I was assuming he bought it new, in that case, the dealer would be liable if they sold a wrecked vehicle as new without disclosing that, but if he bought it used, your right.....buyer beware. But still, there is usually a damage disclaimer that is signed whenever vehicles are bought and sold...but, like a carfax, they are only as good as the information fed to them.

 

Right. I also assumed he bought it new given the year of the car and that may, in fact, be the case. Maybe it was sold as a "new vehicle" that's why I asked the question about miles. If there were a few hundred miles on the car when he took possession of it, it's likely that it was used as a demo vehicle and was in an accident at some point. If that's the case, dealer is in trouble for trying to sell a wrecked new vehicle like you said.

Carfax would also tell you about title changes so you can verify it it's a "new vehicle" or not.

But yeah, if he took possession and it only had 2 miles on it like mine did, then it's a quality control issue with the plant that should have been noted on delivery and rejected delivery. But even though that's too late, they still should fix it.

 

If the dealer wrecked it, and they fixed it, there wouldn't be a Carfax record. (Disclaimer: I have no idea how Carfax records are generated but assume it's by repair shops and that entry isn't required).

 

I have also seen many vehicles come off the car carrier with damage the dealer fixed and never disclosed as it was not "wrecked." Good luck and hope it works out.

 

Rental car companies do the same thing when they can get away with it

 

Unless someone knows different, I don't think a Carfax is worth the paper it's printed on. By what means do they collect data? It would rely on any car dealer (body shop, repair shop, etc.) to enter repairs based on VIN number and we all know that all dealers/body/repair shops are renowned for being scrupulously honest businesses.

 

As stated, they are only worth the information fed to them; however, they can be a good tool for finding out accidents that are public record.

 

I concur 100% with Pappy35. A car fax is pretty much a smoke and mirror tactic.

The source of information, is no different than FCA warranty work having be done to your vehicle by a dealership.