Buying a 08 Eddie Bauer and need clarity, please

[Trainmaster]

Here's something to keep in mind.

Big dealers like these buy their cars at auction. In this area they go to Maenheim. Low mileage, clean cars that get traded in are usually kept by the dealers and sold. In a case of Ford, if they have less than 100K miles, they can be sold as "Certified Pre-Owned" with Ford warranties and financing.

The ones that go to auction are the problem ones, ones with bodywork and ones with higher mileage. Cars that the dealers don't want to deal with. You've got to ask yourself why a dealer brought that low mileage car to auction rather than turn it over on his own lot to make an extra $3K.

There are many valid reasons -- rental fleets, overages, funding. But there could be a problem also.

Look it over really well.

 

[SWADE23]

Now your making me nervous lol
In reading the Car Fax it had 2 owners...
But in the last year whoever owned it ( I think it was on a lot) could not get it to pass emissions inspection
I see here they tried 9 times last year to get it to pass and it didnt...
Could it be something stupid??? who knows... Im going tomorrow morning to find out whats up.

 

[Trainmaster]

Well, as I suspected, now you know exactly why it was auctioned.

If it was fixed, you got a nice deal. Just be sure it was.

 

[TobyU]

If the same owner tried maybe they didn't know what they were doing and you might get a good deal still.
If a car dealer or flipper had it and couldn't get it fixed it might be a pig in poke.

You should always go car shopping with scan tool. Any dealer that gets mad ...sure....If you want us to go to one of the many other car lots....sure thing.

The last used car dealer I went to was small privately owned lot with 35 or so vehicles. He asked me If I wanted him to bring me a scan tool!!

Of course he might not have been giving me a very good one that showed readiness indicators so I would know that he just reset after last teat drive.
Mine showed me exactly how many miles since check engine reset.

I have never met a 100% honest car salesman. If they exist....as Giorgio Tsoukalos says ..

SO DO...

 

[SWADE23]

lol @TobyU lol

@Trainmaster yea... we gonna see tmw.

Thanks guys!

 

[SWADE23]

Update...
I got a call from the sales guy saying the truck still has not passed inspection and they are still driving it around to clear whatever codes come up.
I cant get back down there till Saturday so if there are still issues come Saturday on to the next I guess

 

[bobmbx]

Update...
I got a call from the sales guy saying the truck still has not passed inspection and they are still driving it around to clear whatever codes come up.
I cant get back down there till Saturday so if there are still issues come Saturday on to the next I guess

You know what to do if it can't pass emission testing, right?

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Now your making me nervous lol
In reading the Car Fax it had 2 owners...
But in the last year whoever owned it ( I think it was on a lot) could not get it to pass emissions inspection
I see here they tried 9 times last year to get it to pass and it didnt...
Could it be something stupid??? who knows... Im going tomorrow morning to find out whats up.

This would concern me. I was looking into getting a third vehicle a few months ago just for emergencies or inclement weather for the Mrs. One of the SUVs I looked at had a similar issue on the Carfax. Emissions failures were on there every couple years and the mileage driven per year was less and less each year. I took a hard pass on that one.

Re auction vehicles, there is good cause for extra caution, but it's not necessarily bad. My last SUV was originally a lease, sold at a dealership, driven for a few years, sold at a dealership again, repossessed after 1 year from the 3rd owner and then sold at auction, which is where my dealer bought it with about 67K on it. Pre-sale they replaced the cracked windshield, a bad power window motor, and re-mounted the rearview. Post-sale a radiator hose blew about a week after I had it. In the first 13 of 15 years that I had it though, I didn't even sink $1K in repairs into it. I finally sold it in year 15 with 235K on the clock. It was still running great, but the body and suspension were rotting out and I didn't want to sink the money into it.

 

[1955moose]

I don't know how New York dmv works, but here in California, the selling owner, whether private party or dealer has to have smog check and passing info forwarded to DMV . The fact you have an inspection as well tells me that has to pass as well. Aren't they doing all the DMV paperwork at that dealer? Make sure all passed before plunking down your 12k.

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

 

[Trainmaster]

Yes, there are plenty of good cars at auctions, but all the bad ones wind up there too.

They'll get this thing to pass, or they'll be stuck with it. You just have to know what the problem was, and they may not be forthcoming and honest. Remember that the wole business is like the Wild West and anything they tell you is probably not true.

You may also want to use this nonsense to benefit your bargaining.