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Hey everyone! I need some opinions from you knowledgeable folks on this forum.
Update with pics in post 23
I'm looking to trade up from my IOM Z06 Carbon Edition w/18.5k miles, to a C7Z.
I found a used 2016 8k miles, 3LZ, practically every option checked and in DSOM, for $87,800. It was a GM fleet vehicle.
The dealer is offering me $55,700 for mine.
Now here's the dilemma...
I drove 2 hours to look at the car today. The dealer wasn't expecting me and when I got there, I was first told that the car was being held off-site while they were waiting for me to come later in the week and that they would have it there in 10 mins or so. About 5 mins after that, I was asked if I wanted to go for a ride to see it because they couldn't get it to the dealership lot. I was told during the car ride, that the car was at their body shop having the front bumper sanded and repainted because of some "previously unnoticed spidering in the paint". When we got there, the bumper was off and I had a chance to look at it before it was sanded. There wasn't any signs of an impact with anything, short of a very small chip in the grill; no scuffs or scratches... just looked as if someone put too much pressure on that passenger-side section of the bumper. One of the plastic bracket pieces on the back of the passenger headlight was snapped off and a body repair guy was working on what I assume to be the bracketing for the headlight that's part of the car itself... It all seemed like maybe the car bumped something too hard and pushed stuff in a little too much. The rest of the car looked great.
They won't come down any off of the $87.8k, claiming that they bought the car at auction for $88k. They're paying out of pocket for the replacement of the headlight, grill and re-paint, so nothing will show up on Carfax, Autocheck, etc.
My question is this: Should I go through with it, despite the re-paint? Am I worrying too much about it? Thanks in advance for your help.
Last edited by Satanspawn; 06-03-2016 at 02:43 PM.
Keep looking. Too many great deals on brand new ones that don't have a "mysterious" history.
Contact Mike Furman from Criswell - a forum dealer - and see what he has in stock. He'll do right by you.
Thank you, I appreciate the feedback! I'm having a hard time passing it up because there's no way I can afford a new one equipped the way this one is. Aside from the bumper thing, the car is optioned exactly as I would love to have one, if money were no object.
Last edited by Satanspawn; 05-31-2016 at 08:40 PM.
Thank you, I appreciate the feedback! I'm having a hard time passing it up because there's no way I can afford a new one equipped the way this one is. Aside from the bumper thing, the car is optioned exactly as I would love to have one, if money were no object.
I hear ya. Problem is they have it priced basically like an untouched car with just normal depreciation (altho with a trade the trade difference is all that counts). And it's not an untouched car.
Worse yet, given the games they're playing on the repairs re Carfax, I wouldn't trust any story they told me about the car. They bought it damaged at auction - so they paid below wholesale. And apparently were going to patch it back together before you were originally going to ever see it, and sell it to you as an untouched car with no Carfax. Hell, I bet they would've even bragged about the clean Carfax. This whole thing has "run away" written all over it.
It's a big enough play, you want to make a good one. Too many red flags on this one for me. Especially since other unmolested examples can be found. And you might be surprised with some of the discounts on the new rigs from major forum dealers.
I hear ya. Problem is they have it priced basically like an untouched car with just normal depreciation (altho with a trade the trade difference is all that counts). And it's not an untouched car.
Worse yet, given the games they're playing on the repairs re Carfax, I wouldn't trust any story they told me about the car.
It's a big enough play, you want to make a good one. Too many red flags on this one for me. Especially since other unmolested examples can be found. And you might be surprised with some of the discounts on the new rigs from major forum dealers.
True enough on the price. Re: Carfax, to be fair, nothing was said about it until I specifically asked about it.
I doubt I'll find a DSOM 3LZ, Q6U, Z07, CFV, C2Z, AE4, FAY and B92 for anywhere near $87-88k.
Worse yet, given the games they're playing on the repairs re Carfax, I wouldn't trust any story they told me about the car. They bought it damaged at auction - so they paid below wholesale. And apparently were going to patch it back together before you were originally going to ever see it, and sell it to you as an untouched car with no Carfax. Hell, I bet they would've even bragged about the clean Carfax. This whole thing has "run away" written all over it.
The first thing that hit me is, you buy the car, THEN it gets reported to Carfax and your stuck with a "Minor Damage" statement on Carfax. That'll hurt you on resale. I'd want to know what was being reported or what has been reported. Don't know how to get that info. Maybe a pass here is the safe bet.
Unless other repairs were made perfectly, I didn't see anything else that looked remotely suspicious.
There are plenty of fish out there, sure, but none that will match what I'm looking for and at a price I'll be able to afford... At least not for a while. Not to mention, I won't be seeing $55k for mine anywhere without going through the hassle of private sale.
First off, any used car you look at could have been repainted the week before you looked at it. If you had waited a week you wouldn't know about any damage to this one, bought it and been none the wiser.
Second, are you getting the right amount for your car? Perhaps they are showing you more for your car than it's worth. Have them show you recent auction sales for your equipped car and get an idea of what wholesale is really at. If they are being honest, they have no problem showing you recent auction sales on their computer.
Do the same for their car. Then figure a cash difference and add a couple of thousand for their time and trouble and see if the two numbers match.
Decision becomes easier when more information is available.
Dealership is very smart-they buy the car at auction for 88k, spend some money fixing it and want to sell it at 87.8K. Sounds like a plan for bankruptcy-me smells a rat in the story. Stay away from this dealership.
05-31-2016, 08:27 PM
Buy or don't buy?
