LS-ONE_DAY

I'm finally going to be putting a deposit down on an LS1, a 1999 Firebird Formula. Car looks great and drives well, really clean interior/engine bay/exterior save for some minor road rash which isn't noticable unless you're a foot away from the car. It's from a dealership but not state inspected yet. They said to pass it needs 2 headlight bulbs, the headlights readjusted, wiper blades, and the tint removed. That dealership used AutoCheck for the vehicle history report, which I have never heard of before, I know it is ran by Experian but has anyone had any experience with AutoCheck?

The report is clean including the odometer but that is something that's been bugging me because it shows 21,5xx miles and I want to make sure thats legit. The AutoCheck report only shows 1 log of mileage which was when the car was bought with 134 miles in 1999. Should I ask the dealership for a CarFax too? I'm not sure if they have an account with them.

I'm posting a few pictures in the appearance mods - exterior section to get opinions on whether or not I should leave the wing vinyls on the sides. I can't make up my mind.

mcdonald77

iTrader: (21)

If you look up DOL records it should have mileage posted at the renewel for tabs.

Zerokube

iTrader: (4)

i would get a carfax, any dealership should have one for free

LS-ONE_DAY

mcdonald, how do you look up DOL records?

mcdonald77

iTrader: (21)

If you have the VIN you can search online or depending what state your in you can request it from them.I used google search and some sites will give you basic data with out paying, they want you to pay to get all of the info.

Starz T/A 17

iTrader: (6)

If the autocheck only shows 1 log then its not a very detailed. And honestly any good dealership that I have ever dealt with would have had the car inspected and passed before even putting it on the lot. I would tell them you want it passed or look over the car VERY closely, because IF that is all that it needs it doesn't make sense why they wouldn't just fix it, unless your getting it really cheap

LS-ONE_DAY

They're at $9500 + inspection and fees right now, they want $305 to do the inspection work on it.

JohnS Z28

iTrader: (1)

Inspection fees?..Every car they get in should be inspected, don't let them charge you $300 for it, Plenty of Auto-repair places have a used car inspection program, generally used when buying from a private party, and it typically only costs $50-$100.
But if you get it inspected by YOUR mechanic, then there's no silly business, Have them update it to passing standards before its sold.
and be sure to ask for the carfax, compare it with the AutoCheck.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

The car has 21k miles and it needs two headlight bulbs already?

That seems odd. I don't think I've ever replaced a bulb on a car with less than ~80k miles. And why would they need to be readjusted just for a bulb swap? Sounds like a front end collision to me.

BobDoLe

iTrader: (11)

i think your concern is valid.
a lower mileage car thats over 10 years old is typically babied or maybe it had been non-operational for reasons you might want to know about (wreck, large repair needed, etc). if it was a garage queen, the owner wouldn't have neglected the headlights. road rash usually is from having a good amount of miles on the car.

just pay for the carfax. i bought a very clean car once thinking nothing of it, then pulled up the carfax for the hell of it and realized it spent most of its life as a rental car (abused) and had been in a collision.

with the carfax, you could dig up something on the car and use it as significant leverage to drop the price further. or if it comes up clean and mileage checks out, you got yourself a nice find and peace of mind.

LS-ONE_DAY

I'm having a buddy of mine get a salesperson at another dealership to run a CarFax on it to compare. The $305 includes the inspection, replacement parts and labor I guess. AutoCheck shows no accidents but maybe the CarFax will be different, unless the owner didn't report it...

I could see if I can take the car to get independently checked out but would a mechanic or body shop be better for that?

You guys think I should also ask for the original owner's contact number?

crazyc1123

iTrader: (1)

Im sure you could just be a little more firm with them and get them to do it for free. I work at a dealership by the way. And if its a reputable dealership they should have carfax.

LS-ONE_DAY

I'll talk to the bank and see what they say as far the deposit, I was going to do cash but since there is a lot still to be worked out I might see if they would prefer that I put it on my credit card. My dad is paying for half the car so I can own it outright and he is away for the week so when I go in today I'll put him on the phone with them too.

Saturday they said they could do $9300 + inspection and fees but they also said a wholesaler offered them $9000 for it so my dad wants them to give us that price and they'd save on transporting it. I'll definitely request a CarFax report from them also and it would probably be best to tell them to do the inspection work before we pay...not sure how an independent inspection would work if I wanted that done though

JohnS Z28

iTrader: (1)

basically before i bought my current car (98 camaro Z28) I was looking at a 2000 SS, just tell them you want it inspected by YOUR mechanic, they should have NO PROBLEM allowing this, if they do...then obviously it has issues.
I just called my shop, set up and appointment the next day, only took like an hour, Took the SS down there to find there was a leak in the intake manifold, would need new brakes, and a new MAF.
I just gave the keys back to the dealer, told them that they can either take the repair price off the car or fix it then call me.

sjsingle1

iTrader: (1)

9500$ ?? kinda pricey to me........i got my 2000 for 6800$

LS-ONE_DAY

My buddy at Dodge dealer just texted me after running the VIN through CarFax, he said it was clean and printed it for me.

sj, different areas maybe? Most of the 4th gens in my area between $8000-$10,000 have anywhere from 65,000-130,000 miles on them so $9300 for one with 21,500 as long as it checks out ok is a good deal.

I had a friend who is big into the LS engines go with us to look at the car on Saturday and looking under the hood he said it looked like it wasn't driven all that hard because there wasn't much wear on the throttle area from being floored because usually if it is there is more of an imprint so that was promising...I'll ask about the inspection when I go in with the deposit money tonight though for sure

Joshu

iTrader: (1)

9500 seems a bit high. I wouldn't pay that much for a twelve year old car. I would rather look for one with just slightly higher mileage and take the savings. That savings could add up to some major go fast parts.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Not really, if the car is in the proper condition for a 21k mile car. Being 12 years old makes no difference for a special interest car like this.

Finding these cars with that sort of mileage is not easy now. You aren't going to get a nice, super low mile one like that for $5-6k....LS1 cars in that range usually have about 4 times more mileage.

I'm still concerned about that headlight issue though. No car with that low of mileage should need two new headlight bulbs (or adjusting) unless something happened to the front end.

1996firebirdformula

iTrader: (3)

Take cash in there and you would be surprised how much you would get it for

Once they know your serious buyer.

LS-ONE_DAY

Well I put a $500 deposit down on it so they'll do the inspection. I did it on my credit card though after talking to my credit union because they said if I'm not happy and end up not getting they car it's easier for them to get me my money back then if I gave them cash. They're going to do the inspection so I can get the car on the road and then I'll take it to my mechanic and have him pull the bumper and see for himself if all is good.