[maddy42]

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

MSF courses are offered for free in many states.

Unfortunately most of the showrooms only let you sit and feel the riding position and do not give test rides(I'm sure you went through this).

Wow thats great. I went to one of those accredited places and it was $200 but worth it!

About the showrooms, i went to two showrooms. The Ridenow showroom was outright pushy and didnt talk about a test ride! The ducati dealer who also happens to be the triumph dealer didnt even talk to my group and we were in the shop sitting on all bikes for 1 hour. Nobody spoke to us!

Amit: If there is any bike week or any bike show in your area do check it out. You will get demo rides.

Maddy

[rajushank84]

BMW, Triumph and Harley will let you do test rides. I did a Triumph Bonneville test ride and the sales person was not pushy at all. In fact he discouraged me from making an on-spot decision, and asked me to go home think about it and then buy.

Honda and Yamaha dealers don't seem to allow test rides anywhere.

But why are you looking at new bikes? Go used! You get crazy deals on lightly used bikes on craigslist. People buy, don't ride, chicken-out and sell with a huge depreciation.

[kraft.wagen]

He wont have many listings on craigslist since he lives in New England, probably would have to look at NY area or else where

[amitoj]

Arre bhai log! (O Brothers!)
I have not even got my motorcycle permit yet and you guys are sending me to showrooms and craigslist ads!!

[jraj]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

You mean KBB? I am a lil vary of insurance firms using that coz the valuations don't really consider all the factor. If I as a buyer try to bargain below KBB value, I'm pretty sure so will the insurance firms.

No - not KBB.The banks and insurance companies have a different one.That is the document they refer to determine the value of the car when we apply for loan.I believe the insurance companies too use the same document

[guyfrmblr]

Hi All, I have recently relocated to Boston. I'm looking for a used car probably Toyota or Honda due to the reliability factor. Since I'm new to this market, I'm not sure what are the things that needs to be taken care while purchasing a used car here. One of my friend suggested to look at the company certified used cars which may cost a bit more but will provide peace of mind in terms of ownership. It'll be of a great help if one can guide me what to particularly look for while purchasing a used car here. I basically want to use the car for office commute for 1-2 years.

[AstaAddict]

A friend of mine was in the market for a used car and she narrowed down on a 2012 Honda Civic from a dealer. The dealer and my friend, both are in Milwaukee, WI. The car has 18546 miles on the ODO and has one previous owner. It looks in good shape, visually. She also took an extensive test drive and is satisfied with the way the car behaved. She planned to buy it cash down but I persuaded her to go for a bank loan so that she could improve her credit worthiness. She contacted one of the credit unions and this is where the real drama started. The bank approved the loan amount but also asked her as to why she was buying a car with an accident history. We both had checked the carfax report and there was no accident reported there however the bank told us that the car was involved in an accident. When we mailed them a copy of the carfax, they in turn mailed us a copy of the accident report from the police records. The accident occurred on Dec 2014 and was recorded in the Oak Creek, WI Sheriff's office.

Now the questions:-

• How is it possible that such a major accident doesn't show up in CarFax? Has this happened to anyone else on this forum?
• Can any dealer forge the carfax records?
• Can carfax itself forge records for a share from a dealer?
• How realible is carfax. Any other alternative to carfax?
• Can we lodge a case of cheating against the dealer or carfax or both?

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by AstaAddict

Now the questions:-

• How is it possible that such a major accident doesn't show up in CarFax? Has this happened to anyone else on this forum?
• Can any dealer forge the carfax records?
• Can carfax itself forge records for a share from a dealer?
• How realible is carfax. Any other alternative to carfax?
• Can we lodge a case of cheating against the dealer or carfax or both?

A clean CarFax report does not guarantee a clean history.
I think it is up to the dealer to report the accident to carfax. Here is what might have happened. The dealer might have bought this car dirt cheap in accident state, repaired it in his own workshop and then put it up for sale. Or the dealer may have bought it from another garage who would have done this. In that case, the dealer would also not be aware of its accident history.

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/how...gra-1639660981

As for lodging a complaint, most used cars are bought on an as-is basis. It is hard to prove a case of cheating. Besides, your friend has not yet bought the car, right?

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

I basically want to use the car for office commute for 1-2 years.

What is the budget?

[AstaAddict]

Originally Posted by amitoj

A clean CarFax report does not guarantee a clean history. Besides, your friend has not yet bought the car, right?

No, she hasn't. I strongly suggested her not to opt for this car. I in fact asked her to stay away from this dealer. She is upset with the fact that she spent a whole week in researching and this is where she ended up. At the same time she also understands that she got lucky in time not to fall in this trap.

If CarFax is not entirely reliable, how else should I and my friend go about finalizing a used car? Tips

[guyfrmblr]

Originally Posted by amitoj

What is the budget?

I'm looking for something around $10K. I'll be mainly using it for the office commute. For the weekend drives, the rental option is always there

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

I'm looking for something around $10K. I'll be mainly using it for the office commute. For the weekend drives, the rental option is always there

With 10K budget you can get a great car! You won't need to go for rentals for weekend drives.

- Search craigslist
- Do "first glance" checks yourself (which wont reveal much)
- Inspect car with mechanic
- Check carfax
- Verify documents

Just a couple of random low-mileage examples in your area:
http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/ctd/4961690033.html
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/4966059385.html

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by AstaAddict

If CarFax is not entirely reliable, how else should I and my friend go about finalizing a used car? Tips

Independent third party inspection is the only way. An expert mechanic will be able to determine, in most cases, whether the car has been repaired or not.

There are a few other things that you can look for on your own as well. For example, a paint mismatch, or paint overspray usually indicate some repair was done. Or, misaglined edges. Open the hood and look for bolts that seem to have been recently opened and put back in. Let the vehicle idle for a while and check whether there is any oil leakage under the vehicle.

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

I'm looking for something around $10K. I'll be mainly using it for the office commute. For the weekend drives, the rental option is always there

Buying a used car is always a bit of a gamble. See current conversation

But yes, a Certified Pre Owned car does come with some peace of mind.

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by amitoj

Arre bhai log! (O Brothers!)
I have not even got my motorcycle permit yet and you guys are sending me to showrooms and craigslist ads!!

we are just being supportive and nice

Originally Posted by AstaAddict

If CarFax is not entirely reliable, how else should I and my friend go about finalizing a used car? Tips

Unfortunately Carfax is not a single source of truth. Dealers/Car Owners can easily not report any service records or accident history.
Always take the car for valuation to Carmax or one of the service shops when buying from independent sellers.
Or you may have to spend a few extra $$ to get car from a reputed dealership.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by AstaAddict

If CarFax is not entirely reliable, how else should I and my friend go about finalizing a used car? Tips

Hondas have VIN stickers on every body panels. If all Vin stickers are present on bumpers, quarter panel, Hood & trunk that says the car was not in any accident.

http://accuratecars.com/blog/2010/01...he-vin-number/

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by AstaAddict

How is it possible that such a major accident doesn't show up in CarFax? Has this happened to anyone else on this forum?

• Can any dealer forge the carfax records?
• Can carfax itself forge records for a share from a dealer?
• How realible is carfax. Any other alternative to carfax?
• Can we lodge a case of cheating against the dealer or carfax or both?

As other members have pointed out Carfax is not necessarily 100% accurate.

See:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2...orts/index.htm

http://www.realcartips.com/usedcars/...accurate.shtml

There are other reports then Carfax as mentioned in the above linked articles, but in essence they all have the same issues.

In particular accidents that don't result in a total loss. The concept of total loss in itself is complex, because it tends to be more financial driven then technical.

Best is indeed to have an independent mechanic or garage do a proper inspecton.

These days, and certainly in the USA, car repairs are doen so well and professionally, that very often you might not be able to find any telltales of a crash. So from that point of view, a properly done repair, shouldnt be a problem at all. It should not even affect the market value of the car as such, other then a lot of people dont feel comfortable buying a car that has been involved in a crash.

Now the good news: the number of good second hand cars in the USA or Western Europe for that matter is absolutely staggering! So if for whatever reason you have a bad feeling about a car or the dealer, move on quickly. You have only lost some of your time, chalk it up to experience.

Jeroen