Used Car Dealerships?

[Melinda]

Alrighty as some of you may know, I'm in the market for a new (used) car. I do have a certain car in mind and I've found one in what seems to be good shape for a decent price. However, it is for sale at a used car dealership.

The actual dealership this car is at is called "Calgary Auto Selection" and it shares a parking lot with Southcentre Fine Cars. My dad and I looked at it tonight, didn't drive it or turn it on cause my dad is skeptical of used car dealerships and to some extent, so am I. But the dealership (from what I can remember from driving by) has been there for quite a while so I really don't know what to think.

Can anyone shed some insight on this subject for me? Any good/bad experiences with this dealership or used car dealerships in general?

[Speed_69]

Don't go to Fast Lane!! just my opinion, their lot is crap(slanted hill) and the dealer is hella stingy

[djayz]

dealerships always have a way of covering things up
you have to use a reverse sales technique on most of the people there even tho the price may seem good...its wayyyy cheaper buying it privately
cuz you save gst and the markup on dealer cars


havent heard n e thing bad about that dealership but in my opinion private sale is the way to go.

n e who good luck finding the right car :thumbsup:

[Bonka]

Ask for the history papers since new.

If they can't provide a paper trail on a vehicle it should start to set off alarm bells. Though having an incomplete trail is better than nothing at all.

You might also want to correspond the mileage on the vehicle to a maintenance schedule. It may be on the cusp of a service interval and it can be a headache if you are unfamiliar with what needs to be serviced/replaced and end up paying hundreds/thousands in a short span of time.

General visual condition of the vehicle should give good indication of how it may have been treated. Underbody, engine bay, interior, etc etc should be good signs to read from.

Also look for anything that seems to make the car look off such as non-factory equipped wheels (or mismatched wheels/tires), glass, paint (incl. door jambs, engine bay, trunk) and other things that would have not come from the factory (sans wear items).

Good luck :)

[Redlyne_mr2]

Most used cars at dealers come from auctions where they have no idea of the history. I would stick to private sales as you can trace more info that way. Or if its an enthusiasts car check out forums marketplaces that cater to that car.

[statick]

private is usually cheaper, and u can more often get the cars full history. whether u buy from dealer or private, make sure u run the VIN and u should probably get an inspection. good luck, let us kno how it goes.

[legendboy]

Everything said above, your gonna pay more for the car in the end and you have to pay gst on top of it.

[Melinda]

Thanks for the help guys, I think I may skip the used dealerships for now. :)

[lone_one]

I was looking at a car at The Fast Lane, and Also looking at a car at M.R.Auto Sales right by The Fast Lane. My question is:
Any Bad experiences at the Fast Lane, and why at they STINGY, and any advice about M.R.Auto Sales?

Anything would help as I need to buy a car very soon.

thanks

[Supa Dexta]

Fast lane is a little weird.. I was there looking at a car the other day in the 10k range, and he insisted on showing me some crap down the hill for a few grand? I was like what the hell buddy, I don't want that shit.. see ya...

:thumbsdow

[Boost Infested]

i work at a dealership, i know all the sales. What kind of car are you looking to get? i can get you a good salesman.

if you are interested pm me.

[lone_one]

what dealership so you work at?

I have 2 vehicles in mind already at these 2 dealerships, so feedback about them would be great.

thanks

[69cougar]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
Most used cars at dealers come from auctions where they have no idea of the history. I would stick to private sales as you can trace more info that way. Or if its an enthusiasts car check out forums marketplaces that cater to that car.

:werd:

There are so many people out there driving vehicles from Ont and PQ that have no clue!!. IF you are buying a car at a dealer go to Registries and p/u a VIR for the $7 to 15 it costs and look at the date first registered in AB in you are buying a 2002 and it shows first registered in 2005 congrats you just bought a vehicle more than likly from the east!!

[Speed_69]

yea the old guy(owner) of fast lane just tries to sell you the crap stuff that's been sitting there for a long time.

be cautious, he bullshits alot about the cars.
i've caught him several times on his lies
1) he said the car was running excellent..turn on the car and the i hear the engine knocking and car is running rich. i ask him about it and he just pulls out his phone and says i need to make a phone call.
2) said this one car had power steering and was a higher trim civic(dx)..i was like umm dude, this has no power steering cuz there is no resevoir and this is a cx civic just looking at the engine code. then the guy so i guess it is then.
..and more

i mean like what kind of guy selling cars doesn't know what trim each car is.

just make sure your get a vin# report and inspection done before buying a used car from anywhere. and btw a vin#report is $20. i just did one a few months ago.

[lone_one]

I was in there today and asked him about the situation. He said your friend bought the car.You must have had good service.

[Barlow]

heads up on calgary auto sales, they seem a littel shady

I was gonna trade my 2000 civic in for a 94 bmw 325 is, and he was justifying the price of the bmw in terms of all the after market goodies he put on it, then looked at my car that has a kit and subs, and non factory deck and said it was gonna deprecciatate the car, (not news to me) just the fact that he has after market M3 replica kit on the bmw and says it increases value?

I may be confused but i donlt see how putting a non factory kit with paint chips all over is increasing ona bmw and a almost mint good fitting kit on a 2000 civic is depreciating.

my $0.02

[CokerRat]

Aftermarket mods hold a fraction of their value once installed. Can be anywhere from maybe 50% for common and tasteful / accepted mods, to negative for gaudy mods or things that suggest the car has been bagged. Addings mods inherently narrows the number of people who are interested in buying that car.

I have heard some pretty interesting stories from used car dealers. They almost always don't have the service records -- makes me wonder if this is the normal modus operandi so that the cars with bad history don't look suspect by comparison.

Best tip I learned inspecting used cars is to inspect the radiator. When most of the fins are smashed in, and yet the paint looks immaculate, you are not dealing with a garage queen...you're dealing with a really good repaint job.

[69cougar]

Originally posted by lone_one
I was in there today and asked him about the situation. He said your friend bought the car.You must have had good service.

Can some one tell me what the fuck that means???:dunno: :dunno:

[Speed_69]

Originally posted by lone_one
I was in there today and asked him about the situation. He said your friend bought the car.You must have had good service.
you're stupid...just because someone buys something doesn't mean they got good service.

[lone_one]

dude.your a clown. Go make some false allegations about another business.

[Speed_69]

Originally posted by lone_one
dude.your a clown. Go make some false allegations about another business.
where have i made false allegations about them. i just stated that the guy knew nothing about his cars and lied about a few things. my friend still bought it because he didnt' mind the problems. go ahead and buy you're future broken down crap from them then

and you're the one who pm'd me and asked for advice and my experience with them. i gave it to you and now you're complaining that i said something bad about them. omg please...

[69cougar]

Originally posted by Speed_69

where have i made false allegations about them. i just stated that the guy knew nothing about his cars and lied about a few things. my friend still bought it because he didnt' mind the problems. go ahead and buy you're future broken down crap from them then

and you're the one who pm'd me and asked for advice and my experience with them. i gave it to you and now you're complaining that i said something bad about them. omg please...

LOL...he pm'd me too looking for "more information" on what I had to say about them...Like I am going to name names and cars, I told him what to llok for whether or not he listens or considers that advice is up to him

[canadian_hustla]

this sounds stupid, but if you are buying a used car make sure that it is washed BEFORE you buy it. My parents bought a used Jeep Cherokee from GSL chev city, and when they were more worried about how it ran, etc etc (it was completely covered in road dirt from bow trail).. when we came to pick it up after it was paid for (it was washed) and the whole driver side door was dented up - and the front bumper had a license plate covering a huge dent.

dirty, but hey.. that is how they work.

and if they told you it was "owned by a dealer mechanic", or a "dealer's mom".. they are :bullshit: ing you.

sometimes when you are looking for important details, you miss the obvious.

[canadian_hustla]

There are so many people out there driving vehicles from Ont and PQ that have no clue!!. IF you are buying a car at a dealer go to Registries and p/u a VIR for the $7 to 15 it costs and look at the date first registered in AB in you are buying a 2002 and it shows first registered in 2005 congrats you just bought a vehicle more than likly from the east!!

true that man, we bought a 1996 bonneville from crowfoot that was later found to be from ontario.. thing was a POS, and was rusted completely underneath... what a lemon.

[Inzane]

Originally posted by CokerRat
I have heard some pretty interesting stories from used car dealers. They almost always don't have the service records -- makes me wonder if this is the normal modus operandi so that the cars with bad history don't look suspect by comparison.


I've actually heard an explaination for that, which did sound somewhat plausible. Even if car dealers get the service records from a previous owner when they take a trade in, they won't generally give those out to the next buyer, and the main reason for that I was told was to protect the previous owner from any repercussions from the new buyer. If you have a problem with a used car you bought off a dealer's lot, you're meant to harass the dealer not the previous owner.

With our new Privacy and Information Act (or whatever its called) this will likely become even more important in the future.

[69cougar]

Originally posted by Inzane


I've actually heard an explaination for that, which did sound somewhat plausible. Even if car dealers get the service records from a previous owner when they take a trade in, they won't generally give those out to the next buyer, and the main reason for that I was told was to protect the previous owner from any repercussions from the new buyer. If you have a problem with a used car you bought off a dealer's lot, you're meant to harass the dealer not the previous owner.

With our new Privacy and Information Act (or whatever its called) this will likely become even more important in the future.

There is also nothing other than laziness to stop them from whiting out the owner info and making a copy so that persepctive buyers can review. To me this could be the seal on the deal depending on what I did or did not see.

[CokerRat]

Inzane: true... they cannot release information about the previous owner without consent but that doesn't stop them from releasing service records. I suppose once you get into blacked-out photocopied records, it's too easy to make up a false set for the car at hand. Too bad.

My '96 Prelude's maintenance book had a section in the middle for service dept to stamp and sign when the service was done. A quick flip thru it shows everything was done and when, but doesn't give away any info about the owner. I suppose there's nothing that definitively ties that book to that particular car, but it was still a good idea. My other cars don't have that.

There's too much BS about any car being sold to believe a single word the seller tells you, especially dealerships who don't WANT to know about any problems. Every car is lady driven and all the miles are highway miles... :rolleyes: