Submitted by fobreezee t3_116scw0 in pittsburgh
Does anyone know a good place that would be able to inspect a used vehicle I am buying? Any idea of how much they charge? Are there any mobile services that will come to me to do the inspection?
Thanks for any suggestions.
I heard about that. Do you know what the title/ registration stories are all about exactly? I heard some people they got screwed up or delayed, but what’s the worst that happens exactly, do you know?
Check out r/carvana.
Take it to the nearest dealership for the manufacturer of the car and pay the diagnostic fee, most likely 1 hour possibly more at their door rate (100-200/hr). Dealerships typically know what problems to look for even though it may be expensive.
What year is the vehicle? Or just link the vehicle.
I’m still not totally decided. Probably a newer Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris. Likely 16 or newer. Why do you ask?
Really painting yourself into a corner going with carvana.
>Really painting yourself into a corner going with carvana.
Why's that, what happened and where do you suggest I buy from?
A local reputable dealer that has recently inspected the vehicle. Carvana is likely to be out of business in 18 months. I also don’t think the buying process is easy in pa right now since they can’t issue registrations. I like your car choices just not your dealer choice
>A local reputable dealer that has recently inspected the vehicle. Carvana is likely to be out of business in 18 months. I also don’t think the buying process is easy in pa right now since they can’t issue registrations. I like your car choices just not your dealer choice
Thanks about the car choices! Do you have a favorite one of the 2?
You think they will be out of business?? I saw something about their stock going down. Have you been following that story a lot (I'm not sure a lot about the details) or any experience yourself dealing with them?
What's going on with PA registrations? Is that a Carvana issue or just a PA registration issue in general?
The fit. I think the Yaris was made by Mazda and had Toyota badges put on. Carvana sold cars before they had the titles to them. This lead to them not be allowed to register the car. That lead to PA taking away their ability to issue plates and register cars.
You are right about the Yaris being Mazda. So how do cars get registered and issued when they sell them? They can't just be allowed to sell them and not provide customers plates.
I'd love to find one at another dealer, but inventory is TIGHT on these models.
You probably have to go to a 3rd party titling service like AAA. If you’re stuck on carvana just make sure they acquired the vehicle in the last 60 days and it’s not been sitting for a year passed around to different carvana locations.
>You probably have to go to a 3rd party titling service like AAA. If you’re stuck on carvana just make sure they acquired the vehicle in the last 60 days and it’s not been sitting for a year passed around to different carvana locations.
Thanks for the help! I went out like 300 miles on my search and the trade value is 1-2k more than dealers I've called offered too. I've been researching everything and definitely read some horror stories, others have said it's a great experience with them. That why I'm looking for someone GOOD to do the inspection as my mechanic I've been having some issues with lately. I don't want to get some flooded vehicle or something. They give you a 7 day return policy, so as long as I find dont find anything in the inspection or driving it as much as possible in the first week. I might also go with something lower miles just bc it's scary.
Reputable dealers don’t sell flood cars. You want to make sure tires and brakes measure 50% or better. 2 keys is a plus and the less accidents the better.
>Reputable dealers don’t sell flood cars. You want to make sure tires and brakes measure 50% or better. 2 keys is a plus and the less accidents the better.
Do you think they would cover the breaks in the first 7 days or the tires? That's a good point about flooded cars. I saw that. I wonder if it's just some mechanics that totally miss that it's a flood car. Is it super easy to tell if it's a flood car of some kind when they do an inspection?
A flood car get a a branded title. Certain dealers sell branded titles however reputable dealers won’t touch them. I don’t think they will cover the brakes and tires. Technically if they are 2/32 (tires) or 2/12 (brakes) they still pass pa inspection
> A local reputable dealer that has recently inspected the vehicle.
Not gonna disagree with carvana being sketchy financials right now.
But absolutely do not trust any dealer to inspect the car they're selling you... Always take it to a trusted 3rd party.
(doesn't apply if you're buying CPO I guess, since that comes with warranties I suppose)
If you can get clear title quickly, it really wouldn’t matter if Carvana goes belly up after you buy a car.
Carvana is sitting on a mountain of debt they borrowed to expand as well as inventory they bought when used car prices were high. Now interest rates are climbing and used car prices are falling and Carvana is caught in between.
Auto Service Mall in wexford
>Auto Service Mall in wexford
Do you think they can get it in quickly? Any idea of how much they charge? What is your experience with the? Thanks!
You'd have to call them. They are good guys but no idea what they charge.
If you can, I’d try to buy a new enough car that you could still shop an extended manufacturer’s warranty for it.
Different makes handle it differently, but generally it still has to be within the original bumper to bumper warranty. Some dealers around the country do a nice side business selling discounted manufacturer’s extended warranties online. I just got one for a new car from a dealer in central PA.
Carvana (and places like Carmax) have really high prices for used cars. You can’t negotiate. You do get the 7 day return privilege, I guess. But that wouldn’t make up for the higher price imo.
>Carvana (and places like Carmax) have really high prices for used cars. You can’t negotiate. You do get the 7 day return privilege, I guess. But that wouldn’t make up for the higher price imo.
The deal on my car is really good as I searched a 200 mile radius and their price is definitely the best. From what I remember Carmax always tries to make $2k a car, but Carvana only makes $1-1.5k currently according to some youtube videos I watched.
I'm more so worried about all of their titling issues honestly.
This article suggests Carvana’s margins are much higher:
That article include both the profit from financing and warranty sales and was written during the peak summer months last year as Used car prices were going up. The video I watched was from last month and they talked about how the profits went down, so probably a more recent thing.
I wish you well on your journey.
Thanks so much for all the information! Really appreciate it! Have a good week!
Firestone does PPI for like $25 and it's thorough. We've done that twice in the last year (Wexford).
First was Carvana (title/reg was not a problem on that-- cash purchase makes it easy) due to wanting very specific spec and also southern car (no rust).
Second was local dealer in Wexford. Both were satisfactory experiences.
At the Yaris/Fit pricepoints you're not going to have much downside potential, they're-- no offense intended-- the most basic of basic cars. Just be VERY careful regarding corrosion and good service history as typically entry level car owners are a combination of disengaged and expense-averse.
Aggravating_Foot_528 t1_j988mkm wrote
Any car fix it place will do a used car check over for you..i think the bigger issue if you are taking it to a local shop is if they have time.
Also be careful with carvana. We bought a car from there about 4 years ago and it was fine but they're having financial problems and r/carvana is full of titling and registration horror stories.