Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghostrider 310
...whatever technique helps the buyer is fair game it's just a suggestion.
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Yeah, if I were planning to go after this one I'm fairly certain I could knock the price down a bit. Seller seems like a good guy (not pushy or trying to move the car quickly) but I think he just lacks the knowledge (and admittedly I'm still climbing the learning curve myself). Part of the reason may be that he's only had the car for a year and has only put around 3k miles on it during that time. It's a shame he didn't collect service records from the previous owner, though.
I'm not overly worried that he was trying to pull a fast one on me; he was quick to point out a couple blemishes to the original paint (at least the spots that were noticeable through the vinyl) and noted his lack of mechanical expertise, but I just can't get past the heebie-jeebie feeling of not knowing what's lurking in the internals of the car.
I guess my major question earlier applies to any future cars that I look at: How much of a "safety net" does a PPI provide in scenarios where a car lacks consistent maintenance records? Aside from any noticeable leaks, wear, and general aesthetics, are the guys conducting the PPI able to give me a solid indication of internal problem areas that might fail down the line (water pump, shocks/struts, yadda yadda)? Should I just steer clear of cars and sellers without a full history of maintenance in hand entirely, or is some of this risk offset by scheduling a good PPI? I'm not much of a gambling man, but I do realize that at this price point at age of vehicle I'm always going to be taking my chances.