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Car Inspection Results: Help Me Appraise Them


Dr. Pomade
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The batteries in these things seem to last quite a long time, so I wouldn't be to worried about it being 4 years old other than the fact the car hasn't been driven much apparently.

 

Do you even math bro? :)

 

On a serious note, you are buying a 30-40k car, the stuff noted is all trivial. Especially on a 6 year old car. I would not use any of those things as a tool, just shoot then what you are willing to pay.

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OP, I didn't realize your allergy was a concern. I thought your concern was "was this a car that was abused with a dog constantly in it?" In this case, coupled with your mention that the car was noted to be unclean inside and out by your inspector, I would ask either that the dealer perform a deep deep clean, or that they discount the amount it'd take for you to get it over to somewhere like Esoteric to have it done to your satisfaction. Don't feign dismay. Nothing makes a dealer hesitate to discount a car like "well I really don't want this car BUUUUUUT..." What we'd rather hear is "well I like this car, but this is what it takes to earn my business. If you do this, then I will buy the car." It shows genuine interest. It shows that you're committed to holding up your end of the bargain. It gives them a clear path to the sale. It, most importantly, makes them confident that if THEY hold up their end of the bargain that you won't ask for more things.

 

If I was a defense lawyer making a case for the dealership, I'd point out that I made an inquiry about the car just a few hours after it arrived on the lot. Our deal moved quickly and they might not have had the time to do a thorough cleaning/detailing of the car.

 

If I were the prosecuting attorney rebutting that, I'd point out that the dealership had the time and took the initiative to put four brand new tires on the car.

 

Thanks for all of your input. I think my approach to this sale - and all car sales, really - has been consistent with what you've said (e.g., not faking excuses for the sake of trying to talk down a car), so that makes me feel good about things.

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I would guess given the year and miles it's priced near 40k? I'd ask for a detail and see if they will knock the service cost off the price or again not knowing id buy it as is for near 35k as a decent deal

 

Their initial asking price was $37,900.

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To OP, a through vacuuming will remove most of the dog hair, but if the dog rode in the vehicle frequently, you'll never get it out of the HVAC system.

 

And that's really my biggest concern. All the other stuff mentioned I can live with easily and - like everyone else here - perceive them as being minor and expected considering the age of the car. However, a dog smell would cause me to walk away from the deal.*

 

I wonder if the dealership would be agreeable to a contingency pact with me. Something like, I agree to buy the car, but if I get it up here and it smells like dog, then they agree to take it back and we split the costs of the return shipping. Do dealerships make those kind of deals?

 

*I'm sorry to sound so anti-dog. I'm really not. I love dogs, actually. Please don't judge me pro-dog CR contingent.

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OT...was in Chicago for meetings today. Conversation at Hertz - O'Hare Airport.

 

http://i.imgur.com/5VYUF4A.jpg

 

Hertz chick: "Sir? Would you like to upgrade to the E63 today?"

Me: "Buddy of mine is looking at one of these. How much would it be to rent for the day?"

Hertz chick: "$700, but I'll give it to you for $500 for the day."

Me: "No thanks. I'll just take my Dodge Avenger." :fa::fa:

 

:lol:

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Here's another thing to consider:

 

Whoever you're buying it from in GA, MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A PAPER TITLE. GA has electronic titles and I found out how big of a PITA it is to get the title in my name, here in Ohio. That said, I'll never consider another car from GA for this reason. Ohio title agency will make you jump through every miserable hoop possible- for a minute, I thought I purchased a car I couldn't get a title in my name for, even though I held the original title, bill of sale, and even the current registration as proof. The GA title agencies say Ohio should be able to look up the electronic title, but that is not true.

 

*edit*

 

Also, the dog hair would personally be a walk-away point for me. A pet in the car is something I'm just not okay with, regardless of the price point.

Edited by Farkas
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I wonder if the dealership would be agreeable to a contingency pact with me. Something like, I agree to buy the car, but if I get it up here and it smells like dog, then they agree to take it back and we split the costs of the return shipping. Do dealerships make those kind of deals?

 

I probably wouldn't make that kind of deal. Way too many "outs" and chances for things to go massively wrong.

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And that's really my biggest concern. All the other stuff mentioned I can live with easily and - like everyone else here - perceive them as being minor and expected considering the age of the car. However, a dog smell would cause me to walk away from the deal.*

 

I wonder if the dealership would be agreeable to a contingency pact with me. Something like, I agree to buy the car, but if I get it up here and it smells like dog, then they agree to take it back and we split the costs of the return shipping. Do dealerships make those kind of deals?

 

*I'm sorry to sound so anti-dog. I'm really not. I love dogs, actually. Please don't judge me pro-dog CR contingent.

 

Even if the dealer agreed to that, I would be concerned that they would spray so much de-odorizer in it that you couldn't stand THAT smell (e.g., Pina Colada, Strawberry, Lavender).

 

If you decide to get the car and you decide later it has even a hint of smell, just bring it to the Hangout and we'll give it the Ozone treatment. I've even got cigar smell out of a car with an Ozone treatment preceeded by a shampoo of all the car fabrics such as carpet. If there's a fabric headliner, it needs a dry cleaning to remove smoke smells. If the dog smell is only lightweight now, I doubt that you'd need more than a carpet shampoo + Ozone.

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Do you even math bro? :)

 

On a serious note, you are buying a 30-40k car, the stuff noted is all trivial. Especially on a 6 year old car. I would not use any of those things as a tool, just shoot then what you are willing to pay.

 

Derp lol, dealing with too many Benz's right now.

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Here's another thing to consider:

 

Whoever you're buying it from in GA, MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A PAPER TITLE. GA has electronic titles and I found out how big of a PITA it is to get the title in my name, here in Ohio. That said, I'll never consider another car from GA for this reason. Ohio title agency will make you jump through every miserable hoop possible- for a minute, I thought I purchased a car I couldn't get a title in my name for, even though I held the original title, bill of sale, and even the current registration as proof. The GA title agencies say Ohio should be able to look up the electronic title, but that is not true.

 

*edit*

 

Also, the dog hair would personally be a walk-away point for me. A pet in the car is something I'm just not okay with, regardless of the price point.

 

Thanks for the tip regarding the title fiasco.

 

And I think, ultimately, I'm with you: I think I'm going to walk away from this one. I just can't get past the dog issue.

 

I probably wouldn't make that kind of deal. Way too many "outs" and chances for things to go massively wrong.

 

Duly noted.

 

Even if the dealer agreed to that, I would be concerned that they would spray so much de-odorizer in it that you couldn't stand THAT smell (e.g., Pina Colada, Strawberry, Lavender).

 

If you decide to get the car and you decide later it has even a hint of smell, just bring it to the Hangout and we'll give it the Ozone treatment. I've even got cigar smell out of a car with an Ozone treatment preceeded by a shampoo of all the car fabrics such as carpet. If there's a fabric headliner, it needs a dry cleaning to remove smoke smells. If the dog smell is only lightweight now, I doubt that you'd need more than a carpet shampoo + Ozone.

 

LOL, that's true (about them going overkill on the scent). Thanks for the offer about coming up to the Hangout to address the smell. Even if I don't buy this doggy-scented car, can I still come up to the Hangout?

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LOL, that's true (about them going overkill on the scent). Thanks for the offer about coming up to the Hangout to address the smell. Even if I don't buy this doggy-scented car, can I still come up to the Hangout?

 

You know you're always welcome. :grin2:

 

Just let me know if you need a bay heated up (they are usually 45 degrees but can be brought up to 60 with advance notice) and whether you need cleaning equipment. I'm almost always there in the daytime on weekends.

 

On Fridays and Saturdays it's always open if four or more CR members confirm that they're coming. Usually it opens at 9 or 10 at night and closes around 2 a.m.

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You know you're always welcome. :grin2:

 

Just let me know if you need a bay heated up (they are usually 45 degrees but can be brought up to 60 with advance notice) and whether you need cleaning equipment. I'm almost always there in the daytime on weekends.

 

On Fridays and Saturdays it's always open if four or more CR members confirm that they're coming. Usually it opens at 9 or 10 at night and closes around 2 a.m.

 

This is why CR loves you.

 

:)

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I killed the deal. The dog hair was something I couldn't get past. I didn't bother even trying to negotiate the price because it doesn't really matter what they discounted, as I wasn't going to buy it.

 

Thanks to everyone for the input. Back to the drawing board. :)

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I killed the deal. The dog hair was something I couldn't get past. I didn't bother even trying to negotiate the price because it doesn't really matter what they discounted, as I wasn't going to buy it.

 

Thanks to everyone for the input. Back to the drawing board. :)

 

Pure curiosity, did they make you an offer when you explained why you were withdrawing from consideration? I like to see how different salespeople handle the "I'm just not interested" objection.

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I killed the deal. The dog hair was something I couldn't get past. I didn't bother even trying to negotiate the price because it doesn't really matter what they discounted, as I wasn't going to buy it.

 

Thanks to everyone for the input. Back to the drawing board. :)

 

srsly??? thats weird.

 

I mean, the report said no smell, but some dog hair "not a lot"... what does that specifically mean? A bit of dog hair in the seat? That could have easily been transferred from someone else's clothes during a test drive... Or maybe one time the guy helped someone or transported the dog and some dog hair was left.

 

as thorough as this inspector seemed to have been, I highly doubt it was a case where a dog was regularly in the car, because the 'non-simple' clean places would have shown significant evidence. Dealers tend to not do a thorough job of cleaning under seats, under plastics, etc... And it seems like the inspector used a fine tooth comb and found 'some' dog hair but "not a lot"....

 

Oh well, at the end of the day it is your money and time, and i am sure you will find another for the same/better deal. Its not exactly a super rare car that is hard to find. And in reality you may come to your senses and get a BA CTS-V... because 'Murica. (and a simple pulley swap and bolt-ons will make it roast ricer assholes as well)

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Pure curiosity, did they make you an offer when you explained why you were withdrawing from consideration? I like to see how different salespeople handle the "I'm just not interested" objection.

 

No, they didn't offer anything. I think they knew the dog hair was a deal breaker. One of the first questions I asked when I called to inquire about the car was whether any animals had been in it. I explained that I couldn't tolerate any animals being in it. When the results of the inspection showed animal hair, I think they realized that was the deal killer. Or, maybe I'm just giving them too much credit. In any event, they didn't counter with anything or offer anything additional. Instead, the salesman asked what else I might be interested in.

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that sounds typical. Every long distance dealership deal i have been a part of, the dealer didnt show much interest in 'sealing a deal' or even anywhere close to the aggressiveness you get in person. I think they just must rarely get a lot of sales/incentives from sight-unseen offers.
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srsly??? thats weird.

 

I mean, the report said no smell, but some dog hair "not a lot"... what does that specifically mean? A bit of dog hair in the seat? That could have easily been transferred from someone else's clothes during a test drive... Or maybe one time the guy helped someone or transported the dog and some dog hair was left.

 

as thorough as this inspector seemed to have been, I highly doubt it was a case where a dog was regularly in the car, because the 'non-simple' clean places would have shown significant evidence. Dealers tend to not do a thorough job of cleaning under seats, under plastics, etc... And it seems like the inspector used a fine tooth comb and found 'some' dog hair but "not a lot"....

 

Oh well, at the end of the day it is your money and time, and i am sure you will find another for the same/better deal. Its not exactly a super rare car that is hard to find. And in reality you may come to your senses and get a BA CTS-V... because 'Murica. (and a simple pulley swap and bolt-ons will make it roast ricer assholes as well)

 

I'm going to buy an Aston Martin just to offend your American sensibilities.

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No, they didn't offer anything. I think they knew the dog hair was a deal breaker. One of the first questions I asked when I called to inquire about the car was whether any animals had been in it. I explained that I couldn't tolerate any animals being in it. When the results of the inspection showed animal hair, I think they realized that was the deal killer. Or, maybe I'm just giving them too much credit. In any event, they didn't counter with anything or offer anything additional. Instead, the salesman asked what else I might be interested in.

 

Good to know, thanks.

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