carfax help please??

Hmmm...don't want to pay for the service provided by CarFax maybe?

Have you considered the possibility that someone might provide a cheapster like you with bogus information just out of spite? You may be buying a Katrina special.....

Be aware that Carfax has not been very accurate on the cars we have now. My son signed up to check out the Acura he eventually bought; it didn't indicate any accident history even though it's clear the hood isn't original and a front brace has wrecking yard markings on it. My daughter's car showed up as having originally been a fleet car, but the title shows no such thing.

Mike

Carfax is only as good as the information they are able to obtain. If you wreck your car and don't file a claim with the insurance company or the police, who will ever know? Most states don't have a provision on a title for "fleet vehicle".

John

Thanks for the people who helped. I just had a casual interest in a car.

I know...a Carfax just gets you closer at weeding out problems. At least it's a start, but I also plan to look at the fender lines under the hood for rippling, and under the car(hands&knees) to see if the car has been welded together. I'll also check all around where there might be panel misfits indicating a fix.

spodely wrote:

My truck was in 5 major accidents all insurance and repaired at dealers. Clean Carfax. Carfax is a ripoff crapshoot.

A visual check under the hood will tell you a lot, too. Remove the oil filler cap and peek at the metal you can see. If it is silvery where the oil isn't thick on it, that's a good sign of being treated well. A little yellow-brown varnish is okay, crusty black deposits are a definite no-no. Ditto with the radiator; you want to see the car when the engine is cold - not only so you can be aware of any cold running problems but so you can check the radiator. Remove the radiator cap and run your fingertip around the rim inside the radiator; there should be no trace of rust. The coolant should be up to the neck. Start the car and place the palm of your hand over the radiator neck, using the other hand to pinch the tube to the overflow reservoir - there should not be a steady rise in pressure in the next few seconds, and especially not a pulsation from the cylinders. Those are strong indicators of a failing head gasket and likely warped head - lots of dollars. There should be no black grease thrown around from either front axle (most often at the outer CV joint boot, those rubber bellows). Axle repair is worth about $300 US per side. A head gasket replacement with head milling will set you back about $1000 US, give or take.

Also ask when the timing belt was last changed and ask to see documentation if it isn't nearly due (or overdue!). If it isn't documented you have no choice but to have it changed - price varies fairly widely but is around $500 US.

If an automatic, be very critical of the shifting and of the operation in reverse. Honda trannies aren't known for smoothness, but they shouldn't slip or misbehave. Repair can be very expensive, up to $3000 US.

Body damage is not usually as important to me as mechanical condition. I can live with bent supports and ripples, but major defects are a bummer.

Mike (who prefers to buy cars with 100K miles or more)

when my wifes firebird was hit and i called the insurance co. I asked if it would show on carfax. The response? Do you want it to? We don't have to tell them anything! I've seen a lot of cars pass carfax at the dealership I work at, but once we get them off the ground it's a whole different story. I find their service to be completely useless. Chip