Buying Question

[chasescott66]

When i bought mine they had it warmed up and inside a dark shop. She didnt really want me to stop for gas on the test drive so i could check it out. She said it was against the rules to put gas in it on a test drive. Then i had to pull it right back into the dark shop. Boy was i surprised when i finally bought it and started it up the next day. Sounded like a duramax with a high idle.

Wow, I will definitely make sure to not let them do that to me.

 

[Brian Wilson]

It was my first time buying a car. I was an idiot. Just trying to help a fellow enthusiast

 

[chasescott66]

It was my first time buying a car. I was an idiot. Just trying to help a fellow enthusiast

I appreciate it.

 

[wjburken]

Get them to put it on a lift and allow you to look under it for rust or anything else that may be obvious.

If they won't, sick your mom on them.

They might pull the old “our insurance won’t let us have anyone in the shop” thing but if they want to make the sale, they should let you look at it.

One other thing that I’ve done, more so in private vehicle purchases, is if they haven’t changed the oil recently is offer to pay for an oil change and take a look at the oil that drains out.

 

[Brian Wilson]

What really burned me up was they warmed it up before i got there so the engine didnt sound that bad. When i bought my next car i scheduled a visit and specifically told them not to warm it up first. I had to come back the next day because they warmed it up anyways. On cold start it sounded good but smoked a tiny bit and then went away. Nothing to worry about.

 

[OR VietVet]

If they will not put it in the air then tell them you want to take to an independent shop of your choice for inspection. That is always a good idea anyway.

That insurance thing is ********. They take people out to show them something all the time when they are in there for repairs.

I have never been denied at any shop when I wanted to see something. Hell, they came and got me recently when I was looking for oil seepage and found it at the oil cooler block off plate.

 

[Tonyrodz]

When i bought mine they had it warmed up and inside a dark shop. She didnt really want me to stop for gas on the test drive so i could check it out. She said it was against the rules to put gas in it on a test drive. Then i had to pull it right back into the dark shop. Boy was i surprised when i finally bought it and started it up the next day. Sounded like a duramax with a high idle.

That goes along with not looking at a car at night or in the rain--or--looking at it at night IN the rain lol. Don't fall in love with it either, and if you do don't let them see that you love it. They will use that against you by not wanting to fix anything on it--to make the sale. Buy with your wallet in mind--not your heart. Good luck.

 

[OR VietVet]

They might pull the old “our insurance won’t let us have anyone in the shop” thing but if they want to make the sale, they should let you look at it.

One other thing that I’ve done, more so in private vehicle purchases, is if they haven’t changed the oil recently is offer to pay for an oil change and take a look at the oil that drains out.

That goes along with not looking at a car at night or in the rain--or--looking at it at night IN the rain lol. Don't fall in love with it either, and if you do don't let them see that you love it. They will use that against you by not wanting to fix anything on it--to make the sale. Buy with your wallet in mind--not your heart. Good luck.

Yea, you always gotta be willing to just walk away. I hate it when they detail the engine compartment to try and hide leaks. I demand a look while in the air at that point, after a nice long roadtest.

 

[gooffeyguy]

I've never had a sales person go with me on a test drive. If the dealership is close to home I've actually taken it home and pulled into my garage and gotten under it with my creeper to look around. Otherwise I'll just pull off into a lot somewhere while test driving it and pop the hood, get out and look it over pretty good (take a flashlight with you.) Check the fluids/dipsticks, suspension through the wheel wells and underneath, etc.

 

[avalonandl]

With 200k miles the LS engines always have a tick when they start cold. If it does not go away after 30 seconds or so thats when you look harder at the engine....

TIP- Pull the dipstick and also look inside oil filler cap.