2003-2011 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Carfax and IRIS are essential 3rd party documents for used car buyers. If I were interested in a car, I’d look them over carefully – and I don’t mean only the dealer’s version of Carfax. Even if the documents aren’t complete, evident gaps would tell me something. If you don’t begin with Carfax and IRIS, where is your starting point?
Interstate movement of used cars may not be news, but I think used car buyers may be surprised at how this movement is strategically used against consumer interests. This aspect of the business was considered hard news by at least one Maine newspaper and belatedly caught the eye of state legislators interested in consumer protection.
I agree with your comment that the buyer of this car ignored obvious signs of trouble about the vehicle. But he asked the clear question if the car had ever been classified as a lemon. He should have been given a yes/no answer.
It’s certainly suspicious when a salesman responds with a windy monologue on the difficulty of defining what a lemon is or isn’t. In this situation, the buyer should remain calm, interrupt the salesman, and say, “I’m sure your time is as valuable as mine, so just tell me yes or no.” In this kind of negotiation, the buyer must be willing to walk away from the deal at any time.
A “GM buy back” vehicle may be a good purchase. But there is clearly a potential conflict between what’s good for GM’s buy back resale program and what’s good for a customer looking for a dependable used car.
So IMHO buyers need to use the available tools to identify quality cars and their own wits to break through the self-serving manipulation and double talk they might encounter during the search.
posted by 68.14.129...
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
