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Noticed many low mileage cars, something is fishy.


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Just now, Thomas J said:

 Also, the dealer will have records of when the car was brought in for service and the mileage at that time. 

Are the service records kept on a database or just at the dealership.

 

not all cars are serviced at the same dealership each time.

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4 minutes ago, Thomas J said:

Possible, but that means that someone is going to have to be awfully clever to get the chip to match the mileage on the odometer.  Also, the dealer will have records of when the car was brought in for service and the mileage at that time.  The dealer will also be able to inspect the brakes.  If a car has 5,000 km on it and the rotors are only 50% then the mileage is bogus.  Bottom line, if the dealer gives you assurance the car has not been in an accident and the mileage corresponds to their service records, you are likely ok. 

The problem is getting a car that doesn't belong to you to a dealer for that inspection!   

 

Bottom line is, if the mileage corresponds to the mileage in the service book, it's probably ok.

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23 minutes ago, Thomas J said:

It is most likely because if it is a 20/21 model it means it just was purchased which raises the question of why someone would buy it and then with only a few kilometers want to sell it.  

So a higher mileage car is a better bet than a low mileage car?  Ok.

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Just now, Liverpool Lou said:

The problem is getting a car that doesn't belong to you to a dealer for that inspection! 

I agree with that.  However if the person is really interested in selling the car, I have always agreed on a price to buy it contingent on it being inspected.  I tell the seller I will agree to pay for the inspection and take possession following the inspection if it comes through clear.  If the seller balks, then I don't buy.  The seller should have no reason to object to the car being inspected if it is truly as they represent.  If they are more willing to go through additional hassle to continue to sell the car than drive it to the local dealer and have it inspected, that is a red flag to me.  I have purchased 4 BMW's in the USA that way.  Sight unseen over the internet.  Always had a good experience. 

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20 minutes ago, Sakeopete said:

They can but very unlikely that a small scratch would cause overspray to the weather stripping under the hood. I noticed it walking up to the car it was about 20 cm wide.

Rather depends on whether the repair was done in that area and how much care was taken with masking, doesn't it?  Scratches can be anywhere and stone chip damage can cover the entire front of a car.

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4 minutes ago, Thomas J said:

  I have purchased 4 BMW's in the USA that way.  Sight unseen over the internet.  Always had a good experience. 

If you bought "sight unseen" you can't have seen, or had anyone inspect the cars, before buying, that's what "sight unseen" means!

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58 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Overspray doesn't necessarily mean an accident repair in the sense of heavy accident damage.   Many private sellers and most tents have scratches or stone chips repaired before sale and that can cause overspray.   Doesn't mean the car's been in an accident.

Most important thing to check if you suspect accident damage is frame and wheel alignment, especially frame which is very difficult to rectify.  Most Cockpit shops can do this.   Actually, even if I didn't suspect accident damage, I'd do this if there was a shop located nearby.

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Flood damage, major crashes, all easy to spot.

And many people might have got caught up in the Covid masquerade and lost their source of income.

I look at a lot of used cars, and this is the story I am told often.

Is it true ? Unknown.

Are the cars in like-new condition - yes

Apart from the original buyer eating the depreciation.

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1 hour ago, Thomas J said:

They don't allow you to take to a dealer to inspect.  Don't buy

Exactly.  Find a car that suits your requirements and price bracket, agree a price and then confirm you will buy once you've had it checked at a main dealer. You agree to pay for the check and then wait for the response.  I've sold 90% of the vehicles I've owned privately and wouldn't be concerned if this was part of the transaction.

 

You can safely walk away if they decline.

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47 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

If you bought "sight unseen" you can't have seen, or had anyone inspect the cars, before buying, that's what "sight unseen" means!

As I said, I could have my dog eat a bowl of alphabet soup and defecate answers that are more logical, than what you repeatedly say. 

I bought the cars sight unseen.  That is not to say that "someone" did not see the car or inspect it.  The fact that I the purchaser did not see the car, makes it sight unseen.  But given your Reponses on numerous topics that might be beyond your comprehension. 

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2 hours ago, Sakeopete said:

Agree that is what I do however I hate making the effort to drive to far away dealers who swear the vehicle is low mileage and never been in an accident to find overspray on the hood's weather stripping. Then they still deny it was in an accident. 

Some cars get various parts sprayed - even for a minor dent or scratch. Our whole swift have been pretty much resprayed for said marks. 

 

Many people have not driven much during the pandemic so that may be reducing mileage on the cars. No point really to look at the odometer - look at the condition of the car - some genuine high mileage cars are in excellent condition (as was my civic when I sold it), and some are low mileage but trashed and unserviced. 

 

I would mainly look at the service record and ask to see receipts for work (easier if it's a private sale). 

 

My wife has a swift (2013) now, but more than likely will get a honda city turbo/hybrid as the next car. There's nothing wrong with a newish swift though. Pretty good mileage and nippy enough around town. Any car bought in the last couple of years may well have low mileage. Our crv we got in Feb 2019 has just 30K kms on it. 

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1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Overspray doesn't necessarily mean an accident repair in the sense of heavy accident damage.   Many private sellers and most tents have scratches or stone chips repaired before sale and that can cause overspray.   Doesn't mean the car's been in an accident.

Totally agree.  Ex wife had huge problems fitting a 6 foot car through a 7 foot opening so nearly every car we owned had either new or repaired bumpers /wing mirrors etc.  Potential buyers would pick up on this and suggest the vehicle had been written off. 

 

I believe this is a problem unique to the UK where 20 year old cars have to be in pristine  condition before sale....as opposed to in France where they are battered beyond recognition from day 1.

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1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Overspray doesn't necessarily mean an accident repair in the sense of heavy accident damage.   Many private sellers and most tents have scratches or stone chips repaired before sale and that can cause overspray.   Doesn't mean the car's been in an accident.

Correct...and often the paint does not match exactly to the adjacent panels, so it often stands out. 

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41 minutes ago, RAZZELL said:

Yes, Mrs has one. White with the black roof. If you squint you can kid yourself that's it's a Fortuner  ????

 

RAZZ

I wonder why they are no longer available. They seem like a good buy.

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1 hour ago, DavisH said:

Some cars get various parts sprayed - even for a minor dent or scratch. Our whole swift have been pretty much resprayed for said marks. 

 

Many people have not driven much during the pandemic so that may be reducing mileage on the cars. No point really to look at the odometer - look at the condition of the car - some genuine high mileage cars are in excellent condition (as was my civic when I sold it), and some are low mileage but trashed and unserviced. 

 

I would mainly look at the service record and ask to see receipts for work (easier if it's a private sale). 

 

My wife has a swift (2013) now, but more than likely will get a honda city turbo/hybrid as the next car. There's nothing wrong with a newish swift though. Pretty good mileage and nippy enough around town. Any car bought in the last couple of years may well have low mileage. Our crv we got in Feb 2019 has just 30K kms on it. 

For a 2019 30k kms is normal but I was looking at a 2019 registered (2018 model) with less than 6k kms it just gets my spidey senses tingling.

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1 hour ago, LennyW said:

There is a lot of people out of work in the last two years, cant make the payments so cars end up in the sales tents.

True but young people who finance their first cars tend to drive them a lot just for the face factor alone. 

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6 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

you noticed overspray under the hood when walking up to the vehicle ?

Maybe you haven't visited many tents recently but the trend has been to have the hood popped so they can quickly lift it to show the engine to potential clients.

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Low milage on cars in Thailand is no surprise as most people purchase it as a status symbol. They neither have money or time to use their cars aside of their budget commute to and from work.

 

They also seem to think that previous paid interest on their car loan can be added to the value of cars when selling them second hand thus cars here keeping a higher value for a long time lol.

Edited by ChaiyaTH
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Dealers should automatically list the mileage of cars coming in for a service in a computer and in the service book. I would not trust here any low mileage car without its stamped service book including dates and the mileage.

Edited by Destiny1990
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15 hours ago, LosLobo said:

I wonder why they are no longer available. They seem like a good buy.

I "think" it was basically a bodykit and some extras on the old model to get rid of them.

 

They "painted" (put film?) on the roof, raised the suspension by a few mm and added a camera etc.

 

Before we bought it I sat in a lot of cars and found the rear quite spacious compared to a Jazz and the competition (Honda, Mazda) when the forward seats were in a driving position.

 

It was also cheap, about 635k from memory which included a few freebies and 1st class insurance for a year (which came in handy when the brother-in-law stacked it!). Very good on petrol. Fill her up for about 850 baht.

 

Only thing I would say is the paint seems to chip quite easily (?). Not sure if this is connected with a "ceramic protection" which we put on it? 

 

In a year or so will when the Mrs gets a bit more used to driving we will buy another larger car, but in general quite pleased overall.

 

I like the look of the Fortuner (white with black roof) - not not sure on the new version with the massive black plastic grill thought. Will soon be able to get a used 2.8l 4x4 about 4-5 years old for around 1m baht (new top spec is about 1.8m).

 

RAZZ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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