Ok guys, i just did the vin check on carfa
Everything looks good, except on 09/27/2011 The previous owner did a duplicate title issue. And there is an alert saying that the odometor was not issued
Last time the odometor was issued was on 04/29/2011 and was at 92,764
So it looks good right now its at 95k?
on the top right hand corner it says BRANDED TITLE: NOT ACTUAL MILEAGE
It also says that the car is worth $970 less than retail book value
And i dont understand, the guy says its under his name, so shouldnt it show up on carfax that it was registerd recently about 3 months ago? He did show me the slip that it was under his name, just needed smog so it can "fully" be under his name.....oh wait never mind, he still needs to smog it so it can be under his....
Should i walk away guys, or go and check the vins and make sure the payperwork is right on?

 

I'd say considering the price, it warrants a look. A cautious look, but definitely a look. It would also be in your best interest to take the car in to a certified mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection. I know a mechanic near me who does inspections for free. They see it as an opportunity to build a relationship for future business, and it works for them.

 

Does he have a title for it? I would make him get it inspected before you buy it. Check to make sure all the emissions are in place as well since this is going to be a CA car. Like everyone says, get the car checked out by a trusted mechanic, knowledgable friend or whatever. Couple of things scare me on this car, but if they are minor that price is a hell of a deal.

 

Buy it. If it comes down to the car being useless because of some one of those issues, you could sell the Engine/Trans for nearly as much as you paid for the car (according to eBay, where and LS1 and 6-speed are going for $3k).

So long as you have somewhere to put the car and time, you could then part it out and make a tidy profit. Maybe this is crazy advice fueled by the fact that I wish I had the time/money to buy cars and part them out, because the potential for profit is enormous.

 

Yes he has the title, and has agreed he'd smog it
Btw, since carfax is telling Me that the 3rd owner issued a not actual mileage issue in 2007, then at that time the title is not clean anymore right?
And if so, how does that affect me when I try to register it under my and put insurance on it?
Sorry for these questions I'm about to be 18 and this might be my first car

 

I don't know how CA works, but here in IL they don't state the mileage on the title (which has always seemed weird to me) but it does say not actual mileage in that field on the title. Maybe someone else from CA can chime in and say if that's standard operating procedure there as well.

 

Hey guys, in a couple of days i will be with the guy in a smog shop and see if it passes. If it does, where should i look to see that the vin number on the dash matches the other vins? Is there any vins on the engine, or by the engine comparment?
Also, if it does pass smog, then what will happend with the payperwork?
Its still under the name of the person he bought it off from, its partially under his name. Who signs it when he wants to pass the pink and title to me, him or the person he bought it from?

 

That's legal stuff I am not familiar with. Every state is different.

 

SC is the same way. I have a habit of writing in the mileage when we're titling a car and at the DMV, they will put white out on that and have you initial it. If car is over 10 years old, they put "not actual mileage" on the titles. As for the other thing he mentioned "duplicate title", I've done that as well too. It's just when you lose one you can go get a duplicate and the title has to say just that.

 

Yeah, strange thing is many many years ago they used to list the mileage on the titles no matter what. Don't know why they stopped, unless they feel it doesn't mean much for an older car (as far as they're concerned anyway).