We have talked often here about CARFAX...
I like it but do not believe it is gospel
Here's a little blurb from a car owners' website
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I’d say this regarding buying a used vehicle. I bought a lightly used, CPO BMW M3 from a local dealer. Drove it, loved it, bought it, went to pick it up, and when I gave it a close look in the dealership ‘delivery bay’ prior to signing the paperwork, I cancelled the deal. The hood of the car was covered in tons of tiny nicks and the glass windshield was a wreck. Not sure if it was there when I test drove the car in the rain the previous week, but it looked as if someone found a salt spreader and decided to tailgate it in the M3. The car was a disaster, but the paint “damage” was limited to just the hood and the windshield. The front bumper was fine. So I told the sales guy I was not buying the car. He brought over the manager, and to salvage the deal, they said they would repaint the hood and replace the glass. I said I didn’t want to buy an expensive car in this condition and have that info on the CarFax. They laughed and said they would be sure the repairs wouldn’t be reported to anyone, anywhere, and would be between us. Since they were paying for everything themselves and doing it ‘in house’ it would never be reported. They took a few more $$s off the price, explained the backstory on the car (my sales guy sold the car to the original owner, who traded it for an M5 after 11 months), and I was comfortable, so I decided to buy the M3.
Long story short, I don’t believe much of what I read in a CarFax. Actually, that’s not true. I believe what I read, but I don’t rely on it because there is often info that is NOT included, so be aware. If you aren’t comfortable, and if the car isn’t CPO, I’d look further. But I’d definitely buy a GTS, because it’s fantastic. It’s fast enough that the ‘missing’ low end torque shouldn’t be an issue for you.
I like it but do not believe it is gospel
Here's a little blurb from a car owners' website
=================================================
I’d say this regarding buying a used vehicle. I bought a lightly used, CPO BMW M3 from a local dealer. Drove it, loved it, bought it, went to pick it up, and when I gave it a close look in the dealership ‘delivery bay’ prior to signing the paperwork, I cancelled the deal. The hood of the car was covered in tons of tiny nicks and the glass windshield was a wreck. Not sure if it was there when I test drove the car in the rain the previous week, but it looked as if someone found a salt spreader and decided to tailgate it in the M3. The car was a disaster, but the paint “damage” was limited to just the hood and the windshield. The front bumper was fine. So I told the sales guy I was not buying the car. He brought over the manager, and to salvage the deal, they said they would repaint the hood and replace the glass. I said I didn’t want to buy an expensive car in this condition and have that info on the CarFax. They laughed and said they would be sure the repairs wouldn’t be reported to anyone, anywhere, and would be between us. Since they were paying for everything themselves and doing it ‘in house’ it would never be reported. They took a few more $$s off the price, explained the backstory on the car (my sales guy sold the car to the original owner, who traded it for an M5 after 11 months), and I was comfortable, so I decided to buy the M3.
Long story short, I don’t believe much of what I read in a CarFax. Actually, that’s not true. I believe what I read, but I don’t rely on it because there is often info that is NOT included, so be aware. If you aren’t comfortable, and if the car isn’t CPO, I’d look further. But I’d definitely buy a GTS, because it’s fantastic. It’s fast enough that the ‘missing’ low end torque shouldn’t be an issue for you.
