Can you run a Car Fax for me, please?
- Thread starter UNSTUCK
- Start date
- Location
- Bountiful, land of rocks
I could work her a deal on a 2010 XTerra with 65k miles. Not sure what my wife owes on it (maybe that's to small?)
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
On 12/26/16 this Armada was reported stolen. Another entry with the same date says the vehicle was reported as a total loss, a claim was paid to the insured, and the vehicle was then sold by the insurance company. A third entry with the same date says the vehicle was in a collision and declared a total loss. And a fourth entry with the same date says vehicle loss caused by theft.
On 12/27/16, a police report was created for the theft case.
On 1/3/17 the vehicle was reported as theft recovery.
On 3/16/17 the vehicle was put up for sale at an auction with a salvage title.
Based on all the above, I would guess the vehicle was crashed by the thief. I would look it over very, very carefully before buying it. (Actually, who am I kidding? I'd never buy a salvage vehicle, no matter the reason for it. Too many headaches for me.)
On 12/27/16, a police report was created for the theft case.
On 1/3/17 the vehicle was reported as theft recovery.
On 3/16/17 the vehicle was put up for sale at an auction with a salvage title.
Based on all the above, I would guess the vehicle was crashed by the thief. I would look it over very, very carefully before buying it. (Actually, who am I kidding? I'd never buy a salvage vehicle, no matter the reason for it. Too many headaches for me.)
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
My suspicion has been confirmed. Here is a site that listed the vehicle for sale:
http://www.autobidmaster.com/carfin...ADA_SV_SALVAGE_CERTIFICATE_SALT_LAKE_CITY_UT/
They say it received primary damage on the passenger side, then secondary damage on the rear end.
http://www.autobidmaster.com/carfin...ADA_SV_SALVAGE_CERTIFICATE_SALT_LAKE_CITY_UT/
They say it received primary damage on the passenger side, then secondary damage on the rear end.
UNSTUCK
But stuck more often.
Nice Work! Thanks. Any chance you can email me the info you have so I can show it to the dealer, who says it's never been wrecked? jamfabrocks@gmaildotcom
Thanks Dempsey.
I'm one for one on these kinds of cars. So who knows.
Xterra will be too small for us. It needs to tow the boat.
Thanks Dempsey.
I'm one for one on these kinds of cars. So who knows.
Xterra will be too small for us. It needs to tow the boat.
Last edited:
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
I can email the title report, sure. I suggest you just print the above photo yourself. I'd also suggest you follow the link I posted and print out that page, too, even though they blur the vehicle photo for some reason.
(BTW: I found this info simply by googling the VIN.)
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
This genuinely concerns me. Either the deal has outright lied to you (because they know damn well it was wrecked) or they are completely blind to the situation (because they bought it after it was repaired and they didn't do their homework). In the case of the former, can you trust anything else they will tell you as to the quality and thoroughness of the repair work? Obviously not--they will clearly say anything to get you to give them your money. In the case of the latter, they can't share information they don't have, and they are complete idiots to boot.
Either way, how do you feel about putting your wife and kids (not to mention yourself) in a vehicle that may or may not have properly-functional airbags and a properly-repaired structure which may or may not protect them in any future crash situation?
(Yes, I am a salesman at a different dealership. However, I am not trying to sell you anything. I just hate to see friends consider a "good deal" when it has genuine potential of costing them dearly down the road... and I figure this car must have a lower price than other similar ones or else your wife wouldn't be so excited about it.)
Tonkaman
Well-Known Member
- Location
- West Jordan
I had no idea that was a thing. I can't believe I never thought to try this before!
UNSTUCK
But stuck more often.
Dempsey, I really appreciate the detective work. I did a bit of sleuthing myself and am getting more excited about this car. I called and asked if I could come get it and take it to my mechanic (me) for an inspection. He offered to drive it to my house. Deal. Then I found about all the information you dug up. I almost called him and told him not to come. I was at work that whole time and my work computer wouldn't let me look at the auction website you pulled up. I got home just a few minutes before he showed up. Once he was at my house I almost told him to leave because I knew he was lying to me about the history of the car. Then I started looking over it. The "repair" on that passenger side damage was incredible. I looked and looked and looked and I could find no sign of any repairs. No paint chipped on bolt heads, no leftover dents, no over spray, body lines lined up perfect, no sagging doors, etc..... I just spent $8500 on paint/body work for the hot rod and this work blows the hot rod away! I was left believing that the insurance company did the repairs. But that didn't make any sense. Why fix it then auction it off? No one in the history of car flipping as ever done this kind of repair work.
Then we started talking about it being wrecked and he insisted it wasn't. I told him about the car fax and the picture I had. He then pulled up these pictures on his phone:
These are the pictures he took of the car when he was walking the auction lot looking for cars to buy. Now I was even more confused. He also showed (and sent) me pictures of the title. It was titled from Allstate who sold it directly to this guy through the auction. Weird!
After I was finished with my inspection I went in and looked up the auction website you posted. Then it hit me. The auction site must have had two identical Armadas out there. The picture posted is of the other one. You can't see it from the pictures I posted, but on my phone I can zoom in on the lot number of the armada he bought. It matches the lot number from the website. If you look carefully at the website picture you will see that there is no passenger side body damage. You will also see that the front license plate bracket is there, whereas on the other one it is missing. They are not the same car.
I'm going to try contacting allstate and see if they'll talk to me about it. So far I see no reason to shy away from it.
Then we started talking about it being wrecked and he insisted it wasn't. I told him about the car fax and the picture I had. He then pulled up these pictures on his phone:
These are the pictures he took of the car when he was walking the auction lot looking for cars to buy. Now I was even more confused. He also showed (and sent) me pictures of the title. It was titled from Allstate who sold it directly to this guy through the auction. Weird!
After I was finished with my inspection I went in and looked up the auction website you posted. Then it hit me. The auction site must have had two identical Armadas out there. The picture posted is of the other one. You can't see it from the pictures I posted, but on my phone I can zoom in on the lot number of the armada he bought. It matches the lot number from the website. If you look carefully at the website picture you will see that there is no passenger side body damage. You will also see that the front license plate bracket is there, whereas on the other one it is missing. They are not the same car.
I'm going to try contacting allstate and see if they'll talk to me about it. So far I see no reason to shy away from it.
TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
If this is correct--and for your sake, I hope it is--that would be incredible. I can blow up the photos you attached and see the windshield sticker number matches the lot number of the web page I posted above. This implies that either the auction yard mixed up the VINs, or else they wrote all the wrong vehicle descriptions for both vehicles. Either way, it proves the yard is run by a bunch of idiots.
I will again suggest you proceed with extreme caution. I wish you the very best of luck.
UNSTUCK
But stuck more often.
I still wonder about the car fax though. I get that it could have been stolen but I don't see how it was reported as wrecked? And why would the insurance total it. It was recovered in a week. How long does insurance wait? Less than a week I guess.
I'm calling Allstate on Monday.
I'm calling Allstate on Monday.