Car Market going forward (2 Viewers)

[DA RAIDERS]

Ok we've had another couple rounds of test drives and have landed at one of two cars:

1. Lexus RX350 Premium (they make pricing this very annoying but it seems somewhere between $53-61k based on what features it has or doesn't have and my own ability to negotiate)
2. Toyota RAV4 Limited (they immediately had one similar but with some extra features and the "wrong" color for $43k...to which I said "I get you don't have one without this add-on, but I'm not paying for it whether you give it to me or not" and they immediately knocked $1k off lol)

We eliminated the following cars through various testing of size (not big enough for me with car seats behind both seats), size (too big and unwieldy for my wife to like it), drive feel (e.g., braking responsiveness, acceleration), and features (kick sensor trunk, digital rearview mirror, remote start from app for climate control, does the infotainment seem unwieldy or streamlined).

• Honda CRV (next best, but a little narrow)
• Mazda CX-50 (not enough legroom)
• Mazda CX-70 and 90 (too big when driving)
• 2022 and earlier Lexus RX350 (kind of clunky, not as spacious)
• Toyota Highlander (too big, heavy for braking - but this is likely the purchase in ~7 years when she gives in and wants a bigger car)
• Subaru Forester (not enough legroom)
• Subaru Outback (really clunky infotainment straight outta 2006)
• Acura RDX (poor acceleration, didn't love driving, clunky infotainment)
• Hyundai Tucson (too cheap)
• Hyundai Palisade (too cheap and felt too big)
• Nissan Rogue (actually met some stuff nicely, but interior space was meh as was accel/braking)
• Nissan Pathfinder (close to Highlander, actually liked a lot, but felt a little too big)
• Range Rover Sport (not reliable enough)
• Everything from Ford and Chevy (lower resale value, reliability)

So it's been a pretty thorough examination of options. Now it comes down to 2 things:

A. How much ($$) more she likes the Lexus (answer seems to be ~$10k for better drive, room/feel, comfort, and some additional features/features that work better)
B. What price we can get for each

I think I can get the RAV4 down to around $39k (or maybe more, but confident I can get down to that), but the Lexus I'm not sure I could get down even to the $53k it "should" cost for what we want - they only have like $58k versions with extra crap we don't need and it feels like I have less leverage with them because basically all their inventory is already sold a month or two out.

So I've got to try and get better negotiating with the Lexus (starting by hitting different dealers, as apparently the way they allot, other dealers take more basic ones without these added things we don't care about). Then think about timing - a 2024 should immediately get cheaper when people start preferring 2025s, we don't need the car til like Jan at the earliest, I can wait for an EOM sales incentive window...I can probably get the Lexus down a bit, but all those things apply to the Toyota too, so I imagine we're gonna end up at around a $15k gap.

Then...add in the difference in insurance costs, premium gas vs regular...and I'm pretty sure we'll end up with the RAV4. I married a woman similarly practical to me so I think she's gonna have a tough time paying extra for something she likes more, but not THAT much more.

That said...$15k and an extra $1-2k/year in carrying costs is well within budget. That's one month's salary after tax (of mine. It's like 1.5 months of hers). So in the interest of the marriage, I've been very clear that it's entirely up to her and we could purchase either and it's her choice and I'll be supportive and try to get the best deal possible in either case.

Appreciate any thoughts or tips and tricks specific to car negotiations. And also if you ever wanna know what someone who's researched and driven all those cars, is 6'2", and will have two infant and rear facing car seats in the second row, let me know LOL.

Interesting that you found the Honda too narrow. We were going back and forth with Honda and Toyota and found that that the Honda interior was much nicer and roomier. Across all models.

My son test drove both and liked the Honda better. He had been driving a 2011 CRV his papa gave him when he couldn’t drive anymore due to his cancer, so he might have felt more comfortable. That said his 2024 CRV is a big 2 generation jump with a lot more bells and whistles. My son bought it and is paying for it so definitely his choice. He tried the HRVs and Mazdas as well as the RAV4.

Yeah there's something about the seats and the footwells. My knees hit the center console a bit from both sides in the CRV and not in the RAV4, but more importantly, my wife felt the seats in the shoulders. We're both very broad shouldered, with dads and brothers that have even broader shoulders, so if she and I feel it, the chances that any relatives and also kids do is very high.

The car seat mattered a lot too for me. In the CRV, something about the seat angles either couldn't change or couldn't change enough, whereas I could set the front seat to my liking and there was an entire hand's width between the seat and the car seat edge in it.

Cars are weird. Like I never would have guessed the ancient looking infotainment in Subaru would be such a deterrent. I thought for sure we'd end up with an Outback and not much further investigation.

Yea it’s weird. I hit my head on the door jamb getting into the Toyotas and felt cramped n side. Especially in the Land Cruiser. I’m utterly average sized as well so odd. And to us, the interior of the Honda was more attractive.

Interiors visually all looked about the same to me. CRV screen felt like it was up a bit higher, which I found annoying but not important. One thing that's "huge difference" between the Lexus and all others except the Pathfinder was that her purse would fit inside the center console (talk about things I never considered).

At the end of the day, any kind of gray, beige, tan, caramel (NOT BLACK) leather with some kind of accent wood or leather or whatever is all we wanted and they all had that.

We have black leather with red stitching. It’s funny the things that matter to people. My sister saw the car yesterday and her little rat dog jumped up on the center console immediately. A perfect perch for him. Cute little sucker. Anyway, she says, look at that, he fits perfectly. Unlike the console on her evoque, where She has to hold him in her car when he sits there. That’s how small those things are.

 

[Instinctive]

Ok we've had another couple rounds of test drives and have landed at one of two cars:

1. Lexus RX350 Premium (they make pricing this very annoying but it seems somewhere between $53-61k based on what features it has or doesn't have and my own ability to negotiate)
2. Toyota RAV4 Limited (they immediately had one similar but with some extra features and the "wrong" color for $43k...to which I said "I get you don't have one without this add-on, but I'm not paying for it whether you give it to me or not" and they immediately knocked $1k off lol)

We eliminated the following cars through various testing of size (not big enough for me with car seats behind both seats), size (too big and unwieldy for my wife to like it), drive feel (e.g., braking responsiveness, acceleration), and features (kick sensor trunk, digital rearview mirror, remote start from app for climate control, does the infotainment seem unwieldy or streamlined).

• Honda CRV (next best, but a little narrow)
• Mazda CX-50 (not enough legroom)
• Mazda CX-70 and 90 (too big when driving)
• 2022 and earlier Lexus RX350 (kind of clunky, not as spacious)
• Toyota Highlander (too big, heavy for braking - but this is likely the purchase in ~7 years when she gives in and wants a bigger car)
• Subaru Forester (not enough legroom)
• Subaru Outback (really clunky infotainment straight outta 2006)
• Acura RDX (poor acceleration, didn't love driving, clunky infotainment)
• Hyundai Tucson (too cheap)
• Hyundai Palisade (too cheap and felt too big)
• Nissan Rogue (actually met some stuff nicely, but interior space was meh as was accel/braking)
• Nissan Pathfinder (close to Highlander, actually liked a lot, but felt a little too big)
• Range Rover Sport (not reliable enough)
• Everything from Ford and Chevy (lower resale value, reliability)

So it's been a pretty thorough examination of options. Now it comes down to 2 things:

A. How much ($$) more she likes the Lexus (answer seems to be ~$10k for better drive, room/feel, comfort, and some additional features/features that work better)
B. What price we can get for each

I think I can get the RAV4 down to around $39k (or maybe more, but confident I can get down to that), but the Lexus I'm not sure I could get down even to the $53k it "should" cost for what we want - they only have like $58k versions with extra crap we don't need and it feels like I have less leverage with them because basically all their inventory is already sold a month or two out.

So I've got to try and get better negotiating with the Lexus (starting by hitting different dealers, as apparently the way they allot, other dealers take more basic ones without these added things we don't care about). Then think about timing - a 2024 should immediately get cheaper when people start preferring 2025s, we don't need the car til like Jan at the earliest, I can wait for an EOM sales incentive window...I can probably get the Lexus down a bit, but all those things apply to the Toyota too, so I imagine we're gonna end up at around a $15k gap.

Then...add in the difference in insurance costs, premium gas vs regular...and I'm pretty sure we'll end up with the RAV4. I married a woman similarly practical to me so I think she's gonna have a tough time paying extra for something she likes more, but not THAT much more.

That said...$15k and an extra $1-2k/year in carrying costs is well within budget. That's one month's salary after tax (of mine. It's like 1.5 months of hers). So in the interest of the marriage, I've been very clear that it's entirely up to her and we could purchase either and it's her choice and I'll be supportive and try to get the best deal possible in either case.

Appreciate any thoughts or tips and tricks specific to car negotiations. And also if you ever wanna know what someone who's researched and driven all those cars, is 6'2", and will have two infant and rear facing car seats in the second row, let me know LOL.

Interesting that you found the Honda too narrow. We were going back and forth with Honda and Toyota and found that that the Honda interior was much nicer and roomier. Across all models.

My son test drove both and liked the Honda better. He had been driving a 2011 CRV his papa gave him when he couldn’t drive anymore due to his cancer, so he might have felt more comfortable. That said his 2024 CRV is a big 2 generation jump with a lot more bells and whistles. My son bought it and is paying for it so definitely his choice. He tried the HRVs and Mazdas as well as the RAV4.

Yeah there's something about the seats and the footwells. My knees hit the center console a bit from both sides in the CRV and not in the RAV4, but more importantly, my wife felt the seats in the shoulders. We're both very broad shouldered, with dads and brothers that have even broader shoulders, so if she and I feel it, the chances that any relatives and also kids do is very high.

The car seat mattered a lot too for me. In the CRV, something about the seat angles either couldn't change or couldn't change enough, whereas I could set the front seat to my liking and there was an entire hand's width between the seat and the car seat edge in it.

Cars are weird. Like I never would have guessed the ancient looking infotainment in Subaru would be such a deterrent. I thought for sure we'd end up with an Outback and not much further investigation.

Yea it’s weird. I hit my head on the door jamb getting into the Toyotas and felt cramped n side. Especially in the Land Cruiser. I’m utterly average sized as well so odd. And to us, the interior of the Honda was more attractive.

Interiors visually all looked about the same to me. CRV screen felt like it was up a bit higher, which I found annoying but not important. One thing that's "huge difference" between the Lexus and all others except the Pathfinder was that her purse would fit inside the center console (talk about things I never considered).

At the end of the day, any kind of gray, beige, tan, caramel (NOT BLACK) leather with some kind of accent wood or leather or whatever is all we wanted and they all had that.

We have black leather with red stitching. It’s funny the things that matter to people. My sister saw the car yesterday and her little rat dog jumped up on the center console immediately. A perfect perch for him. Cute little sucker. Anyway, she says, look at that, he fits perfectly. Unlike the console on her evoque, where She has to hold him in her car when he sits there. That’s how small those things are.

HAHAHA love it.

Yeah Texas heat and black leather is not a great fit.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

IDK if anyone posted this or not but they have 0% Financing on Subaru Outbacks right now, 48 months, if you need 72 they make it 2.9% which still isn't terrible.
Also it would seem the 2024 models are getting at least a $3k trim off the sticker price, some are being decreased more.
I saw a Base model which granted will be bare bones but those are running around $30k-$32k

Try finding a used Outback 2-3 yrs old with low mileage for much less than $30k
What are they charging for lower model Kia, Hyundai and Hondas? You get AWD on every Subaru, gas mileage is a let down but they ride smooth and serve multi-purposes

 

[urbanhack]

Getting ready to drive by the Mazda dealer and do my usual inquiry about options when lease ends at the end of next month. Fully expecting to walk away with a new car and use my timing as leverage to walk off the lot any time I don't like what I'm hearing...

I see that my Mazda deal has a lot of inventory. This is a lot different from when I leased three years ago. I think back then I was getting one of the only CX-5's they had in stock that week. Now they have over 40.

Anyone gone through the process recently?

 

[houston]

When did carfax become so expensive? What are my better options to find history on used cars I’m looking at?

Is verifyauto.vin a legit site?

What should I know and be smart about when looking at a car with a rebuilt title?

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

When did carfax become so expensive? What are my better options to find history on used cars I’m looking at?

Is verifyauto.vin a legit site?

What should I know and be smart about when looking at a car with a rebuilt title?

No idea on carfax

Frame damage and flooded interiors

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Getting ready to sell my truck. Gonna give Carmax a try otherwise it’s going out front with a sign and Facebook marketplace.

If it comes to that - I haven’t bought or sold a car from somebody off the street in 20 years, My idea is to meet them at the bank literally one minute up my street and take care of it inside the bank. If my bank says the money is good I’m good.

Please advise.

 

[trogg78]

Is anyone on here a dealer or have access to full Carfax/etc. vehicle reports? My wife is interested in a used Infinity QX50 that has a damage report on it via the free online reports, but the owner says it was a minor incident that only involved paint scratches and no body damage. I have no issues paying for a full report for peace of mind but thought I'd check on here first.

This is what I use. I've purchased 4 car fax reports from them. It's $5 for a complete carfax. They email you a link and the carfax is available for 30 days. I just download it and save it as a pdf.

https://www.autovhr.com/deal/

Here is a link for a cheap car fax. It makes it available online for 30 days and you can download it. I think the price is like $8 now.

When did carfax become so expensive? What are my better options to find history on used cars I’m looking at?

Is verifyauto.vin a legit site?

What should I know and be smart about when looking at a car with a rebuilt title?

 

[Instinctive]

We finally bought ours. Ended up with a Toyota Crown Signia for $49k out the door. Crazy experience and really frustrating at times, but couldn't justify $8k more for the RX.

 

[MTskibum]

Getting ready to sell my truck. Gonna give Carmax a try otherwise it’s going out front with a sign and Facebook marketplace.

If it comes to that - I haven’t bought or sold a car from somebody off the street in 20 years, My idea is to meet them at the bank literally one minute up my street and take care of it inside the bank. If my bank says the money is good I’m good.

Please advise.

If it is over 10k, then cash or wire transfer at a bank. I don't take checks or cashiers checks. Maybe a cashiers check if it is a cheap car in the 3-10k range.

I don't think it is worth the hassle for cars, but private party boat sales are pretty common since it is much more difficult to find a boat than a car.

 

[Nugget]

We finally bought ours. Ended up with a Toyota Crown Signia for $49k out the door. Crazy experience and really frustrating at times, but couldn't justify $8k more for the RX.

Congrats!

 

[Instinctive]

We finally bought ours. Ended up with a Toyota Crown Signia for $49k out the door. Crazy experience and really frustrating at times, but couldn't justify $8k more for the RX.

Congrats!

Thanks! It was kind of nuts. We had settled on a car and started building leverage across different dealers and price research, etc.

Then we saw the Crown Signia was out and it basically looked like a cheaper version of the same car. So we made an appointment for a test drive.

1. Got to the dealer, and they were like "Oh, not buying it, can't test drive." Which was kind of a wtf moment. We confirmed beforehand we could test drive and then they got all slimy on arrival. So we left.
2. Did the same song and dance with three different dealers. One said we couldnt drive it, two said we could. Second one, we got there, and they asked for the down payment and credit info before the test drive and I balked. They wouldn't budge. Third one, wife got pissed so they let her test drive. I didn't even go.
3. She liked it enough that we wanted to go back together with the baby and check the thing we most are concerned about: me fitting comfortably with baby in car seat installed in the back. We confirmed 30 minutes before driving up...got there...and they were like "oh we don't have one." I kind of made a scene. Not as big as I should have, but when the guy said "you can sit in this other car, it's about the same size," I was like "We won't be doing that. We'll be leaving. It's ****ing slimy that we confirmed and you KNEW you didn't have the car and we spent 30 minutes coming here anyway. Disgusting." And we got up and left.
4. On the way to a wedding, stopped in at a dealer we randomly saw and asked to sit in it with baby and see if we liked it. Guy was like "yeah sure!" He was super excited to show the car. Totally different vibe. We had questions about some features like remote start and such, got those answered, settled on $50k all in, and he was like "I'll have that color in a couple weeks, easy peasy, will call you then!" Shook hands and left.
5. On the way back from the wedding a couple days later, we asked him for spec sheet and he sent it and the price was $53k. Like WTF. Had a bunch of optional dealer add ons that I was like "oh, I see, never mind. We don't want the $2300 in addons and this other stuff, you can take it off, and you don't need to do it when you get the car." He FLAT OUT REFUSED. We had literally just talked about how we wanted the basic trim and needed no extras, no paint protection, no dashcam, etc. He had the gall to say "good luck finding a dealer in Texas who wont include these." It blew my mind. Like...you don't even have the car yet, don't do the work and we're good. It's THAT high margin. Which is why I wouldn't ever pay for it obviously LOL.

So we emailed every Toyota dealer in the DFW area that we had an offer of $50.5k and attached a spec sheet and said we'll buy in 7 days, send us your best offer. The original dealer from step one sent us the car for $53k. I went off lol I was like "this has $4k of added crap I don't want. So I'll pay you $49k for it, and you can do the work or not." They declined to negotiate.

Then an offer came in at $49.8, so we said yes, made an appt for the next day, confirmed it was all in, out the door, etc. And then the next day 30 minutes before leaving the original dealer texted my wife AGAIN with a video of them walking around the car all excited for her and said they'd meet the $50.5k. I was like do not respond with anything other than that we've accepted a significantly lower offer and we're leaving to pick it up in 30 minutes.

They responded asking if there was anything at all they could do to win our business, apologized for the prior mistakes and said he's the manager and should have handled it from the beginning as a VIP experience, and a bunch of other BS. So we said "you can significantly beat them on price. We don't care about anything else."

So they undercut the others guys, we went over, we grabbed the car, and now we have it. It was absolutely wild. In 5 days the total price dropped ~15% purely from not being an idiot in negotiations. Absolutely mind blowing.

 

[Nugget]

We finally bought ours. Ended up with a Toyota Crown Signia for $49k out the door. Crazy experience and really frustrating at times, but couldn't justify $8k more for the RX.

Congrats!

Thanks! It was kind of nuts. We had settled on a car and started building leverage across different dealers and price research, etc.

Then we saw the Crown Signia was out and it basically looked like a cheaper version of the same car. So we made an appointment for a test drive.

1. Got to the dealer, and they were like "Oh, not buying it, can't test drive." Which was kind of a wtf moment. We confirmed beforehand we could test drive and then they got all slimy on arrival. So we left.
2. Did the same song and dance with three different dealers. One said we couldnt drive it, two said we could. Second one, we got there, and they asked for the down payment and credit info before the test drive and I balked. They wouldn't budge. Third one, wife got pissed so they let her test drive. I didn't even go.
3. She liked it enough that we wanted to go back together with the baby and check the thing we most are concerned about: me fitting comfortably with baby in car seat installed in the back. We confirmed 30 minutes before driving up...got there...and they were like "oh we don't have one." I kind of made a scene. Not as big as I should have, but when the guy said "you can sit in this other car, it's about the same size," I was like "We won't be doing that. We'll be leaving. It's ****ing slimy that we confirmed and you KNEW you didn't have the car and we spent 30 minutes coming here anyway. Disgusting." And we got up and left.
4. On the way to a wedding, stopped in at a dealer we randomly saw and asked to sit in it with baby and see if we liked it. Guy was like "yeah sure!" He was super excited to show the car. Totally different vibe. We had questions about some features like remote start and such, got those answered, settled on $50k all in, and he was like "I'll have that color in a couple weeks, easy peasy, will call you then!" Shook hands and left.
5. On the way back from the wedding a couple days later, we asked him for spec sheet and he sent it and the price was $53k. Like WTF. Had a bunch of optional dealer add ons that I was like "oh, I see, never mind. We don't want the $2300 in addons and this other stuff, you can take it off, and you don't need to do it when you get the car." He FLAT OUT REFUSED. We had literally just talked about how we wanted the basic trim and needed no extras, no paint protection, no dashcam, etc. He had the gall to say "good luck finding a dealer in Texas who wont include these." It blew my mind. Like...you don't even have the car yet, don't do the work and we're good. It's THAT high margin. Which is why I wouldn't ever pay for it obviously LOL.

So we emailed every Toyota dealer in the DFW area that we had an offer of $50.5k and attached a spec sheet and said we'll buy in 7 days, send us your best offer. The original dealer from step one sent us the car for $53k. I went off lol I was like "this has $4k of added crap I don't want. So I'll pay you $49k for it, and you can do the work or not." They declined to negotiate.

Then an offer came in at $49.8, so we said yes, made an appt for the next day, confirmed it was all in, out the door, etc. And then the next day 30 minutes before leaving the original dealer texted my wife AGAIN with a video of them walking around the car all excited for her and said they'd meet the $50.5k. I was like do not respond with anything other than that we've accepted a significantly lower offer and we're leaving to pick it up in 30 minutes.

They responded asking if there was anything at all they could do to win our business, apologized for the prior mistakes and said he's the manager and should have handled it from the beginning as a VIP experience, and a bunch of other BS. So we said "you can significantly beat them on price. We don't care about anything else."

So they undercut the others guys, we went over, we grabbed the car, and now we have it. It was absolutely wild. In 5 days the total price dropped ~15% purely from not being an idiot in negotiations. Absolutely mind blowing.

Just reading that wore me out. It is a shame Toyota doesn't let customers order cars. They are still in the worst/best position inventory wise (26 day supply) so they are holding for gross more than many other brands. They also are having issues with their Highlander/Lexus TX - they have been on a stop sale for a couple months and it may get fixed in October. Dealer add ons have gotten out of control. I worked retail 20 years ago and we sold bedliners on trucks and offered paint/interior/chemical protection for $500, but it was never preloaded or a condition of a sale.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Work was supposed to get about 30 Ford Mavericks but were told that couldn’t get them for a few months so everyone got Chevy Tracks or something. Looks like a Malibu SUV

 

[urbanhack]

Came home with the beauty last night.

https://vehicle-images.dealerinspire.com/be57-110006559/thumbnails/large/JM3KFBCL1R0522990/38bdde9f6bcd2c65d3b3ed8bf0ad9550.jpg

I test drove 4 different cars. CX-30, CX-30 turbo, CX-5 turbo and the CX-50. I knew that I had only so many options to stick at my current monthly payment of $415...didn't really want get to high. I tried to have some fun and see what they could do with the Turbo...but not a chance.

I thought I was settling on 2024 gray CX 5 premium plus...same car I was turning in. After we had negotiated (no money down and only a $5 increase in my monthly payment), I realized it was just the premium at which time I saw the Carbon Blue model for a few grand cheaper. Was able to get the monthly down to the exact same payment I'm making now. Love the color and the black wheels, but I gave up heated steering wheel, seat coolers and real seat warmers (which never get used).

All and all...happy with the experience and it only took about 3 hours total of my time for entire process.

 

[Gatorade]

It seems like we will be in the car market in the near future. Currently have a 2015 chevy equinox with 90,000 miles and a 2014 Toyota Tacoma with 46,000 miles. Our daughter just informed us that her third child is now 17 and all of her friends have cars. Since we bought used cars for the first two, I guess we are on the hook. My wife says just give them $10,000 and let them choose. I say give them the equinox (valued at 6,000) and she get a new one. Base price for new one is $28,000. She wants to look at other cars. Loves the four runner my mom has, but then I told her they start at $46,000 and she was not happy. The Tacoma will probably go to the current 14 year old in a few years. BTW, our daughter has 9 children.

 

[Instinctive]

It seems like we will be in the car market in the near future. Currently have a 2015 chevy equinox with 90,000 miles and a 2014 Toyota Tacoma with 46,000 miles. Our daughter just informed us that her third child is now 17 and all of her friends have cars. Since we bought used cars for the first two, I guess we are on the hook. My wife says just give them $10,000 and let them choose. I say give them the equinox (valued at 6,000) and she get a new one. Base price for new one is $28,000. She wants to look at other cars. Loves the four runner my mom has, but then I told her they start at $46,000 and she was not happy. The Tacoma will probably go to the current 14 year old in a few years. BTW, our daughter has 9 children.

It is amazing that you're in a position where y'all can feel ok providing NINE cars as grandkids turn 16.

Also blows my mind that your mom is still around AND you have nine+ grandkids.

No real point, just that's a whole lot of awesome dude. Congrats!!

 

[dgreen]

Is anyone on here a dealer or have access to full Carfax/etc. vehicle reports? My wife is interested in a used Infinity QX50 that has a damage report on it via the free online reports, but the owner says it was a minor incident that only involved paint scratches and no body damage. I have no issues paying for a full report for peace of mind but thought I'd check on here first.

This is what I use. I've purchased 4 car fax reports from them. It's $5 for a complete carfax. They email you a link and the carfax is available for 30 days. I just download it and save it as a pdf.

https://www.autovhr.com/deal/

Here is a link for a cheap car fax. It makes it available online for 30 days and you can download it. I think the price is like $8 now.

When did carfax become so expensive? What are my better options to find history on used cars I’m looking at?

Is verifyauto.vin a legit site?

What should I know and be smart about when looking at a car with a rebuilt title?

Does this give you an actual Car Fax report or is it another, similar report?

I'm looking at a vehicle with 120k miles and the dealer says they can't say for sure whether the timing belt has been replaced. Googling says Car Fax would show it but Autocheck doesn't. Seems kind of weird the dealer says they don't know.

 

[ChiefD]

Don't buy a used Ford Escape circa 2014-2017ish. Apparently they have transmission issues since my sons 2016 needs a new transmission at only 121,000 miles.

 

[dgreen]

Don't buy a used Ford Escape circa 2014-2017ish. Apparently they have transmission issues since my sons 2016 needs a new transmission at only 121,000 miles.

I had a Ford once. It also needed a new transmission. I don't remember how many miles we had on it, but probably something similar to yours.

 

[dkp993]

Don't buy a used Ford Escape circa 2014-2017ish. Apparently they have transmission issues since my sons 2016 needs a new transmission at only 121,000 miles.

Really this just shows how far cars have become when something is “at only 121k”.

 

[fruity pebbles]

Is anyone on here a dealer or have access to full Carfax/etc. vehicle reports? My wife is interested in a used Infinity QX50 that has a damage report on it via the free online reports, but the owner says it was a minor incident that only involved paint scratches and no body damage. I have no issues paying for a full report for peace of mind but thought I'd check on here first.

This is what I use. I've purchased 4 car fax reports from them. It's $5 for a complete carfax. They email you a link and the carfax is available for 30 days. I just download it and save it as a pdf.

https://www.autovhr.com/deal/

Here is a link for a cheap car fax. It makes it available online for 30 days and you can download it. I think the price is like $8 now.

When did carfax become so expensive? What are my better options to find history on used cars I’m looking at?

Is verifyauto.vin a legit site?

What should I know and be smart about when looking at a car with a rebuilt title?

Does this give you an actual Car Fax report or is it another, similar report?

I'm looking at a vehicle with 120k miles and the dealer says they can't say for sure whether the timing belt has been replaced. Googling says Car Fax would show it but Autocheck doesn't. Seems kind of weird the dealer says they don't know.

I doubt carfax would show it either especially since the dealership has no record of it. Without some disassembling it’s really impossible to tell so I’d assume it needs to be done, especially at that mileage. It’s like just past where I should be done so I’d assume they haven’t yet.

 

[fruity pebbles]

Don't buy a used Ford Escape circa 2014-2017ish. Apparently they have transmission issues since my sons 2016 needs a new transmission at only 121,000 miles.

Ouch sorry man. Thats gotta be about half the value of the car.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Second question….

I need a car
I need to sell a car
I would like to use Carmax

Better to sell the car or trade it in?

I get some sort of tax break if I trade it in?

I havent found a car I liked but I don’t want to wait too long.

 

[Drunken knight]

Second question….

I need a car
I need to sell a car
I would like to use Carmax

Better to sell the car or trade it in?

I get some sort of tax break if I trade it in?

I havent found a car I liked but I don’t want to wait too long.

i have a car for you

 

[dkp993]

Second question….

I need a car
I need to sell a car
I would like to use Carmax

Better to sell the car or trade it in?

I get some sort of tax break if I trade it in?

I havent found a car I liked but I don’t want to wait too long.

Have bought and traded in multiple cars with Carmax. You don’t get the best trade-in or sale price compared to the open market (no dealer ever will), but the convenience factor for me always drove the decision. And on a car buying side, prices were alway fair enough that not needing to bargain the price made the process easier.

From a pure dollars stand point it’s always better to privately sell vs trade in. But obviously it’s a far more involved process to sell it. So for me it usually comes down to the time vs money proposition.

Tax break? None that I know of. Not sure why you would get one.

 

[fruity pebbles]

Second question….

I need a car
I need to sell a car
I would like to use Carmax

Better to sell the car or trade it in?

I get some sort of tax break if I trade it in?

I havent found a car I liked but I don’t want to wait too long.

Have bought and traded in multiple cars with Carmax. You don’t get the best trade-in or sale price compared to the open market (no dealer ever will), but the convenience factor for me always drove the decision. And on a car buying side, prices were alway fair enough that not needing to bargain the price made the process easier.

From a pure dollars stand point it’s always better to privately sell vs trade in. But obviously it’s a far more involved process to sell it. So for me it usually comes down to the time vs money proposition.

Tax break? None that I know of. Not sure why you would get one.

Sales tax break I guess if you trade in to a dealer. Trade in value comes off the price of the new car.

 

[Instinctive]

Oh and our Crosstrek for trade/sale...didn't even have to ask a dealer. Just put a note out to people we know and someone on wife's side immediately met the friends & family price. $12k - KBB midpoint.

 

[ChiefD]

Don't buy a used Ford Escape circa 2014-2017ish. Apparently they have transmission issues since my sons 2016 needs a new transmission at only 121,000 miles.

Ouch sorry man. Thats gotta be about half the value of the car.

Yep.

 

[Nugget]

Is anyone on here a dealer or have access to full Carfax/etc. vehicle reports? My wife is interested in a used Infinity QX50 that has a damage report on it via the free online reports, but the owner says it was a minor incident that only involved paint scratches and no body damage. I have no issues paying for a full report for peace of mind but thought I'd check on here first.

This is what I use. I've purchased 4 car fax reports from them. It's $5 for a complete carfax. They email you a link and the carfax is available for 30 days. I just download it and save it as a pdf.

https://www.autovhr.com/deal/

Here is a link for a cheap car fax. It makes it available online for 30 days and you can download it. I think the price is like $8 now.

When did carfax become so expensive? What are my better options to find history on used cars I’m looking at?

Is verifyauto.vin a legit site?

What should I know and be smart about when looking at a car with a rebuilt title?

Does this give you an actual Car Fax report or is it another, similar report?

I'm looking at a vehicle with 120k miles and the dealer says they can't say for sure whether the timing belt has been replaced. Googling says Car Fax would show it but Autocheck doesn't. Seems kind of weird the dealer says they don't know.

I don’t understand how Carfax would show maintenance repairs. I thought it was mostly just insurance claims. OEMs aren’t likely to share the warranty history - probably just open/completed recalls

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Second question….

I need a car
I need to sell a car
I would like to use Carmax

Better to sell the car or trade it in?

I get some sort of tax break if I trade it in?

I havent found a car I liked but I don’t want to wait too long.

i have a car for you

For my youngest. Im not even sure what Im looking for at this point. Shes a very......inexperienced driver. Shes also 5'2".

I think a small car would be good for her to maneuver, but given her......inexperienced driving skills, I want her to be safe for the first several learning lessons that most people go through.

Unless its a truck, I always go with Honda so I guess Ill start looking at CRVs.

 

[matttyl]

It seems like we will be in the car market in the near future. Currently have a 2015 chevy equinox with 90,000 miles and a 2014 Toyota Tacoma with 46,000 miles. Our daughter just informed us that her third child is now 17 and all of her friends have cars. Since we bought used cars for the first two, I guess we are on the hook. My wife says just give them $10,000 and let them choose. I say give them the equinox (valued at 6,000) and she get a new one. Base price for new one is $28,000. She wants to look at other cars. Loves the four runner my mom has, but then I told her they start at $46,000 and she was not happy. The Tacoma will probably go to the current 14 year old in a few years. BTW, our daughter has 9 children.

It is amazing that you're in a position where y'all can feel ok providing NINE cars as grandkids turn 16.

Also blows my mind that your mom is still around AND you have nine+ grandkids.

No real point, just that's a whole lot of awesome dude. Congrats!!

I was having the exact same reactions reading that. Just buying cars after cars - and this grandchild is 16 and you still have a living mother?

 

[matttyl]

So am I crazy to think that my 2012 Toyota rav4 with 195k miles might still have 6 years left? I bought the car used in 2015 just before my son was born. RAV 4s were the right size for what we have, and utilitarian enough for what we do (dogs, mountain biking, lots of dirt/gravel roads), and being made by Toyota I wasn’t too worried about reliability. 150k+ miles later and the only issue it’s had has been a water pump and a right front wheel bearing (both issues I fixed myself). Now I’m thinking if this thing can last a few more years I’ll just give it to my kid and buy exactly what I want in cash (no idea what that will be, but have a few favorites currently). Given its mileage, it’s likely only worth a few grand in trade in or sale, so just drive it till the wheels fall off!

 

[WVU Alum]

I have a 2015 Honda Civic with 240k. Also probably going to drive until it dies. Was going to give it to my 15 year old and buy a new(er) car for myself. My wife thinks the car isn’t safe enough for the kid, but is cool with me driving it 3 hours everyday to commute for work.

 

[Drunken knight]

Second question….

I need a car
I need to sell a car
I would like to use Carmax

Better to sell the car or trade it in?

I get some sort of tax break if I trade it in?

I havent found a car I liked but I don’t want to wait too long.

i have a car for you

For my youngest. Im not even sure what Im looking for at this point. Shes a very......inexperienced driver. Shes also 5'2".

I think a small car would be good for her to maneuver, but given her......inexperienced driving skills, I want her to be safe for the first several learning lessons that most people go through.

Unless its a truck, I always go with Honda so I guess Ill start looking at CRVs.

yes... it would have been more for you than your daughter.

good luck with your hunt.
we got ours a madza 3 and it has been perfect for her. she left it here as she went off to college and is finding that she will need it.
we are trying to find a decent time to get it out to her (either drive or ship).

 

[trogg78]

Is anyone on here a dealer or have access to full Carfax/etc. vehicle reports? My wife is interested in a used Infinity QX50 that has a damage report on it via the free online reports, but the owner says it was a minor incident that only involved paint scratches and no body damage. I have no issues paying for a full report for peace of mind but thought I'd check on here first.

This is what I use. I've purchased 4 car fax reports from them. It's $5 for a complete carfax. They email you a link and the carfax is available for 30 days. I just download it and save it as a pdf.

https://www.autovhr.com/deal/

Here is a link for a cheap car fax. It makes it available online for 30 days and you can download it. I think the price is like $8 now.

When did carfax become so expensive? What are my better options to find history on used cars I’m looking at?

Is verifyauto.vin a legit site?

What should I know and be smart about when looking at a car with a rebuilt title?

Does this give you an actual Car Fax report or is it another, similar report?

I'm looking at a vehicle with 120k miles and the dealer says they can't say for sure whether the timing belt has been replaced. Googling says Car Fax would show it but Autocheck doesn't. Seems kind of weird the dealer says they don't know.

Yes it’s a carfax report

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Second question….

I need a car
I need to sell a car
I would like to use Carmax

Better to sell the car or trade it in?

I get some sort of tax break if I trade it in?

I havent found a car I liked but I don’t want to wait too long.

i have a car for you

For my youngest. Im not even sure what Im looking for at this point. Shes a very......inexperienced driver. Shes also 5'2".

I think a small car would be good for her to maneuver, but given her......inexperienced driving skills, I want her to be safe for the first several learning lessons that most people go through.

Unless its a truck, I always go with Honda so I guess Ill start looking at CRVs.

yes... it would have been more for you than your daughter.

good luck with your hunt.
we got ours a madza 3 and it has been perfect for her. she left it here as she went off to college and is finding that she will need it.
we are trying to find a decent time to get it out to her (either drive or ship).

We gave our daughter mom’s car. She’s also tiny. But is a pretty good driver. it’s a 2018 Toyota CHR with very low miles. Lucky kid.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Don't buy a used Ford Escape circa 2014-2017ish. Apparently they have transmission issues since my sons 2016 needs a new transmission at only 121,000 miles.

Daughter's 2016 Escape had the entire subframe rust out with 125k on it. Quality

 

[Courtjester]

So my 20 year old just got her license. We are working on a deal for a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek for $15,900–out the door $17 295. Low miles (60k), clean Carfax. The dealership is about 70 miles away from us and we haven’t seen the car in person but he shot a very comprehensive video of it last night and this vehicle looks really clean and loaded. It is under Kelley blue book value, which is shocking as Subarus are very, very popular in Colorado.

She is putting $10,000 down and doing the formal credit app this afternoon. He indicated upfront that she’s looking at probably a 15.99% interest rate just due to her lack of car credit and the age of the vehicle. To me that sounds high, but she has enough saved to just pay the car off within six months to a year. The only reason she’s not just paying cash outright is to establish some car credit.

Does this sound high? I know I could probably get a better rate at the credit union, but cars like this aren’t going to last on the lot for very long. It was just advertised and already had about 15 views.

 

[Hawks64]

So my 20 year old just got her license. We are working on a deal for a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek for $15,900–out the door $17 295. Low miles (60k), clean Carfax. The dealership is about 70 miles away from us and we haven’t seen the car in person but he shot a very comprehensive video of it last night and this vehicle looks really clean and loaded. It is under Kelley blue book value, which is shocking as Subarus are very, very popular in Colorado.

She is putting $10,000 down and doing the formal credit app this afternoon. He indicated upfront that she’s looking at probably a 15.99% interest rate just due to her lack of car credit and the age of the vehicle. To me that sounds high, but she has enough saved to just pay the car off within six months to a year. The only reason she’s not just paying cash outright is to establish some car credit.

Does this sound high? I know I could probably get a better rate at the credit union, but cars like this aren’t going to last on the lot for very long. It was just advertised and already had about 15 views.

Why not co-sign with her to get a better rate? 15.99 is crazy. Does she have any credit history at all?

 

[Courtjester]

So my 20 year old just got her license. We are working on a deal for a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek for $15,900–out the door $17 295. Low miles (60k), clean Carfax. The dealership is about 70 miles away from us and we haven’t seen the car in person but he shot a very comprehensive video of it last night and this vehicle looks really clean and loaded. It is under Kelley blue book value, which is shocking as Subarus are very, very popular in Colorado.

She is putting $10,000 down and doing the formal credit app this afternoon. He indicated upfront that she’s looking at probably a 15.99% interest rate just due to her lack of car credit and the age of the vehicle. To me that sounds high, but she has enough saved to just pay the car off within six months to a year. The only reason she’s not just paying cash outright is to establish some car credit.

Does this sound high? I know I could probably get a better rate at the credit union, but cars like this aren’t going to last on the lot for very long. It was just advertised and already had about 15 views.

Why not co-sign with her to get a better rate? 15.99 is crazy. Does she have any credit history at all?

She has a 705 credit score. She has a CC with a low credit limit she just uses once in a blue moon and then pays off. She pays cash for her college and doesn’t have loans

 

[DA RAIDERS]

So my 20 year old just got her license. We are working on a deal for a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek for $15,900–out the door $17 295. Low miles (60k), clean Carfax. The dealership is about 70 miles away from us and we haven’t seen the car in person but he shot a very comprehensive video of it last night and this vehicle looks really clean and loaded. It is under Kelley blue book value, which is shocking as Subarus are very, very popular in Colorado.

She is putting $10,000 down and doing the formal credit app this afternoon. He indicated upfront that she’s looking at probably a 15.99% interest rate just due to her lack of car credit and the age of the vehicle. To me that sounds high, but she has enough saved to just pay the car off within six months to a year. The only reason she’s not just paying cash outright is to establish some car credit.

Does this sound high? I know I could probably get a better rate at the credit union, but cars like this aren’t going to last on the lot for very long. It was just advertised and already had about 15 views.

It’s very high. Maybe it’s worth it to pay off after 6 months

 

[MTskibum]

So my 20 year old just got her license. We are working on a deal for a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek for $15,900–out the door $17 295. Low miles (60k), clean Carfax. The dealership is about 70 miles away from us and we haven’t seen the car in person but he shot a very comprehensive video of it last night and this vehicle looks really clean and loaded. It is under Kelley blue book value, which is shocking as Subarus are very, very popular in Colorado.

She is putting $10,000 down and doing the formal credit app this afternoon. He indicated upfront that she’s looking at probably a 15.99% interest rate just due to her lack of car credit and the age of the vehicle. To me that sounds high, but she has enough saved to just pay the car off within six months to a year. The only reason she’s not just paying cash outright is to establish some car credit.

Does this sound high? I know I could probably get a better rate at the credit union, but cars like this aren’t going to last on the lot for very long. It was just advertised and already had about 15 views.

This is one case where I buy new.

You can get a new one for 25k if you are patient/negotiate with much better financing rates. You keep it for 8 years and it only depreciates to 18k and then trade it in on the next one.

The problem is that if you buy it for 18k and put 60k miles it over 8 years it will be worth less than 11k at that time. Not to mention the maintenance costs are going to be higher for 60k-120k miles than the maintenance costs would be for the first 8 years and 60k miles.

I think in your daughters case it is cheaper to buy new than to buy used.

 

[Hawks64]

So my 20 year old just got her license. We are working on a deal for a 2016 Subaru Crosstrek for $15,900–out the door $17 295. Low miles (60k), clean Carfax. The dealership is about 70 miles away from us and we haven’t seen the car in person but he shot a very comprehensive video of it last night and this vehicle looks really clean and loaded. It is under Kelley blue book value, which is shocking as Subarus are very, very popular in Colorado.

She is putting $10,000 down and doing the formal credit app this afternoon. He indicated upfront that she’s looking at probably a 15.99% interest rate just due to her lack of car credit and the age of the vehicle. To me that sounds high, but she has enough saved to just pay the car off within six months to a year. The only reason she’s not just paying cash outright is to establish some car credit.

Does this sound high? I know I could probably get a better rate at the credit union, but cars like this aren’t going to last on the lot for very long. It was just advertised and already had about 15 views.

Why not co-sign with her to get a better rate? 15.99 is crazy. Does she have any credit history at all?

She has a 705 credit score. She has a CC with a low credit limit she just uses once in a blue moon and then pays off. She pays cash for her college and doesn’t have loans

I would go elsewhere if she has a credit history, a 705 shouldn't be 15.99. Or I would co-sign to get that percentage down.

 

[opensourcebeer]

So am I crazy to think that my 2012 Toyota rav4 with 195k miles might still have 6 years left? I bought the car used in 2015 just before my son was born. RAV 4s were the right size for what we have, and utilitarian enough for what we do (dogs, mountain biking, lots of dirt/gravel roads), and being made by Toyota I wasn’t too worried about reliability. 150k+ miles later and the only issue it’s had has been a water pump and a right front wheel bearing (both issues I fixed myself). Now I’m thinking if this thing can last a few more years I’ll just give it to my kid and buy exactly what I want in cash (no idea what that will be, but have a few favorites currently). Given its mileage, it’s likely only worth a few grand in trade in or sale, so just drive it till the wheels fall off!

Not crazy at all IMO, especially if you can fix stuff like you just described yourself.

My daily driver is a 2006 Sienna, which used to be my wife's daily driver before the kids all grew up and moved out. I've removed the center seats, back ones fold flat, and am basically treating it like a beater truck.

Other than an older Sienna being driven by a 50+ dude indicating he might not have the strongest pull out game , its been a damn reliable vehicle.

 

[matttyl]

So am I crazy to think that my 2012 Toyota rav4 with 195k miles might still have 6 years left? I bought the car used in 2015 just before my son was born. RAV 4s were the right size for what we have, and utilitarian enough for what we do (dogs, mountain biking, lots of dirt/gravel roads), and being made by Toyota I wasn’t too worried about reliability. 150k+ miles later and the only issue it’s had has been a water pump and a right front wheel bearing (both issues I fixed myself). Now I’m thinking if this thing can last a few more years I’ll just give it to my kid and buy exactly what I want in cash (no idea what that will be, but have a few favorites currently). Given its mileage, it’s likely only worth a few grand in trade in or sale, so just drive it till the wheels fall off!

Not crazy at all IMO, especially if you can fix stuff like you just described yourself.

My daily driver is a 2006 Sienna, which used to be my wife's daily driver before the kids all grew up and moved out. I've removed the center seats, back ones fold flat, and am basically treating it like a beater truck.

Other than an older Sienna being driven by a 50+ dude indicating he might not have the strongest pull out game , its been a damn reliable vehicle.

It has a very common Toyota engine that was also used in the Camry, so getting parts or finding videos on how to fix things isn’t difficult. It has nicks and dings, I don’t much care. The dog is in it all the time, I don’t much care. It often gets dirts from gravel or muddy roads, I don’t much care. Getting ready to top 200k miles with roughly 14k a year more, 6 years out puts it at 280k. Fingers crossed.

 

[opensourcebeer]

So am I crazy to think that my 2012 Toyota rav4 with 195k miles might still have 6 years left? I bought the car used in 2015 just before my son was born. RAV 4s were the right size for what we have, and utilitarian enough for what we do (dogs, mountain biking, lots of dirt/gravel roads), and being made by Toyota I wasn’t too worried about reliability. 150k+ miles later and the only issue it’s had has been a water pump and a right front wheel bearing (both issues I fixed myself). Now I’m thinking if this thing can last a few more years I’ll just give it to my kid and buy exactly what I want in cash (no idea what that will be, but have a few favorites currently). Given its mileage, it’s likely only worth a few grand in trade in or sale, so just drive it till the wheels fall off!

Not crazy at all IMO, especially if you can fix stuff like you just described yourself.

My daily driver is a 2006 Sienna, which used to be my wife's daily driver before the kids all grew up and moved out. I've removed the center seats, back ones fold flat, and am basically treating it like a beater truck.

Other than an older Sienna being driven by a 50+ dude indicating he might not have the strongest pull out game , its been a damn reliable vehicle.

It has a very common Toyota engine that was also used in the Camry, so getting parts or finding videos on how to fix things isn’t difficult. It has nicks and dings, I don’t much care. The dog is in it all the time, I don’t much care. It often gets dirts from gravel or muddy roads, I don’t much care. Getting ready to top 200k miles with roughly 14k a year more, 6 years out puts it at 280k. Fingers crossed.

IMO, a car like that would be a kid's perfect first vehicle.

I had 4 kids all start out on the same 95 Honda Accord with lord knows how many miles on it as the odometer had broken. I totally understand if a parent wants to put their kid into something with newer safety features; my mindset was learn to drive an older car first that isn't a big deal for the kid to finish running it into the ground.

 

[Gatorade]

It seems like we will be in the car market in the near future. Currently have a 2015 chevy equinox with 90,000 miles and a 2014 Toyota Tacoma with 46,000 miles. Our daughter just informed us that her third child is now 17 and all of her friends have cars. Since we bought used cars for the first two, I guess we are on the hook. My wife says just give them $10,000 and let them choose. I say give them the equinox (valued at 6,000) and she get a new one. Base price for new one is $28,000. She wants to look at other cars. Loves the four runner my mom has, but then I told her they start at $46,000 and she was not happy. The Tacoma will probably go to the current 14 year old in a few years. BTW, our daughter has 9 children.

It is amazing that you're in a position where y'all can feel ok providing NINE cars as grandkids turn 16.

Also blows my mind that your mom is still around AND you have nine+ grandkids.

No real point, just that's a whole lot of awesome dude. Congrats!!

I was having the exact same reactions reading that. Just buying cars after cars - and this grandchild is 16 and you still have a living mother?

I guess we were not thinking ahead when we bought the first two. Hopefully we will be able to follow thru with the rest of them. Slight reprieve, granddaughter did not get her license on first try. Daughter just informed us her car died. So sorry, that's on you. My mom is 87 and just quit working a year and a half ago. In very good health for the most part. Lots of clean living.

 

[dgreen]

Is anyone on here a dealer or have access to full Carfax/etc. vehicle reports? My wife is interested in a used Infinity QX50 that has a damage report on it via the free online reports, but the owner says it was a minor incident that only involved paint scratches and no body damage. I have no issues paying for a full report for peace of mind but thought I'd check on here first.

This is what I use. I've purchased 4 car fax reports from them. It's $5 for a complete carfax. They email you a link and the carfax is available for 30 days. I just download it and save it as a pdf.

https://www.autovhr.com/deal/

Here is a link for a cheap car fax. It makes it available online for 30 days and you can download it. I think the price is like $8 now.

When did carfax become so expensive? What are my better options to find history on used cars I’m looking at?

Is verifyauto.vin a legit site?

What should I know and be smart about when looking at a car with a rebuilt title?

Does this give you an actual Car Fax report or is it another, similar report?

I'm looking at a vehicle with 120k miles and the dealer says they can't say for sure whether the timing belt has been replaced. Googling says Car Fax would show it but Autocheck doesn't. Seems kind of weird the dealer says they don't know.

I doubt carfax would show it either especially since the dealership has no record of it. Without some disassembling it’s really impossible to tell so I’d assume it needs to be done, especially at that mileage. It’s like just past where I should be done so I’d assume they haven’t yet.

Looks like Carfax can have timing belts. The vehicle I mentioned above doesn't show it (it actually shows very little, so it's possible it's been done but just wasn't recorded), but another vehicle I checked does have it. However, that vehicle is at 180k miles and the timing belt was done at 80k. Not sure why someone does the timing belt that early, but it now puts this car likely in need of one soon. Then again, maybe I'm a sucker for timing belt horror stories. Maybe it can go a bit longer and I shouldn't feel the need to do it right away.

That link above is great for cheap Carfax reports!

 

[fruity pebbles]

Is anyone on here a dealer or have access to full Carfax/etc. vehicle reports? My wife is interested in a used Infinity QX50 that has a damage report on it via the free online reports, but the owner says it was a minor incident that only involved paint scratches and no body damage. I have no issues paying for a full report for peace of mind but thought I'd check on here first.

This is what I use. I've purchased 4 car fax reports from them. It's $5 for a complete carfax. They email you a link and the carfax is available for 30 days. I just download it and save it as a pdf.

https://www.autovhr.com/deal/

Here is a link for a cheap car fax. It makes it available online for 30 days and you can download it. I think the price is like $8 now.

When did carfax become so expensive? What are my better options to find history on used cars I’m looking at?

Is verifyauto.vin a legit site?

What should I know and be smart about when looking at a car with a rebuilt title?

Does this give you an actual Car Fax report or is it another, similar report?

I'm looking at a vehicle with 120k miles and the dealer says they can't say for sure whether the timing belt has been replaced. Googling says Car Fax would show it but Autocheck doesn't. Seems kind of weird the dealer says they don't know.

I doubt carfax would show it either especially since the dealership has no record of it. Without some disassembling it’s really impossible to tell so I’d assume it needs to be done, especially at that mileage. It’s like just past where I should be done so I’d assume they haven’t yet.

Looks like Carfax can have timing belts. The vehicle I mentioned above doesn't show it (it actually shows very little, so it's possible it's been done but just wasn't recorded), but another vehicle I checked does have it. However, that vehicle is at 180k miles and the timing belt was done at 80k. Not sure why someone does the timing belt that early, but it now puts this car likely in need of one soon. Then again, maybe I'm a sucker for timing belt horror stories. Maybe it can go a bit longer and I shouldn't feel the need to do it right away.

That link above is great for cheap Carfax reports!

I would think though that if it shows up on a carfax report then it would show up when the dealership pulls up the maintenance record that was recorded.