In the past, I used to just buy a $20 Carfax package for up to X cars when I was shopping for a used car. Carfax is now up to a bajillion dollars. It's something like $40 PER REPORT. Even the "free" VIN check sites now give you less than nothing. They used to at least verify the model, country, and a few options. Now they just take you directly to a page where you enter your CC info and say "yes, we found this VIN, pay through the nose to possibly, potentially, maybe see something that may or may not be accurate."
Trying to research a X308 Super V8 I found in Fredericksburg VA on a used car lot and I am having trouble finding any info on it. Most of the stuff I can check with my eye, but salvage title, odometer check, etc I can't really research. The lot is also 2 hours away.
I could call the dealer and get a load of BS, lies, and outright false information, or I could go into it armed with info and poke around it myself.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2608005865953923/
Check your inbox , I sent you the info of the people I used last year,
Stay safe
Just google searching the vin didn't bring up anything interesting.
I did click onto the dealers FB page and I see that back on 11-20-19 they posted about this Jag. If that was the first time then they have had the car for 5 months this week. Thats a long time and at the Mid of March everything came to a halt.
Anyone know if VA has titling requirements for dealers? I know in PA, the time to strike at a used car dealer is around month #5, because if it stays in their inventory for 6 months, they have to title it to themselves. I once snagged an $8000 truck for $4500 that way.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
I don't know about VA but here are some more forces at work...
Financing. Dealers usually use a line of credit to add cars to the lot (called a floor plan which seems to represent how they get the inventory on the showroom floor.)
After about 60 days they have to make payments (even if that is interest only.)
When that payment comes due, a lot of dealers offload a car via auction. In simplified math, they can have the car for 60 days cost free. Then, swap that for another car cost free.
A current flaw to all this is auctions have gone "virtual" so no gathering before to inspect purchases. This lowers prices and increases risk.
So, even if this guy would like to offload this Jag he is hampered in successfully doing that.
With fewer sales happening, he might hold out for "all the money" but he also might consider some money better than no money.
I sent them a message, but I have no idea if anyone is monitoring the FB page. I asked for the title status but kept it brief. In the used-car world, dealers think they're the fisherman and I'm the fish. So I let them think that. So I nibble. Just enough to get them excited.
