We need to shop Used car dealerships..
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nope Service, I have to break my rule and get something financed. I knew the Jeep was going to break but I was putting every penny into it to keep it going. So now, 2 months later, I'm about as sick as I can be of riding in my son's car. I NEED something of my own to drive.
I have used CarFax before, it used to be a good service. But if you don't know how to read their reports you're gonna pass up on some good cars just because the previous owners took the vehicle to the dealer for ALL of the maintenance. Some of the dealers don't code the repairs correctly, so it looks like the vehicle is a lemon when it really isn't. And CarFax won't warn you about Ford 3.5L and 3.7L engines with the water pump that is driven by the timing chain INSIDE the engine. Or even tell you if the water pump has been changed or if they replaced the coolant with aftermarket coolant that will ruin your water pump and make it leak into your crankcase..
That's it. I want Morl with me the next time I go to buy a car.
For what it's worth, I don't trust car salespeople any farther than I could throw them. When I did my one and only Kia shop and told the guy I wanted to think about it, he told me that if I didn't buy right then and there, I'd likely lose out because he had a couple coming that evening and two others later in the week.
Right. Three weeks later, I was still getting texts saying, "What if we came down another $500?" Total BS.
For what it's worth, I don't trust car salespeople any farther than I could throw them. When I did my one and only Kia shop and told the guy I wanted to think about it, he told me that if I didn't buy right then and there, I'd likely lose out because he had a couple coming that evening and two others later in the week.
Right. Three weeks later, I was still getting texts saying, "What if we came down another $500?" Total BS.
If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown
Doggie,
I don't like salespeople. They really know nothing about the vehicles, I've stood in front a running vehicle with a hard miss and a check engine light and had the salesperson tell me that it runs great and strong. And it's only a little rough at idle. I miss CA, they can't sell a car without a smog certificate, or that is unsafe to drive.
Here in AL, TN and GA they sell them barely running, check engine lights, no brakes, bad tires, 4 completely different tires, sometimes not even all the same size. They'll make them look spiffy on the outside, no dents, shiny, some even detail the inside and make them look as if they've never been driven and spray the inside with "new car" smelly stuff, but safety isn't one of the things they are concerned about. Nor do they care if the car will actually get you home from their lot. One dealer tried to sell me a Honda Element running on 2 cylinders, that they left "idle" (at 1500 rpm, they turned up the idle speed so it wouldn't die at idle) in the parking lot, as I was driving away the thing went up in a cloud of smoke..
I think someone needs to pay us to do used car mystery shops.. for the greater good.
I don't like salespeople. They really know nothing about the vehicles, I've stood in front a running vehicle with a hard miss and a check engine light and had the salesperson tell me that it runs great and strong. And it's only a little rough at idle. I miss CA, they can't sell a car without a smog certificate, or that is unsafe to drive.
Here in AL, TN and GA they sell them barely running, check engine lights, no brakes, bad tires, 4 completely different tires, sometimes not even all the same size. They'll make them look spiffy on the outside, no dents, shiny, some even detail the inside and make them look as if they've never been driven and spray the inside with "new car" smelly stuff, but safety isn't one of the things they are concerned about. Nor do they care if the car will actually get you home from their lot. One dealer tried to sell me a Honda Element running on 2 cylinders, that they left "idle" (at 1500 rpm, they turned up the idle speed so it wouldn't die at idle) in the parking lot, as I was driving away the thing went up in a cloud of smoke..
I think someone needs to pay us to do used car mystery shops.. for the greater good.
What gets me is that beginning next year, we won't even have vehicle inspections here. You could have the biggest hoopty out on the road, and the State of Texas literally will not care.@Morledzep wrote:
Here in AL, TN and GA they sell them barely running, check engine lights, no brakes, bad tires, 4 completely different tires, sometimes not even all the same size.
Here's hoping the Governor's limo gets stuck behind a fire-breathing Smogasaurus on the freeway in Austin.
If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown
And see, yet again you and I do not agree. -lol- The first time I'm going down the highway and the car in front of me loses a muffler that's hanging on by dental floss and a prayer, and it damages my car, I'm going to be *real* unhappy. Yes, I know there are places that pass vehicles regardless, but it's not all of them, and at least there would be a chance that car wouldn't get a pass; as of 2025, there's zero chance.
If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown
Last year my registration expired and I forgot to renew it. About 5 months later I was pulled over and thankfully only given a warning with a promise that I would take care of it immediately. The cop told me they had new devices that can spot overdue registrations as the cars are driving by. I'm surprised I got by that long with it being expired. I found the mail-in info in my pile of papers...duh
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The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..
Mark Twain
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..
Mark Twain
We've all seen clunkers on the road, Service, ones that you give a wiiiiiiiiiide berth. I've never watched a muffler take flight, but I've seen more than one dragged along the roadway, shooting sparks. Maybe the idea that a $7.50 sticker makes the roads safer is all in my head, but I consider that a fair tradeoff for that little bit of peace of mind. Besides, come 2025, the people at Quicker Sticker will be SOL-icker.@ServiceAward wrote:
Do you see a lot of mufflers falling off cars?
Don't get me started about speeding. It's called a speed limit, not a speed suggestion.
I make no promises. -lol-@ wrote:
Please do not hit my shin.
If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown
An inspection guy once told me that the station only got $2 of the $15 inspection fee and for that, he really didn't care what condition the car was in.
In some states, an inspection requires a lot of checks and takes some time, I can understand how it's a total financial loss for the station.
In some states, an inspection requires a lot of checks and takes some time, I can understand how it's a total financial loss for the station.
Do you really think a used car dealer who is so cheap that he tries to sell cars such as you describe is going to pay to get mystery shopped?@Morledzep wrote:
Doggie,
Here in AL, TN and GA they sell them barely running, check engine lights, no brakes, bad tires, 4 completely different tires, sometimes not even all the same size. They'll make them look spiffy on the outside, no dents, shiny, some even detail the inside and make them look as if they've never been driven and spray the inside with "new car" smelly stuff, but safety isn't one of the things they are concerned about. Nor do they care if the car will actually get you home from their lot. One dealer tried to sell me a Honda Element running on 2 cylinders, that they left "idle" (at 1500 rpm, they turned up the idle speed so it wouldn't die at idle) in the parking lot, as I was driving away the thing went up in a cloud of smoke..
I think someone needs to pay us to do used car mystery shops.. for the greater good.
I have gotten cars inspected in NJ, NC, DE, and PA. In NJ and DE, the inspection stations are run by the DMV. Getting the car inspected is part of the registration and the renewal process. In both states, new cars do not have to be inspected for 5 years. In NC, the fee paid to the service station once per year seemed reasonable and I never felt I was taken advantage of. In PA, inspections are now done by service stations once per year (it used to be every six months) and they are extensive in scope. While I did not always like what a PA service station told me, I found them to be honest. I used the same service station over and over so that they did not have to gouge me, and I took my car there for routine service as well.
Shopping South Jersey, Southeast Pennsylvania, and Delaware above the canal since 2008
I was a mechanic and smog tech in CA for 30 years. We only had to have the cars inspected every other year, and when it changed ownership. So there is no chance of selling a vehicle unless it's running correctly. The Bureau of Automotive Repair runs test cars through smog stations to catch the folks that aren't doing the testing correctly. And even private sellers aren't allowed to sell an unsafe vehicle, which basically means that the brakes need to be more than 50% of new, the wipers and washers need to work and actually clean the windshield. And it has to run well enough to pass smog on the dyno, not just an idle test, under a load at 15 mph and 25 mph. You CAN sell a non-running vehicle, to someone who is going to tow it, in "as-is" condition. There are no such regulations or standards here, and even if there were they would only be enforced on folks with brown skin, all the "white like me" folks would get a "warning" and told not to do it next time.
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