[sithot]

Somebody ratted you out after the fact. CARFAX asks for information on their website regarding any car someone does a search on. Maybe the previous owner, maybe the insurance company who fixed it.

I've found plenty of things wrong with cars using CARFAX but then again don't always believe everything you read.

I found a 2 owner car that had been to Puerto Rico and back! This particular CARFAX find was written up and sent to an auto writer to study:

It's always "the money". Morals, self discipline, honesty and all the other things we used to hold dear have gone the way of the Do-Do Bird.

There are more shady car brokers now than any time I can recall. Of course every generation had their share but today I am fairly disgusted with the industry as a whole.

Along this line I recently tested a used dealer to see how the Federal Truth in Mileage Act works.

Vehicles Exempt From the Odometer Disclosure Requirements of the Federal Truth in Mileage Act
The following vehicles are exempt from the odometer disclosure requirements of the Federal Truth in Mileage Act of 1986:

In most states, CA included if:

Vehicles ten-model years (10) old or older (e.g. Current calendar year minus ten (10) equals the first year model exempt.) In the calendar year 2003, 1993 and older year model vehicles are exempt. In calendar year 2004, 1994 and older year model vehicles will be exempt.

So in theory a 1997 Porsche is now exempt. Thank goodness for CARFAX.

I determined that a vehicle that I had researched on the "Trader On Line" website was the very obvious target of odometer fraud (although now protected by law). Subscribing to CARFAX is a great way to build information which can empower buyers if used properly along with a thorough inspection. This vehicle had a very good track record of mileage reporting in which it went from around 100,000 all the way to 157,000 before hitting an auction where it came out "the other side" with 67,000 miles which is what the dealer stated on his fact page.

The dealers statement that CARFAX makes mistakes (when I clearly could prove to him that the mileage had been rolled back) was quite entertaining as I was put on hold until they had their story together. I never took an adversarial role, instead advising him that he should "protect himself" by truthfully stating the mileage. In the end he backed up and said they were going to sell it as a total mileage unknown vehicle, or at least that's what he was said to make me go away.

In the end it is up to the consumer to protect his or herself from this kind of behavior. Clearly, dealers now have another "cloak" to hide behind.

Documentation is your ally when buying any used car. I prize documetation above anything else a seller may tell me.


Tom