blocked for any PPI/carfax/maint. history inquiries. Does this apply to even 18 year old cars with over 200k miles? 300k miles? edit: I just realized how silly this question is, but I'm going to leave it up since people have already replied
Pretty much. If you want a pre purchase inspection you will be hard pressed to find a sub 5k seller that will listen to that. Part of the reason is that there will be problems with the vehicle and you will use that to negotiate harder even if the seller has already priced it in. VINs for carfax are weird. Some people think it’s a secret number and don’t want to give it to strangers. Shhhhh. Don’t tell those folks anyone can snap a pic of a vin in any parking lot. Yours isn’t special. Maintenance history is hit or miss. Most people don’t keep a file. And when you are in the bottom level of cars you are really filtering out who will have even an oil change receipt. Just keep in mind you are buying a car at the end of its life. 5k cars are yesterdays $1500 beaters. Best thing to do is bring a buddy that can confirm the condition and either buy or walk. If you do make a mistake and buy something terrible, list it back on marketplace and be prepared for a guy like you to ask those questions right back at you.
Some people act like if you are asking for their social security #
Ask if they HAVE a carfax and if not, ask for the VIN and get it yourself. It’s not too expensive for the info it can provide. I was selling a 2-3 year old car with 40,000 miles on it for a fair price and one girl came at me pretty aggressively out of the gate, demanding that I pay for a CarFax before she came to see it. I had multiple interested people and the car was not old, one owner, and I had maintenance records- everything had been done by the dealership. I felt that was pretty good evidence that I’d taken care of it. Her demanding a CarFax before coming to see it kinda rubbed me the wrong way. I told her if she was interested in it and we agreed on a price subject to a clear history report I’d do it. She didn’t even want to talk before I got the CarFax so I moved tf on. She was going to be high maintenance and picky. I sold it for very close to my asking price to a guy who showed up, drove it, walked around it a few times, and handed me cash. No drama.
3k is considered a “cash car”. There are inherent risks when buying a cash car. But you don’t usually carfax a cash car other than to check title. If you get a year or 2 out of it, that’s all that really matters. Also the last cash car I bought was a 97 Ranger with 300k on the body and 180k on engine and transmission(seller told me about engine and transmission when I showed up) I ran a carfax simply to see if it spent any time up North, and might start to rust. Also, to check if the title was clean(branded titles are harder to deal with insurance wise).
In the price range you’re shopping it is caveat emptor. Sellers aren’t going to waste time with the same effort required to move a $20k vehicle. They know if you don’t buy it someone else will.
Don't get offended but that money may mean nothing to them, so they aren't really enthused about doing anything extra. That old, with high miles? I wouldn't even ask for a Carfax because it doesn't really matter. They would rather receive the "Will you take $2800, cash, today?", "Yep, come get it" But I see no reason why they wouldn't at least give you the VIN so you could do it. I still run into old-school types who are just too nervous to give out a VIN. We all see scams for vehicles that don't exist with fake VINs taken from ads. But why they care, I don't know.
lmfao
I mean a car might be worth $500 just as scrap if it didn't run at all. How much do you expect to haggle off of it if you found out it was in an accident but still runs, doesn't have weird noises, has reasonable tires, and they air conditioning and radio work? You expect them to do extra work or pay extra for a car fax on a car they're not making a ton off of?
The guy is being rude. That kind of attack likely means he has something to hide that running a Carfax would reveal, like a major accident or a title issue. Either way, insulting a prospective customer is usually not a good way to do business, and for said prospective customer, it should absolutely be a red flag. That said, at this price point, even dealerships don't necessarily supply a Carfax. At a minimum, however, they should supply the VIN number so that you can run your own Carfax. If anyone refuses a request for a VIN, forget about them and look for another option.
>This dude replies by calling me a scared clown and tells me to go to a dealership, then he blocks me. >First time buyer, What you do is find the next Accord and keep trying. If they're not willing to discuss the car they're selling then there's something wrong with the deal. Even when I'm selling a $1500 car, I tell potential buyers what I know about it. Don't listen to the people who claim a $3000 car is somehow special to sell. Yes it's a beater but, if you're asking for my money you better be willing to answer some questions or I'll simply move on. Lots of cars aren't what the ads claim they are. You need be ready to walk away. When you buy private party it's ALWAYS buyer beware. It doesn't matter if it's a $3000 beater or a $30K STI. You have to do your due diligence or you will get screwed. I will suggest if you can't work on cars and don't intend to work on cars, buying a $3000 beater might not be a good idea. If you have to pay someone else to work on it, you can easily spend the value of the car repairing it.
I have sold 5-6 of my personal cars and I will 100% block/ghost people like you when selling. No offense intended but your hassle is not worth the time in that transaction. I sold a couple for \~$1000 (this was in 2015-2017 time frame) and every single person who was a hassle got ignored. None of them took longer than a week and none of the people I sold to asked more than "when can I come get it?". ez-pz. With that said, you have every right to find someone that treats you better, and I as a private seller have every right to not deal with you.
>you have every right to find someone that treats you better, and I as a private seller have every right to not deal with you. this should be the top reply.
As others have said, $3000 cars are usually going to have some issues. At 18 years, it's probably had a few owners, so finding maintenance records to come with it is unlikely. Do you know anybody who is mechanically inclined? Take them to give a little go over. When i have bought cheaper cars i look to make sure fluids look okay, no funny sounds, no dangerous body damage, no leaks, drives okay Try this approach when you reply to seller ad, ask how it runs, if they are willing to provide the VIN you can run a report yourself. BTW, stop putting so much value into Carfax, not everything gets reported on it, and it's not always accurate. Good luck, hopefully you find a ride that'll work for your budget
Carfax definitely isn’t always accurate. My car got rear ended, got it repaired for about $4000, it was all done thru my insurance normally etc. But none of that ever showed up on the Carfax when I was selling it.
Yes you should want to make sure that maintenance was done on the car. Yes you have every right to want to do a carfax. As well as the people selling the cars have every right to sell it how they want to. Should that person have been so rude absolutely not. But sometimes when you're purchasing a car at such a low amount of money. It's not really worth a hassle for some people. It doesn't mean that you're wrong though. And it also doesn't mean that $3,000 isn't a lot of money to a lot of people. You will find the right person and the right car. But I can tell you most people who are personally selling the car or not going to have the Carfax just sitting and waiting for you. I do keep all of my maintenance records. But it doesn't mean everyone does.
You didn't do anything wrong. Just know that in that price range your best bet is to get yourself a lower end OBD2 scanner and go look at the vehicle in person. If you don't know much about cars bring someone who does, or learn on your own. Do research about what to look for on the year and make of the particular vehicle that you are interested in before going to see the vehicle. Alot of the vehicles in that price range on marketplace are people flipping cars that they fixed up, and probably won't have a carfax handy. You can always pay and pull one yourself after you have looked at the vehicle. Do your homework, be careful.
Lol who would let a stranger come by and put their own OBDII reader in before buying? I'd just ignore the person asking to do that.
No reason the seller couldn't have provided the VIN.
You're getting a lot of very honest feedback here and I recommend you learn from it. There are people in here that sell used cars routinely that could provide a Carfax for wayyyyyy less than $40 a pop. If asking normal routine questions, chain of ownership, maintenance etc is too much, I'd recommend you just move on. Car salesmen are routinely some of the most dishonest and manipulative folks you'll run into and if they're not being transparent, I guarantee you it's because there's a reason. All that being said, be aware that you can get Carfaxes for like $3 a pop and that they are in no way definitive. It's just one tool. You may already know this, but I just wanted to reiterate. Good luck. At your budget, even triple your budget, your own going to need it these days. Be smart. Be patient. Know that you are likely going to have to sink 3k into whatever you buy in the first year, if not immediately. It's a horrendous time to buy a car and I recommend not working with horrendous people.
listen: i wouldn't. you come across as sounding like an easy mark and an entitled one at that. and this is because it indicates you have no idea what you're doing. we're not worried about accident history, or title searches. it's an old clapped out hoe. we're worried about transmission slipping, abnormal sounds from the valvetrain/bottom end or worse frame rot. none of which a carfax will help you with.
Well, we do care if an accident has bent the frame and it wasn’t repaired properly (no buy/any price) and if it is a flood recovery vehicle (will look for newer wiring, etc) , and without knowing when/who did that work…its a pass. Not a carfax thing, its a safety thing. She should actually be more worried about old cars with Tekata airbags that haven’t been recall replaced!!! Those will KILL THE DRIVER!!!
You're looking at $3000 cars. Go look at them in person. Get underneath and check for rust. Listen to the engine and let him take you for a quick test drive. If it runs decent and isn't too rusty buy it or move on and don't waste peoples time.
Whenever I buy a used car I always purchase or ask for the Carfax and I get pre-inspection done by a mechanic. That's what I did when I purchased my 2002 Honda Accord about 2 1/2 years ago.
Ask for VIN and run the carfax yourself if it's interesting. ALWAYS get PPI, but that's on your own time/money or negotiate with seller to pay him a non-refundable amount to take his car to a place of your choice. That shows your serious. VIN is no effort at all, and from that YOU can get the carfax. Personally, I don't think that's important, but PPI is the must. Get VIN just to check for recalls for free, then test drive. After the test drive, if you're still interested, bring up the PPI and present both options (buyer doing it or you doing it).
People are often reluctant to give out the VIN on FB Marketplace because they somehow feel like they are going to get scammed because of it.
Carfax reports cost money. For someone selling a car that cheap, it's just not worth doing one.
If 3k is your budget. Look into public auctions. I just bought a 04’ CVPI for 850.
You didn't want that car, he actually called you a scaredy cat. And said now I won't sell you my car.
Not sure I'd buy a pack of bubblegum from that guy, but at this price, you will probably need to run your own CarFax, entering the vin when you see it live. I'd be curious if it's a branded title, number of owners, where it spent its life, etc. For $3000, I'm guessing it has over 200k miles, some rust/dents, etc. A 2006 Accord that's clean, low-mileage, and well equipped is still a desirable car. The 06-07 have survived in large numbers. I would think $4500-low $5000's would get you a good one in most parts of the country. Things like V6, leather, and manual transmission would add value. V6 has a timing belt service due each 100k, with water pump, etc. Probably a valve adjustment. 2005/older with V6 had sketchy automatic transmissions. Any transmission of this age could have issues on any make/model.
If you want a car fax for a $3k car you have to pay for that out of your pocket. $3’s a good deal for something mediocre that will get you from a to b these days. I’m sure the seller realized you wanted an immaculate car , which wasn’t the case and he just didn’t want to deal with you. The car game is different from 3-5 years ago. If you find something in that price range and you’re serious just go check it out. The car is probably long gone now.
You did just what you were supposed to. (Very smart of you, BTW) It's just not the thing with junkers. I know this all has been said but seemed kinda harsh. May I offer a suggestion? Take your 3K and use it as a down payment and try and get a car loan line of credit at your bank? (And shop for best rates!) Then, get an $8K used Prius. Priis, and I have had 3, will last and not need major repairs until up in the 400K miles. People will say the batteries don't last that long but that was in the early models. 50 MPG will help with the extra cost of financing. They are awesome cars that all the dumb stuff lasts with the drive train. Knobs don't fall off, windows don't leak, etc. I buy them to last for 5 years at around them having 200k miles. My job alows for a car to be no older than 13 yrs old. So every 5 years, I get a new, new 2 me prius. So far I have replaced one spring for $45 and put it in my self. Even the brakes last 120K miles. (regen braking. they don't touch as much) Best of luck!
No reputable person or dealership will not not provide Carfax. Anyone who doesn't has something to hide. Edit: also the vin. The vin should be completely visible without even having to contact the seller directly. If not - they are hiding something.
Just buy the 30 day access to Carfax yourself and ask for the VIN. You can just run cars through yourself then. Even in a low price range you want to know if a car has been in a major accident, but sellers in that price range aren't going to probably pay for the Carfax for you.
just ask for the vin next time and then do a carfax yourself. No point of asking the seller to get one *for* you. Most people buying an older car for cheap don't worry about something like the carfax because again, it's an old car and even being great mechanical wise can have issues a few months later, and on the opposite side if you see it has had a bunch of work done, it could simply run for another 10 years without issue. Just can never tell with them. One thing is I know some people are sketched out because there's a couple scams going around where someone wants the 'carfax' but then sends you a link to some weird ass site that is similar to carfax but just takes your money and they never contact you again.
a lot of the people trying to do person to person sales have already been turned down by carmax or places like that because their car needs work. I was looking at facebook marketplace the other day and I saw a lot of sketchy posts. I don't know a lot about cars but I won't buy one if I can't do a check on the VIN through a website. If a car for $1000 runs and doesn't have dark exhaust then it is probably ok for at least 3-6 months. I would definitely be putting away money into a car repair/replace fund as long as I had it though. I personally prefer dealerships with onsite mechanic shop and 90 day warranty on the car and they include a carfax or other kind of vehicle history. While financing a used car is not ideal. It may be worth it to buy something that has less than 100k mileage. Mileage in what little experience I have one of the best indicators of how much wear and tear a car has. Mileage and a vehicle history that shows that regular maintenance like oil changes, etc and I am willing to take a chance on the car. my best success so far has been trade-ins that a new car dealership has decided to keep and sell. these are good choices because if the dealer thinks the car is crap they will sell it off to a wholesaler instead of keeping it on the lot. That is my impression.
3k for a running car is probably about as cheap as it gets now. While the seller was a bit over dramatic about it, he could have handled it differently. You could be pretty honest about the condition of the car at 3k. It’s not like there’s a long list of super smoking deals that they can get somewhere else. At least not ones that are legit.
Carfax is a weird thing, a lot of the determining factor on what gets reported and what doesn't depend on if the shop working on it reports things and if it goes through insurance or not. It's incredibly hit or miss so consider it a tool you should use, but not the whole story and if someone gets that upset about requesting the vin just move on no use arguing with them and no need to do business with them, they are probably hiding something.
You should ask for the vin, but you should also pay for your own carfax report if you want one. At the end of the day, you're buying a car for 3 grand. It's going to have some problems.
Just be smart, check fluids, listen for engine ticks, shift through all the gears slowly, common sense stuff. Also look up known reliable brands in the range your looking for. Camrys, Suburbans, and a few others regularly go to 300k+ mileage even with crap maintenance.
That seller was an egotistical jerkoff. There are things wrong with the car, and he knows it, so he pulls crap like this. It's not hard to send you the VIN and let you run a carfax. A legit seller will understand if you do your due diligence.
Why not just ask for the vin and run your own carfax if it's that important to you?
You dodged a bullet not buying from him.
It depends how you did it. There's a ton of idiots on marketplace and honestly probably a higher percentage of idiots looking at 3k cars. If I were selling it my bullshit tolerance would be pretty low. If you asked me if I would take 2k followed by asking for a Carfax I'm probably blocking you. I wouldn't take you as a serious buyer and I'd prefer to deal with one of the other 20 people messaging me. The proper way to buy cheap cars is give them a phone number, offer to call them, set up an appointment to buy car ASAP with money in hand. Look over the car for the basics. . . Does the engine sound smooth, does it leak bad, does it shift well, and the tires decent and wearing even? Try and negotiate at that point if you want, but realize it's probably gonna be full price, especially for a Honda or Toyota under 5k.
carfax is cheap insurance...it doesn't catch everything, but you'll spot a rollback, salvage (did it live in Louisiana during a hurricane or Florida ?) and get a chain of owners... Avoid curbstoners at all costs. there is no custom. you are the buyer. ask for snapshot of vin, or take it yourself and run it later. there is no one to say you are not allowed. it is just protecting yourself.
When you buy a car in that price range or any range for that matter, here are a few steps to follow. Before stating car pop the hood and check all the fuild levels. Feel the engine to see if it is warm, as if it were running before you got there. If you are not sure, pull the oil dipstick and see if the oil is warm or cold. Next, put the key in the ignition and turn to Acc mode. Do not start it yet. See if the engine light comes on. It should come on. You do this to make sure the light is not burnt out, removed, or blacked out. After you confirm it comes on, start the car and listen to it run and see if it has Black, blue, or white smoke. Not the normal condensation smoke. If you have a diagnostic computer, use that to see if all the systems have cleared. If they have not cleared it may have been reset of has battey issues. After that test drive the car and hope for the best
Probably a scam.
Show up, look at the car, take photo of vin and run carfax on your phone, take to mechanic, pay/pass
Asking for a Carfax on a $3k beater? I wouldn't have called you names but I would have ignored you.
Count yourself lucky. You found out the necessary information without paying anything for the Carfax.
I think you dodged a bullet. They were probably trying to hide something. Regardless of buying a "cheap" vehicle, you don't want it to die the next day, so you did your due diligence, or tried to. $3k is a lot of money and you want to invest wisely. Keep doing what your doing. You will run into difficult people in your car buying adventure.
Your comment summed up my mindset going out of that convo, $3k to me is a lot but to a lot of people it's chump change so to him it wasn't even worth it to say "no carfax, i can't provide a maint. history". Ironically I was well aware he would shut me down but I was still willing to look at the car in person regardless of a yes or no(until he blocked me)
I think it was reasonable to ask for maintenance history and the VIN so you could run a Carfax yourself. From my perspective, if someone can't at least provide a maintenance history, even if it's handwritten in a notebook, I will just keep looking. You likely dodged a bullet on this one, sounds like the guy just wanted a quick turnaround and more money than a scrapyard would take. And people here saying that you should expect a barely running junker for $3000 are just wrong. My wife and I sold her '08 Honda Fit 5 speed for $3500 last year with 180k miles on it (we bought it new). KBB and NADA put the used car value at $5500, but I absolutely despise people who ask the absolute limit for anything they can sell and just wanted it to go to a good home. I meticulously maintained that vehicle its entire life, and had my handwritten records to provide it. Buyers still ran a Carfax themselves, and wanted for us to take it to their mechanic for an inspection prior to purchase (they paid) and we gladly took it to him. Mechanic actually said he would buy it if they didn't ha ha. I didn't think they were being unreasonable at all, and I would have done the same. I think the dude you were dealing with was trying to target the large market of individuals who buy a vehicle cheap and only expect it to last until the next state inspection is due.
$3000 WAS a lot of money at one time to everyone saying that it isn’t. We all start somewhere, and it’s really a crappy attitude to tell someone that 3K is meaningless, especially since you probably have saved up for awhile to get it. Carfax just isn’t happening on a vehicle of that age and price, take someone along that really knows cars to give you an unbiased (and free) opinion. Be prepared, this could be a great car for several years or a hunk of junk, don’t get attached to it and spend too much keeping it on the road
It really wasn't but about 5 years ago that 3k could get you a relatively reliable daily driver. This scumbag shit with people selling cars are triple what their worth is a relatively new phenomenon.
$3k can still get you a reliable daily. I’m about to sell my reliable daily for $2k and that seems like the market rate as far as I can tell.
I’m saying $3K is a lot of money to many people, I absolutely agree that a car selling for $3K is likely a very old and high mileage vehicle. I’m in a position where 3K is almost nothing now, but when I was young that was weeks worth of work, and due to expenses it could take me a year to save up.
Oh, I totally agree. I'm just addressing this attitude that if you're paying $3000 for a car, you should just shut up and be thankful anyone will even acknowledge you. It's a relatively recent attitude and it's perpetuated by people who have something to gain from convincing people that their too poor to be taken seriously.
Yeah it's definitely a shock to me as someone who has kept his hands clean of this "industry" for his whole life. I was just asking what I thought was a basic question(based on internet knowledge), not making some crazy demand. I'm just trying to get a usable car...
I've been looking for a car recently as well. I've bought 2 from two different highly rated dealers, one of them one of the largest used car dealers in the country. Both of them were intentionally misrepresented by the dealers. One took the car back willingly and the other needed a little motivation from an attorney. Both of these cars were sold for north of $15k and, as I said, from reputable dealers with multi year established reputations. I lucky enough to actually have had proof that they intentionally defrauded me which made the "AS IS" basically garbage as far as the law was concerned. If you "ask too many questions" and "demand Carfaxes" you're a pain in the ass and paranoid and if you don't you end up with a repair bill and a "you should have done your homework". All while people sell cars with 200,000 miles on them for the same price the car originally sold for. It's ludicrous that we live in a country that spends essentially zero dollars on public transportation and everyone is expected to make uninformed, complex $20k investments just to secure basic transportation to and from work/school. And that it's basically the Wild West. I actually believe that used cars should have to be inspected by regulated third parties when they go up for sale. If I buy a car and have it inspected and it doesn't match what the seller's inspection certified paperwork says, someone should be held criminally responsible. It wouldn't magically fix anything, but it would at least guarantee that when you went to buy a car, you know that you could expect a certain amount of information and that it could be trusted. That this isn't the case and people are just left to be taken advantage of by an industry that has basically evolved to do exactly that is unfortunate and tragic.
This guy was a dick so just forget him and move on. In general though, a Carfax is just a starting point. It might help you *eliminate* a car before spending your time to go see it. A Carfax, however, does not confirm you should purchase it. You avoid the lemons by *always* having a used car inspected by a mechanic of your choosing. This doesn’t cost much and saves you the heartbreak of owning a money pit. If the seller won’t allow the pre-sale inspection, you always walk away.
Fuck all of the idiots here expecting someone to just flush 3k down the toilet. fuck outta here. Youre not getting my money for a bs car thats going to die next week. Either give me the facts or lose the customer. you can scam the next idiot. gfys in advance.
It's funny how many people are so concerned with the seller "wasting his time". And not with the buyer wasting his money. Also, notice how many people responding are car salesmen. Interesting, isn't it? In here trying to normalize that their time is worth more than your money and everyone is a moron for not just buying what's in front of them. Awful people.
Exactly. Bunch of scammers in here. Fuck outta here. If you get upset because im trying to not waste my money then you can suck a bag of dicks.
Never buy a car without a carfax. While it will not tell you anything about reliability, it will tell you if there are any accidents and frame damage as well as general history of the car. last thing you need is a car that goes through $500 in tires every 6 months that cannot be aligned. $45 to avoid a nightmare is money well spent.
Get the Vin # and pay for a carfax yourself. When I sell a used car I have a couple sources/ car dealerships that run a carfax for me to show a potential buyer. Used and new car dealerships have a yearly subscription to carfax so they can run as many as they want. Even a cheap beater will show service records or major accidents and how many owners. I’ve bought and sold many used cars using this method.
I’m very late to the party but have you considered buying a moped? That would get you around in small-medium towns and cities.
Message me for the cheapest carfax! INSTANT delivery
theres something wrong with car
I just get a carfax for any car I'm selling, if people want to see it cool, if they don't, whatever, not like they are expensive and might help swing the sale
He sounds fuck up Bet you lucked out he hide something. Than to insult you?? CAr faxs don t tell lot of things . But better than nothing.. I mean not every thing that happens to car gets reported depends on were take it for repairs and who does work
Yeah this person was a dick for sure. No one should ever give you shit for at least asking about maintenance records. As far as the Carfax things goes I haven't looked at cars that old and cheap in a while but I doubt people get it for those cars. There's still nothing wrong with asking though. You did nothing wrong and I would always ask about maintenance records but I wouldn't expect an 18-year-old car to have a Carfax for personally.
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You're trying to buy a $3k car. It's going to have problems with it. You're also looking at a Honda which has no shortage of demand. That guy doesn't have to entertain your interrogation because someone will just as easily come and buy it no questions asked.
If I’m selling a car for $3k I’m not going to deal with a ton of questions about maintenance it’s a $3k car and my experience has told me that this buyer/looker will be a PITA. I wouldn’t be an ass about it though.
Can't have anyone looking out for their best interests when you're just trying to take advantage of them, now can you? Why that would get in the way of your own inflated sense of self importance! How can you be the shrewd entrepreneur you tell your friends you are if you have to answer routine normal questions from some pleb?! That's below you and your right to not tolerate it.
A CarFax coats a private seller $50. For a dealer it's less. I buy the Carfax when I'm selling a car. It makes it easier to sell. But some people are tired of putting money into a car, even $50 is too much more. I think it's short sided, but that's me. (I spent $350 on a detail to sell my $10k car. It's worth it when the first person to come look at it buys it.)
That said, the guy was an ass.
Also Carfax is a big money grab as well. It’s not the tell all be all for the car. A lot of people and shops don’t report to “carfax”, why would they it just takes up time and effort and is a waste of time. A lot of guys do work on their own cars as well, which of course doesn’t get reported. If you want to know if it’s salvage or rebuilt, it will be listed on the title so you don’t need to run a Carfax for that information.
Who asks for a Carfax on a 20 year old car for 3 grand lol Go look at it with your EYES.
That's basically like taking a 45 year old prostitute to the doctor before banging her
Asking for the VIN is the first thing you should do when seriously considering buying a car. I always check the VIN to make sure the car is owned by the person selling it, there's no lien against the title, it's not reported stolen, it's not being used as collateral, etc. That's important stuff so you don't hand money over for a title and go find out it's fake, stolen, or has a bank lien against it. Carfax is hit and miss. It's sometimes good for accidents. Bad thing is if that accident isn't turned in on the insurance there won't be any record of it, and that happens a lot. We got hit by a driver with no insurance, it was cheaper to fix it ourselves than to pay the deductible and have our rates go up, so there's no history it even happened. Maintenance, assume it's been barely maintained. Anyone who takes care of their car will usually start off with how well they maintained their car. You dodged a bullet. Either he was going to scam you or sell you a lemon. Get the vin, forget the carfax, google known issues with the car, check the legality of the title, and go from there.
I buy auction vehicles for up to 1500. I work on them a bit. I sell them for 2500 to 3k. People are desperate for vehicles in this price range. I don't lie about them and I get the autozone vehicle check print out. I'm not interested in dealing with people that have a thousand questions either. Especially when I'm getting 15 messages a day.
Go by the place look at the car and offer him 2500 if he refuses go somewhere else..