Comments on: Five questions that could save you from buying a lemon

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:44:44 +0000

Your points are great ones Jason – people are often freaked out by accidents and kms when in fact if the car has been maintained and repaired properly they needn't be deal breakers. That being said, unless you're a mechanic I can understand why people are apprehensive about accident history because the average person feels at a loss when trying to ascertain if the repairs have been done properly.

This is one area that having a BCAA inspection can really be helpful – if repairs were done in a shoddy manner it will likely show up in the report.

And a quick tip for anyone reading the comments – dealers are required by law to declare if there are any odometer discrepancies. However, if something is causing you to question what you're being told there are a few places you can look. A CarProof report will have a record of any odometer readings taken at auctions, during air care inspections and if reported by ICBC. Also if the car is old enough to require air care you cold look at it's records on the AirCare website for free by plugging in the VIN.

By: Heather Burton

Heather Burton — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:55:19 +0000

Great Info. Take it from someone who has bought a lemon. One that appears to have had some seriously suspicious issues repaired in a seriously homemade way.

By: Briana Tomkinson

Briana Tomkinson — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:58:47 +0000

Great points, Jason!

By: jason_hollister

jason_hollister — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:36:52 +0000

As someone who sold cars in New Westminster and who owns a car with a $20,000 accident I can say that there is some truth here but the really critical issues are not addressed:

Maintenance?

Was the car driven hard?

Is the odometer correct?

Are you aware of the fair market price?

I own a 2000 Jaguar with a $20k accident. GREAT car. Why? It was fixed right, it was serviced right and it was driven gingerly. I got it cheap and maintain it myself for little cost.

Take a nice little Civic that has no accidents on it but the person changed the oil every time the oil light came on (running low). When their son drove it he beat the living TAR out of it. Lived at the bottom of a hill and gunned it COLD up the hill every day. Saw every salted snow and frost day. Never been waxed. Uncle fixed it and maintained it. 78,000kms

Take a nice little Civic that has a $7,000 accident. Front bumper replaced, two airbags and one headlight too – fixed right. Religiously serviced by a competent mechanic. Warmed up for 30 seconds in the heated garage before driving off on a nice flat road. Wax applied at every wash, and the paint clear coat still has a nice thickness on it with great UV resistance. 102,000kms

Now sadly, %99 of you will obsess on the accident and KMS and buy the ratbagged car. Car #2? It will sell for thousands less sadly(?) and people like me will score a bargain. When the car is 10+ years old they will all be the same price on Craigslist but I lost far less money.

Skip the accident and the inspection worries. Will the rust monster or the dreaded engine/transmission replacement monster rear its ugly head? If you buy a car with an auto the first thing you do is change it. Regardless of service history.

My 5 questions:

1 "Was is started in a heated or underground garage for most its life?

2 "Service history?"

3 "Did you drive it in the snow?"

4 "Who has been driving the car most of its life?"

5 "Why are you selling it" – you need to be able to sniff out liars here

Ask those questions, but use ICBC or Carfax to answer your questions about history. Carfax specifically shows maintenance records as well as accident claims.