Carfax? (plus SE-R status

[George Roffe]

About all I think Carfux (sp -10 ;-) ) is good for is location and dates.
My 2000 BMW 328i showed no accidents or title issues, however I know for sure at least one quarter of the car was rebuilt (quite possibly more). After very recent events, I believe the car had its title washed or "brand" avoided. There were just enough things that over the last 12 years I found were not right.
I just recently bought a 2001 BMW 325iT. Again clean Carfux (dang, there's that spelling thing again). I only relied on it to ensure it never lived in the rust belt. I wanted a southern car ( this lived in TN and MS). It also confirmed 1 owner. Beyond that I didn't rely on it and while I think I can judge cars well, I still arranged a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) at a BMW specialist in Memphis (where I flew in).
I've since found out MS (where I bought the car) is #1 in the country for washed titles or "brand" avoidance. I think this car is clean though, thankfully.
I may be able to help though with the Carfux. I think I have a couple of checks left I can run. However, I cannot help until tomorrow evening at the earliest (I won't be home until near midnight tonight and even possibly tomorrow). I don't remember my account password.
PPI is still the best bet, especially for a 911.
Geo

---- David Pertuz <d.pertuz at gmail.com> wrote:

=============
Kieran,

Good input - thanks. I don't really treat it as a gospel, but I do sort of consider it a first-order check against other information. That is, it isn't going to reveal anything, so the absence of anything noteworthy doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but it can flag something you otherwise might not have found out about. I do go heavily on records and the right vibe from a seller to be able to trust them - a bigger thing with something like an old 911 than for a regular used car.
David

On Wed, Jul 1, 2015 at 2:28 PM, Kieran Lavin <kieran at kieranlavin.com> wrote:

Don't allow carfax's marketing to influence you.  They suck.  I used them to purchase my ex-wife's NX and the frame was so twisted that in the rear, the tire on one side would rub the strut while the other side there was a 3" gap!!!  Car had so many issues it took me a year's worth of weekends to get the car even drivable.  Only for her to want to sell it.  Separately on another car that I bought fairly brand new from a dealer she got into about 5 separate accidents (ranging from minor that we didn't deal with through insurance yet still had a police report all the way to repairs requiring the car to be in the body shop and thousands of dollars of repairs) and NONE of them showed up on carfax.  Meanwhile my own SE-R that is now pretty much track duty only the odometer stopped working around 150,000 miles and I can never remember the mileage that I reported the previous year so I KNOW there are odometer discrepancies.... NONE of them show up.  I would go so far as to say I'd take the used car dealer or the previous owner's word over a carfax report!



 
kieran

From: se-r-bounces at se-r-list.org <se-r-bounces at se-r-list.org> on behalf of UtilityCow <utilitycow at gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 1, 2015 2:19 PM
To: David Pertuz
Cc: se-r list
Subject: Re: Carfax? (plus SE-R status 
I asked months ago with no luck. Was looking for an Expedition for the expanding family. I ended up using "Auto Data Direct"add123.com. My buddy used it at the same time as he was also car shopping. We were pleased with the amount of info they provided for $4 a piece. Found a few cars that appeared to have odometer issues. There's scores of cheaper options online. Florida state also provides registration data online free, so check your state dmv. Carfax has a free service you can sign up for that provides some info. I can forward an add123 history report to you so you can see what info they provide if you like.Hi, y'all!

Been kinda quiet here lately, but is there anyone with a Carfax account who might be able to run a VIN or two for me?

After some thinking about cars, money and the family of related issues, I realized that I could not see myself getting rid of my SE-R unless I actually had to, whereas I could see myself getting rid of the Fiat for a good-enough reason, and I'm trying to get rid of Beige On Beige, my boring-but-comfy transportation appliance. And two cars would be replaced by...an old 911 :)

In SE-R news, I'm actually making progress, albeit slowly, in getting my SE-R back on the road. Thanks to Josh Sytek I got the exhaust parts I needed last year and a couple of other goodies too, like his rear STB (and I got to admire his sweet-looking VE B13) This summer I picked up a hoist so that I can drop the engine - easier to do rod bearings - and clean up stuff in the engine compartment at the same time. Slow but steady. My only goal is to have it done by November or whenever it is too cold to work in an unheated garage.

BTW, are there still any Mark Schoenholz header heat shields floating around? I acquired one years ago, I think at the Dallas convention, and then it disappeared years ago. I've always wondered where it went!

David
Chicago

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