Vent: I miss when I could actually trust a used car from a listing

I remember 10 years ago I bought a 2005 Camry off Craigslist from a guy in Phoenix for $3,500. He had pics of the engine bay, a clean service log, and it ran solid for 4 years with just oil changes. Now I swear every listing on Facebook Marketplace has a car that's been "detailed" to hide a blown head gasket or a swapped transmission. Last month I drove 2 hours to Tucson to look at a 2012 Accord that the owner swore was "mint" - got there and found the frame was bondoed over from a rear-end hit. Every time I ask for a test drive before buying, they give me some excuse about insurance. Has anyone else had sellers ghost you when you ask to pop the hood?

4 comments

4 Comments

angelarivera7d ago

Nah, I gotta disagree with you on that one. "Overthinking it" is exactly right - you guys rolled up looking for problems instead of just checking if it runs and drives.

brianm664d ago

Bondo aside flagstaff sellers know the condensation trick they use it all the time.

shane_park927d agoMost Upvoted

My buddy drove 3 hours to see a "clean" 2015 Civic in Flagstaff last month. The dude said it had a fresh motor, but when we got there the oil cap was milky and coolant was bubbling in the reservoir. Seller got all defensive and said we were "overthinking it" and that it was just condensation. Did the seller try to play it off when you called them out on the bondo?

cole_flores447d ago

Hear me out though - you and your buddy sound like you were looking for stuff to be wrong. Milky oil cap on a cold engine in Flagstaff in the winter? That can 100% be condensation if the car was sitting for a bit and they just started it up. And coolant systems get air pockets sometimes after a fresh motor swap. If the temp gauge was normal and it wasn't overheating, bubbling in the reservoir is just trapped air working itself out. I've bought and sold a ton of these cars and half the time people freak out over normal stuff because they read too much on forums. Seller probably knew there was bondo though, that parts sketchy no argument there.