What do you think of this

[Gary68]

wrong thread,sorry

 

[Gary68]

o.k. brain is back,
looks like a gutted $1000-$1500 rig to me if it drives good and isnt rusty,wont start? could be a bad starter wire connection or right there at dead computer???

the best info on a rig are the receipts,if there are any

 

[VanKitten]

Well..I admit I was falling for this one. The interior space, the roof space, the idea that I could pretty much ignore weight limits, etc. and 63k miles

Ok...I am having separation anxiety and I didn't even get it.

 

[Gary68]

if its close go look at it,remind him its a gutted 80's ford w/electrical problems,no ac,need tires $1000 cash

 

[DannyB1954]

Things can go wrong with non use as well as high mileage. Could be electrical problem is from field mice munching on the wires.
Take the VIN number and see if you can get insurance in your State.

 

[VanKitten]

Things can go wrong with non use as well as high mileage. Could be electrical problem is from field mice munching on the wires.
Take the VIN number and see if you can get insurance in your State.

Well, I have given up on this one.    It is 600 mile drive to see it.   I have a mech. Down there I trust, so I look in that area.  Fl is good hunting ground for this sort of thing...especially this time of year with the snowbirds gone.

I would have taken the risk anyway, but the longer I talked to the seller..the more he was revealing about major issues..and the more money he wanted.   Last contact he wanted me to pay him $800 for a new compressor, and  an unspecified amount to fix the electrical problem, said he was still working on a fuel problem (news to me) AND he wanted me to pay him $1000 to deliver it .      

No..I am done with that one.

 

[TMG51]

Yes, crazy seller and unknown problems trump any potential there. You're right to walk away.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Hummmm.  Then there is no point to even running a car fax.   If the report is to be taken as inaccurate, why bother?  Like getting a diagnosis for an illness but knowing that the medical opinion is very often wrong.  

So it is confusing.  How does one go about getting reliable information?

I swear HDR has an obsession on this subject.

It is not that CarFax is INNACURATE, it's just that CarFax is not necessarily COMPLETE.

They get info from ALL the state DMVs, and apparently from all the factory dealerships.  Independent shops may or may not report to them.

In this particular case, if the history had shown that, say, the truck had been originally sold and registered in GA in 1988, and then five years later was sold and registered in FL with 87,000 mile on it, that would have been proof that it really has 163,000 (or 263,000) miles, not 63,000 miles.  I know of no other way a buyer can find that kind of info.

When I was looking, I ran a CarFax on every vehicle I was interested in.  In several cases, it turned up accident damage and repairs at Ford dealerships.  I was glad to know this.

But as Mike points out, if CarFax has no record of it, that is NOT positive proof that it never happened.

It's a useful tool, but as always, Caveat Emptor!

 

[highdesertranger]

good post John. its not that I am against Car Fax, but when I read a post that someone states the Car Fax came back clean so it must be a good deal I cringe. the report is only as good as the input data and the data does not tell the whole story. I worked for several new and used car dealers anything that they where involved with that might look bad never made it to a Car Fax report. I just want to make sure people know this. highdesertranger