Before You Sign At The Auto Dealer Lot Get That Auto Checked May 31st, 2011
It can be said that “everyone drives a used car”. Once your new car tires hit the pavement and roll out with plates out of the new car dealership your car, truck or SUV suffers great depreciation in value. After all “someone” ( meaning you in this case) has to pay for the beautiful new automotive dealership , the lot and building and overhead never mind to mention taxes of all types and labor costs to that business that sold you the vehicle.
It is interesting to note that more than one wealthy auto dealership owner drive for their personal vehicles used off lease vehicles that they have purchased off their respective factory auctions of off lease or company driven vehicles. If it’s good enough for them it should be for you as well. On top of that, in the case of newer pre-owned or driven vehicles many still sport and carry factory warranties - even for the second or even fifth owner. What the auto maker and warranty authorization claims people look at to assess coverage is miles / and or time limitations. That is assuming that the vehicle has been reasonably maintained under your care. More than one young person was shocked to learn that the sludge in their crankcase - which indicated oil driven for 2 years ( average driver 25,000 miles ) without an oil change invalidated their warranty when it came time to a catastrophic engine failure and a very hefty bill for replacement and installation of a new motor. As a car owner you can scream all you want and threaten the dealer / owner with legalities and threats of internet postings. In these cases you not they are liable. Yet the summary is if you choose a good car and maintain it according to the norms in the owner’s manual in your glove box “you will be fine”.
Each and every vehicle sold in the world is stamped with a serial number for that particular vehicle. In the English language it’s called the “Vehicle Identification Number” or VIN. In foreign areas of the world the label goes by any of a number of different descriptive automotive terms. The VIN is unique to each vehicle. It’s like a social insurance number in that it is unique. The VIN number on a vehicle is a sequence of numbers. Each specific row identifies a separate record. For example the country of manufacture, year, model type engine type etc.
Just what can you expect in an online vehicle report? First of all to explain the information (data) on your car is provided via a cross reference to the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) which is essence a serial number assigned to that particular unit since new. Each and every owner or change of ownership is tracked via this data. Attached to those changes of ownership should be addresses, perhaps phone numbers and mileage at that point in time. Traffic accidents and worse will be recorded as well as part of the process. If the car was in a very substantial accident and “written off” as salvage - and somehow returned to roadworthy condition (or at least the part attached to the VIN) this will be part of the report as well. Just one note - take into account practicalities of life. A computer report is a wonderful tool. Yet it is possible that owner’s may have had misfortunes in the auto’s life and done repairs under the table so that they do not appear on the roster. It’s always a possibility. So be wary of this. Stranger things have happened. The reports are valuable, one stop shopping pieces of information - however still use your practical judgment and skills of perception. Remember the other person is there to sell you the car. Once the contract is signed and the transaction of cash payment occurs for the most part you are on your own.
In that vein even if the car or truck appears as the best choice in the world, don’t become emotionally involved. The attitude should be that “there are plenty of other fish / vehicles in the ocean / dealer lots and online classified sites. Always insist that a reliable third party competent mechanic does a thorough once over on your “new “vehicle purchase.