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Should I buy this car (Honda Odyssey) according to the CarFax? Also, why has this car been in an auction 2 times even though it has low mileage and is relatively new (2010)? Does this raise a red flag? Thanks!
Last edited by eluu4262; 04-07-2018 at 10:53 PM..
Reason: Mistake
I don't see why not to buy it if the price is right. It seems it was regularly serviced, a lot of cars go to auction, at least the first time it was probably a lease car. Sometimes dealers put a used car on their lot and if it doesn't sell quickly they send them to auction. As far as mileage, it's got 90K, a lot of people shy away from cars with 110K, but it is a Honda, so it should be good for it.
Thanks for your response! I now see why the car has been sent to an auction the 1st time (after lease). But I'm still wondering why the car has been sent to auction for the 2nd time. Would it be for the same reason that the car wasn't able to be sold at the dealership? Also, would the reason behind the car not being able to be sold at the dealership is because the car (Honda Odyssey) has issues? Thanks again!
Last edited by eluu4262; 04-07-2018 at 10:53 PM..
Reason: mistake
Should I buy this car according to the CarFax? Also, why has this car been in an auction 2 times even though it has low mileage and is relatively new (2010)? Does this raise a red flag? Thanks!
I guess that my first question is if you want our true opinion, why are you not posting the entire report? It is rather difficult to tell what kind of vehicle you are looking at.
First, you always have to be very careful with Carmax reports. They are not always complete and many of their disclaimers are total garbage. I have seem manufacturer lemon law buy-backs that are sold at auto auctions and Carfax notes, "Millions of cars are sold at auction each year." That is true but thousands of those cars have major issues with them - bad titles, flood damages, etc.
The best way to avoid a bad car is to take the car to a trusted mechanic or a Honda dealership, pay $75-100 and have them take a very close look at them. My brother is a master mechanic and he loves to have people bring in cars for inspection. he gives everybody a list of issues as NO used car is perfect. However, he catches major repairs, bent frames, previous flood damage and the like on some of the vehicles.
It does not really bother me that the car has been to the auction twice. In the first case, it came off-lease. Lease companies generally sell most of their vehicles through auction. In the second case, many dealers will send off cars that don't meet their needs on the used car lots. If you trade a Chevy Truck into a Ford dealership, 95% of the time, the truck goes to auctions as it will not sell well on a Ford lot.
The car has ONLY 90,000. I do NOT agree with the prior poster that people will not buy a Honda Odyssey with 90k. They will sell well up to about 140k. It would be a different story with a domestic minivan.
Thanks for your response! I now see why the car has been sent to an auction the 1st time (after lease). But I'm still wondering why the car has been sent to auction for the 2nd time. Would it be for the same reason that the car wasn't able to be sold at the dealership? Also, would the reason behind the car not being able to be sold at the dealership is because the car (Honda Odyssey) has issues? Thanks again!
It looks like it was traded in at which point the dealer sent it to auction. Maybe they had too many lower mileage Odysseys, maybe they don't sell higher mileage vehicles or maybe they don't have a good market for minivans. It wouldn't worry me that it had been auctioned off the second time.
Red flags are repeated major repairs, total-loss insurance payoffs and salvage titles. A less obvious flag that needs some research is a sale right after a major disaster like a hurricane or flood - there are dealers who will drive down with carriers and pick up flooded cars without insurance coverage for pennies, then refurb them without ever reporting the damage and repairs. Watch out for all cars from southern states for this even if they've had a subsequent owner or two - someone who paid full price and finds moldy carpet padding will try to unload it.
Generally, being sold around a few times, even at low miles, just happens sometimes. Trade-in, region is overstocked with that model, wholesale, buyer fallthrough, wholesale again... this can happen in three or four months.
I guess that my first question is if you want our true opinion, why are you not posting the entire report? It is rather difficult to tell what kind of vehicle you are looking at.
First, you always have to be very careful with Carmax reports. They are not always complete and many of their disclaimers are total garbage. I have seem manufacturer lemon law buy-backs that are sold at auto auctions and Carfax notes, "Millions of cars are sold at auction each year." That is true but thousands of those cars have major issues with them - bad titles, flood damages, etc.
The best way to avoid a bad car is to take the car to a trusted mechanic or a Honda dealership, pay $75-100 and have them take a very close look at them. My brother is a master mechanic and he loves to have people bring in cars for inspection. he gives everybody a list of issues as NO used car is perfect. However, he catches major repairs, bent frames, previous flood damage and the like on some of the vehicles.
It does not really bother me that the car has been to the auction twice. In the first case, it came off-lease. Lease companies generally sell most of their vehicles through auction. In the second case, many dealers will send off cars that don't meet their needs on the used car lots. If you trade a Chevy Truck into a Ford dealership, 95% of the time, the truck goes to auctions as it will not sell well on a Ford lot.
The car has ONLY 90,000. I do NOT agree with the prior poster that people will not buy a Honda Odyssey with 90k. They will sell well up to about 140k. It would be a different story with a domestic minivan.
^This. The one thing you should realize is the timing belt is due to be serviced soon. Usually about 100k under normal circumstances. Check to see if it has been done already. It's a major maintenance item. If it hasn't, or they don't know, that is a price negotiation point. They should change the water pump along with the timing belt (the belt has to be removed to change the pump).
I'd also check to see if the struts (shock absorbers) are worn. You don't want a floaty, bouncy ride.
^This. The one thing you should realize is the timing belt is due to be serviced soon.
This. Most Hondas, Subarus, others have a major engine service at 100-120k. You often see them for sale just before that point, as the owner realizes they have a big bite coming and trade the car in.
For the Ody, you pretty much want to do timing belt, tensioners, water pump, spark plugs and small belts all at the same time. A good brand-indy shop should do it for about $1500, all in, using OEM parts. (Dealers can run as much as $4-5k... which makes the owner run over to the sales side.) Beware anyone who quotes a much lower price - they are probably using inferior parts and there's just no point in doing $800-1k in labor and saving $100 on parts.
For Subaru 4-cylinders, it's timing belt and head gaskets. Similar costs.
Fail to replace the timing belt within a safe time, and it could break... which will destroy the engine. Valve-piston interference on 2 to 4 cylinders, likely both heads and block damaged beyond repair.
This. Most Hondas, Subarus, others have a major engine service at 100-120k. You often see them for sale just before that point, as the owner realizes they have a big bite coming and trade the car in.
For the Ody, you pretty much want to do timing belt, tensioners, water pump, spark plugs and small belts all at the same time. A good brand-indy shop should do it for about $1500, all in, using OEM parts. (Dealers can run as much as $4-5k... which makes the owner run over to the sales side.) Beware anyone who quotes a much lower price - they are probably using inferior parts and there's just no point in doing $800-1k in labor and saving $100 on parts.
For Subaru 4-cylinders, it's timing belt and head gaskets. Similar costs.
Fail to replace the timing belt within a safe time, and it could break... which will destroy the engine. Valve-piston interference on 2 to 4 cylinders, likely both heads and block damaged beyond repair.
This 100% correct
IMO, I would go with a Sienna. Late model Hondas are known for transmission issues
IMO, I would go with a Sienna. Late model Hondas are known for transmission issues
I've had two Odysseys of notably problematic years for transmissions... and probably 300k miles of no problems at all.
I do wish they'd released the AWD version - I will probably be looking for a replacement in about 2-3 years and a good lease-return one would be ideal. But they caved, so I'll have to choose between a Pilot and a Sienna.
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