Dumbing down used cars?

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: VeeDubb

What do you guys think of nearly new cars with less than 10,000 miles. E.g. 2016 Town and Country with 9000 miles being sold used? A sure sign of a lemon that has been dumbed down?

I wouldn't rule one out but I'd inspect it just as carefully as one with average or even higher miles. Do some digging and see if you can get the story on it. Don't be too quick to believe any grandma stories. Grandma might be in on it. Reminds me of an old Andy Griffith episode.

 

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted By: callbay

Can the dealer make it so no codes will show anymore?

With Tuning Software....You can turn codes off "No MIL/No Error reported", The odds of a used car dealer having such software & knowing how to use it is very slim.

 

[TFB1]

The smart ones have readers/programmers that can turn off certain functions in the PCM... A CEL because if insufficient EGR flow??? No problem, turn that function off... My beater F-150 came from a private party and has no CEL, guessing it's been removed... It had no sign of being apart recently, maybe the bulb is just burned out(ha ha)... I went with a dealer buddy to a repo auction a week ago, he bought a 10K mi 2015 Chrysler T&C for $21,200(said $22,100 was his limit), will price it out at around $26K... There was perfect, 932 mile, 2015 Kia Rio that brought $6800(yes it was automatic)... Bank holding lein wouldn't sell it, we'll see what it does next week...

 

[eljefino]

Don't you have to be passionate about a particular powertrain to have someone make a programmer? I could see a dealer that does nothing but WRX's or Duramaxes having the software. But being able to tune half the fleet out there... would be a huge investment in software just to do something extraordinarily illegal. I can't see the effort being widespread.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: eljefino

Don't you have to be passionate about a particular powertrain to have someone make a programmer? I could see a dealer that does nothing but WRX's or Duramaxes having the software. But being able to tune half the fleet out there... would be a huge investment in software just to do something extraordinarily illegal. I can't see the effort being widespread.

Pretty sure you are right. And even then... I spent good money on getting my Jetta tuned, and had the EGR "turned off" so as to deal with the fact it no longer existed. Still set the code in summer months. I strongly suspect some things are hard coded and simply can't be turned off. Instead a generic ECU has ranges which values can be set, like 10% to 90% (based upon maps using rpm, load, whatever), so that one ECU can be used across multiple platforms. And accessing those maps is what tuners are doing. But if the aftermarket could just get in there and magically turn everything off... it'd have happened by now. Maybe back in the days of PROM's and OBDI. Sometimes I wonder if anyone has gone about making an ECU that would "set" readiness flags and keep codes to nil but otherwise run the vehicle. Massive undertaking I suspect, and very few enthusiasts have pockets that deep.

 

[supton]

I've got a question: has anyone here traded in, or otherwise sold, a car without disclosing that xyz was either broken or just about to break? Or has every private car seller been absolutely honest about their own dealings? It's been buyer beware since, like, forever.

 

[GaleHawkins]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle

Originally Posted By: VeeDubb

What do you guys think of nearly new cars with less than 10,000 miles. E.g. 2016 Town and Country with 9000 miles being sold used? A sure sign of a lemon that has been dumbed down?

Lease return, rental, or repo. My mother turned in a 2014 Prius with 8500 miles a couple weeks ago.

Good point. Our recent purchase (2006 Ford 500 car) spent 8500 miles in a fleet environment then a salesman's at a Ford dealership bought it for his wife in late 2006 and they traded it for a new Ford Escape in 2016. So far so good. The car was put through the Ford shop before putting it on the lot. If they question one's dependability it just goes to the auction or a buyer that sales to used dealers. When I can talk to the past owner (10 year owner in this case) helps me make a better decision usually. Buying something with factory warranty still in place is a low brainer in most cases.

 

[GaleHawkins]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle

Originally Posted By: VeeDubb

What do you guys think of nearly new cars with less than 10,000 miles. E.g. 2016 Town and Country with 9000 miles being sold used? A sure sign of a lemon that has been dumbed down?

Lease return, rental, or repo. My mother turned in a 2014 Prius with 8500 miles a couple weeks ago.

Good point. Our recent purchase (2006 Ford 500 car) spent 8500 miles in a fleet environment then a salesman's at a Ford dealership bought it for his wife in late 2006 and they traded it for a new Ford Escape in 2016. So far so good. The car was put through the Ford shop before putting it on the lot. If they question one's dependability it just goes to the auction or a buyer that sales to used dealers. When I can talk to the past owner (10 year owner in this case) helps me make a better decision usually. Buying something with factory warranty still in place is a low brainer in most cases. Most on this site are OK at buying used. I think most people are not and are better off going new and keeping them past pay off. This morning I saw a car like my 2006 at the same price I paid but with 220K more miles. If mine with 110K makes it to 330K miles I will be a happy camper.

 

[VeeDubb]

Originally Posted By: supton

I've got a question: has anyone here traded in, or otherwise sold, a car without disclosing that xyz was either broken or just about to break? Or has every private car seller been absolutely honest about their own dealings? It's been buyer beware since, like, forever.

I always fully disclose because I negotiate my purchase and trade-in online. The last thing I want to do is agree on a deal and then show up and then they low-ball me on the trade-in because they found a serious issue. That gives the dealer an extra degree of discretion to reduce your trade-in value. What amazes me is that I have never had a dealer tell me that my trade-in problems will be a deal breaker.