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It helps to know a bit about the used car biz (long) Posted by Steve Schwedland [Email]  (#2368) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Steve Schwedland) on Thu, 8 Apr 2004 13:07:19
In Reply to: Carfax!!! Help! something seems fishy!, marc, Wed, 7 Apr 2004 11:26:42 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
When a person buys a car new, they generally drive it for a few years and then trade it in on another new car. New car dealers make money in this deal on the back end, i.e. in reselling the trade in. Most trade-ins are sold off within the week to a local wholesaler.
This wholesaler then shops the car around to local used car dealers or junk yards (depending on the condition of the car). If the wholesaler doesn't get rid of it relatively quickly that way, then he will run the car through a local dealer auction. Local dealers buy a good portion of their cars at these auctions, but other, larger, auction companies go to them as well.
Most car models are more popular in some parts of the country than others, so auction companies will go around the country to other auctions to buy up cars that sell well in their market.
Another thing to keep in mind is that used car dealers don't want to have cars sitting on their lot for a great deal of time. If they have a car that has not sold for a while, they will get rid of it, either to a wholesaler or through the auctions.
Now, every time the ownership of the car changes a note is made of that and Carfax gets ahold of it and reports it. You can generally tell the difference between "real" owners, those who drive them, and "dealer" owners, those who work in the used car business, by the name on the report.
Generally speaking "dealer" owners take care of cars much better than "real" owners. So, if the car has had a lot of "dealer" owners and only one "real" owner, it is still considered a "one owner car" by most dealers (even though it has had a dozen or so actual ownership changes).
I hope this helps some, I would say that a whole bunch of listings on the Carfax report doesn't necesarily mean the car is junk. However, NEVER buy ANY car for more than $500 without first spending the $75 at a reputable mechanics shop to have the car thoughrily looked at. It is money well spent in the long run.
One last note, I was told a long time ago that you should NEVER fall in love with anything that can't love you back. Don't be afraid to walk away from the deal if anything look out of whack and be sure that you trust the mechanic who looks the car over.
posted by 216.160.171...
, Thu, 8 Apr 2004 13:07:19 <-- Viewing This Message
, Wed, 7 Apr 2004 15:04:34
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