Thinking about buying a 1997 Honda Accord LX Wagon. Can you tell me anything...

M

mill1640

New member
...about them, good or bad? The dealer told me that he got the car at auction and the title is "clean". When asked about any issues, he denies that there is anything wrong with the car (big surprise). He is willing to pull the carfax and is willing to have it inspected by my own private mechanic. He says the tires are at 80%+, there is no rust. It is a 4-cylinder automatic and he denies any transmission issues. The "out the door" price after tax, title and license is about 3800$. Couple questions: 1. is that a good deal? 2. they do not know whether the timing belt has been replaced or not, they do not have "those records." if i bought the car not knowing whether the timing belt has been replaced or not, whould i just do it for good measure? thanks
 
First. It unrealistic to expect a 12 year old car to be trouble free.

Next. If it is a successful dealership cars frequently come and go. They don't get the complete history and every minor defect on every vehicle they sell. Especially the 12 year old beaters. They give a car a once over looking for obvious problems, clean it up, and put it out on the lot.

The Carfax report may be all the history they know on the vehicle. They can't depend on the previous owner. Let's be honest here. When you trade a car into the dealer do you tell them absolutely everything that is wrong with the car so they can reduce the cost of the trade? No. You only tell them what you absolutely need to for the trade. You don't offer any other information. Guess what? This is what everyone does. Many people will tell complete lies about their trade in. So it is unrealistic to expect to discover everything about a used car.

If you are concerned about the condition of this car, bring it to an independent mechanic of your choice. Let them inspect the car. This will cost you money up front, but can pay dividends later by exposing problems.

If you are still concerned about this car, simply walk away. There are lots of used cars out there.
 
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