Buying used car - pulls to left

Approximately 9/8/03 13:41, snipped-for-privacy@arigatoo.net uttered for posterity:

Offhand, without seeing the car, not just a red flag but a big blinking red light, sirens, klaxons, dive alarms, etc. And you should be worried about driveability.

It could be as simple as just needing an alignment, however what it really tells you is something about the quality of the repair. If they failed to check and replace any damaged front end suspension components or even simply failed to do an alignment, it isn't a good sign that even the visible repairs were done at all well.

Run, do not walk, away.

My BMW was hit on the right front tire smashing the fender. The hitter took off; I gave chase, nearly loosing some fender parts as it dangled by the pothole. But nonetheless, my Bimmer ran straight and fine. He and she escaped with no tags. This is in Calif.

The story is to tell you that if a car pulls to the right, it’s a red flag. There are tons of cars and saving a few hundreds to get a salvage car will not pay. To prove it, I bought a salvage car (that pulls to left) and people tell me don*t do it, the engine will fall off. And at 70mph, that*s exactly what it did.

-*

Lon is right. If you are just taking a casual look at this one, run away. If everything else is right and you wish to continue then have the car inspected for wheel alignment shop or a frame shop or a body shop. Maybe it just needs an alignment after the accident or maybe the frame/body is bent. That too can be straightened at a price. When shopping for a used car my motto is not to take on obvious problems.

Thanks everyone, I decided to run (not walk) away from the vehicle.