Would you buy this truck?

[bigjase]

So my car was recently totaled by a drunk driver and I'm in the market for a truck. I was looking at a 2005 Dodge Dakota located about an hour and a half away from where I live. I was just reviewing the carfax, however, and I have a couple of concerns. The truck has had 2 owners. The first owner leased the truck and it doesn't look like he had any issues. The 2nd owner had 2 accidents. The carfax states that in both incidents that "it hit a motor vehicle, moderate damage reported." The first accident shows that the headlights were adjusted and an alignment was performed. It appears that the only thing done after the 2nd accident was that the sunroof was checked twice within a month. 8 months later, a loan or lien was reported and it is now for sale from a dealership.

 

Is this truck worth looking at? Was the car repossessed and that is why it states there was another loan or lease? I'm sure I could get a better deal on this truck than one that hasn't had any accidents, but I don't want to have a bunch of issues.

[JoeHova]

I wouldn't take the chance, I don't think. Seems a little shady to be worth making an hour and a half trip. I'm not an expert car buyer though.

[Gobias Industries]

Ask the dealer where it was bought from. It was probably a repo, but if it's a reputable dealer, who cares? I've bought hundreds of repos the last few years.

 

The carfax wouldn't scare me at all. As long as it qualifies for buyback protection and doesn't have previous airbags deployed or frame damage, that's acceptable. It's a good negotiating tool for you as well.

 

Do you have a place you can bring it to in your hometown? If so, ask the dealer if you can have your guy check it out. If he says no, pass. If he does and your guy says it's cool, I'd pursue it. This is a dealbreaker.

[Teatoe993]

An 05 Dakota that has already been in two accidents is worth nothing in my book. Stay away from Chrysler!

[Invader3K]

I probably wouldn't bother, especially for a three hour round trip. I'd be very leery of a vehicle like that which has been in multiple accidents. My guess is that the second owner beat the hell out of it.

[lodiness]

Carfax in my opinion is a joke. While it does tell you that there is damage, the severity of the damage is determined by the officer at the accident, not someone that is in the auto body field. I really wish that they would put a dollar amount on the sevarity of the damage, but it will never happen because Carfax uses DMV records to compile there info. If the police weren't called, it won't be on the carfax report. That being said, you have to see what kind of work was done on the vehicle. If it was done right, you should have no problem with it. The vehicle is 6 years old now, and being from WI, the two accidents wouldn't really worry me. Without seeing it for yourself, it's hard to determine what was done. I agree with Gobias that the dealer should let you take it to your own shop and have it checked out. Since you're so far away, find an auto mechanic place in that area and have them check it out, should only run you no more than $75-100, which is better than buying a vehicle that isn't good. Personally, I'm not a big fan of Chrysler products, but if it's what you want go for it.

[Teatoe993]

bigjase, I see that you are from Oshkosh. I manage an auto repair shop in Neenah. Contact me if you find something local that you are interested in purchasing. We give free pre-purchase inspections to all of our customers and would be willing to do the same for you. I just need a little bit of notice ahead of time.

[Gobias Industries]

Lodiness is right on. Carfax is basically a scam. Hell of a marketing campaign though. Autocheck is much more reliable.

 

For reference, my car has been in a moderate accident. I have a scratch of about 6 inches on my back bumper to show for it. My mom bought a brand new Civic Hybrid a few yrs ago, absolutely smoked a deer right by her house, and didn't have to call the cops. $8000 in damage. Clean carfax. Don't ever think you're in the clear if you have a "clean" carfax. For the most part, they're completely unreliable.

[bigjase]

Thanks everyone. A lot of Chrysler haters out there! I've always had good luck with them, so that is part of the reason I'm looking at Dakota trucks now. I had a 2000 Neon and then a 2004 Stratus and never had any problems with either vehicle. I have a couple of friends who live in the same area where the truck is located so I might make a weekend out of it. I would just need to try and set up an appointment with someone to look at the truck ahead of time. I'll see what I can find out.

[bigjase]

Teatoe, PM sent!

[lodiness]

Lodiness is right on. Carfax is basically a scam. Hell of a marketing campaign though. Autocheck is much more reliable.

Also for reference, we had a car on our lot once that the carfax said it had a severe accident. We knew the people that we purchased it from.The rear window got busted out by something. It was a relatively expensive window, but by no means a severe accident. Good luck in your search.