Most are not Nissans actually ?
"wholesale to the public" - no test drive?
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AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
I just noticed a "PUBLIC AUCTION" banner at the local Toyota dealer. Dealers must be trying new tactics to get bodies on the lot.
Unsafe at any speed.
With a 2008 you can pop the raditor cap to see if the coolant looks normal.
If it does, its GTG and SMOD has not happend.
Also you can check the parts number on the radiator. it might have already been replaced.
Having said all that, no test drive to check the vehicle is absurd.
if it was truly wholesale it would be the same price roughly as a trade- in.
If its not , its not wholesale and they owe u a test drive to see deficiencies.
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yes just like at auction you calculate a 50% chance of a major multi thousand dollar systems failure in pre existence on the vehicle and known to the dealer.
This is all very odd, as franchised dealers (those that have a sign for a particular brand they are franchised from) generally have too much to lose to knowingly sell a car with a major flaw.
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Preventativly an easy fix.
I bought 3 vehicles from the suspicous years/models.
Put a new radiator in each of them, shortly after purchase and risk of future problem solved.
Nissan, Toyota and Mercedes had these issue in different model years for specific platforms.
Modern auto trannies route their ATF through the rad for summer cooling/winter prewarm.
Sometimes these heat exchangers can leak.
Coolant leaking from the high rad pressure into an auto transmission will ruin it almost instantly.
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I am sure its not quite as bad as Copart.
Nothing can be as bad as the seller badly vandalizing the car's expensive underbody parts (drive shaft, catalytic converters) and even body panels, with a forklift after the sale.
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I wonder if this works well for unloading to BHPH lots. Buyers from this dealership would need a flatbed to remove, no? A BHPH could pick up, do whatever needed to put onto their lot. They won't make much if they were to sell for cash--but that's the point, land some sucker at a high interest rate and hope for a default. Then lather rinse repeat.
I'm sure there's some gems in there but it sounds like a gamble and on top of that, logistics problem. If you can't tow it away cheaply and repair cheaply... seems like the gamble for someone else to play.
Bummer as some of the stuff I'd rather do. I'd rather buy with bald tires and put on what I'd prefer to have--as opposed to the cheapest new Chinese tires. Same goes for basic suspension stuff, like struts. I don't want the cheapest that will quickly fail. But not being able to test drive, and ultimately drive home? big turnoff. My time has value too.
I'm sure there's some gems in there but it sounds like a gamble and on top of that, logistics problem. If you can't tow it away cheaply and repair cheaply... seems like the gamble for someone else to play.
Bummer as some of the stuff I'd rather do. I'd rather buy with bald tires and put on what I'd prefer to have--as opposed to the cheapest new Chinese tires. Same goes for basic suspension stuff, like struts. I don't want the cheapest that will quickly fail. But not being able to test drive, and ultimately drive home? big turnoff. My time has value too.
Elkins45
Site Donor 2026
I looked at a used Mazda5 at a BHPH lot where the guy said their insurance wouldn’t let me test drive it on the highway but they did let me drive it around the lot. Just on a whim I asked the guy “If I can’t drive it on the highway does that also mean I can’t ride with you while YOU drive it?” Turns out it didn’t, and the ride along is the reason I don’t own a Mazda5.
If you’re really interested in one then maybe see if the salesman will let you ride with him around the block? Or offer to put some gas in it if you can ride to the station with him?
If you’re really interested in one then maybe see if the salesman will let you ride with him around the block? Or offer to put some gas in it if you can ride to the station with him?
This is untrue. If you have smod you can flush the coolant, flush the transmission, bypass the cooler, clean up the degass and trade it in. You will get a few miles. The valve body /tcu fail eventually. Those can be fixed too - at a cost.
Popping the cap will tell you if it has smod currently. You can usually see it in the degas bottle as well.
4wd
$50 site donor 2026
How much is the 3WD?
4wd
$50 site donor 2026
And that’s also a good tabulation of what’s called 4WD’s
Actively hiding a defect in this manner is considered Fraud.
Amd yes fraud can exist, but you cannot account for that.
It's kinda like like saying:
Poster A: "You can check the milage at the odometer"
Poster B:" This is untrue. Someone could have always rolled it back"
Yes I agree. But on the Nissan boards we saw lots of people buying used and then having this problem almost immediately.
Ok but why isn’t that called a 2Runner?
Couple decades ago a local chevy dealer was clearing out trade ins and did a live auction in the lot with no test drives as well. I did go to the auction not because I needed anything but just to see what was sold and price range. There were some deals if you were okay with just watching them pull it up and listening. Cheapest car was some big boat don't remember brand/model but it went for $65 as I debated bidding and doing a cheap tune up on it and flipping it for $500-$1000 but I passed as it really was an ugly boat but it ran. I remember the price after all these years just because it was so cheap but so ugly nobody wanted it but back then basically anything that ran started at $500 so $65 was a deal I suppose. My other thought at $65 was launching it into a lake or making it a derby car. 
I would only buy without a test drive if the price is thousands below KBB so if something is mechanically wrong I have the money to fix it for free.
I would only buy without a test drive if the price is thousands below KBB so if something is mechanically wrong I have the money to fix it for free.
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My guess is that "wholesale to the public" is a simple marketing move. It will get people on the dealers lot, the dealer phone ringing and the first thing that dealer does is GET YOUR PHONE NIMBER so he can sell you a real car!
The dealer takes his crap low end trade cars and gives it a label " wholesale to the public" Sound and looks better than just parking them on the back row with flat tires and $800 on the window.
That name Wholesale to the public makes people "think" deal! and thinking 'deal" makes the phone ring or IF someone is willing to pay his price without a test drive, so be it but my guess is that dealer is simply happy with his phone ringing.
My guess is EVERY high dealer profit new car purchase started with some guy calling looking for a "deal" was called a loss leader back in the newspaper days when one car the dealer had already sold was the one in the Sunday Paper, It made his phone ring Monday Morning! ...
And that dealer WILL sell those cars at his price as the dealer has the magic of financing! So many young Desperate People, say 2 weeks on a new job with a fresh divorce and BAD credit that MUST have a car at ANY PRICE as long as it can be paid weakly even at 22%, many people are so desperate NO test drive is even needed!
The only thing needed is the words " Your Approved"
IF that dealer can't get someone approved via a bank he may keep the deal in house at hight % and put someone in a car.
Its not always a bad thing..
My buddy had bad credit and had to have a car quick to get to work, He could NOT get car financing so I called my dealer friend and he sold my buddy one of those back row cars for $8,000 and yes at 22% for 24 months. It was a good $8,000 car and got my buddy to work and I got a $50 gift card for sending my buddy to that sales guy.
Everyone was happy!
The dealer takes his crap low end trade cars and gives it a label " wholesale to the public" Sound and looks better than just parking them on the back row with flat tires and $800 on the window.
That name Wholesale to the public makes people "think" deal! and thinking 'deal" makes the phone ring or IF someone is willing to pay his price without a test drive, so be it but my guess is that dealer is simply happy with his phone ringing.
My guess is EVERY high dealer profit new car purchase started with some guy calling looking for a "deal" was called a loss leader back in the newspaper days when one car the dealer had already sold was the one in the Sunday Paper, It made his phone ring Monday Morning! ...
And that dealer WILL sell those cars at his price as the dealer has the magic of financing! So many young Desperate People, say 2 weeks on a new job with a fresh divorce and BAD credit that MUST have a car at ANY PRICE as long as it can be paid weakly even at 22%, many people are so desperate NO test drive is even needed!
The only thing needed is the words " Your Approved"
IF that dealer can't get someone approved via a bank he may keep the deal in house at hight % and put someone in a car.
Its not always a bad thing..
My buddy had bad credit and had to have a car quick to get to work, He could NOT get car financing so I called my dealer friend and he sold my buddy one of those back row cars for $8,000 and yes at 22% for 24 months. It was a good $8,000 car and got my buddy to work and I got a $50 gift card for sending my buddy to that sales guy.
Everyone was happy!
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I could understand that mentality but the 4 runner was really clean. Local car fax, lots of service records. Someone loved it once.
Like I said I would have purchased if I could have driven.
I haven’t looked at others. I don’t think I would buy without driving. I still can’t figure out why unless there is some insurance reason.
