What would you do...

I think I may have been taken by the dealership when I bought my truck 2 years ago.

I am looking to buy a house, and was entertaining the idea of selling my truck in-order to help me with the down payment. The cousin of a friend of mine was interested in buying the truck, so he had his dad (who works at a local car dealership) run a CarFax for him.

I still have the original copy of the CarFax that was given to me by John L. Sullivan Toyota in Roseville, stating that my truck had 1 previous owner, and was owned privately. The CarFax that was performed by my friends dad came back claiming that I was the 4th owner, and that it used to be registered as a commercial vehicle, some sort of fleet truck I'm assuming. (VIN numbers match, as well as the new CarFax includes the cities in which I have lived each time I have registered the truck, they're both mine)

I am currently planning on getting a 3rd CarFax done, so that I can see which one is correct, and which one isn't.



My Question is ----------------

The fact I'm potentially the 4th owner would have changed my mind on buying this particular truck, and could seriously hurt me selling this truck privately. So, does anyone have ideas, tips, or advice as to what I should do?

 

Yeah, never ever believe anything a dealership salesperson tells you! Do your own homework. Their sole purpose is to take you for as much as they possibly can, using every dirty tactic they know. I once had a salesman at a local dealership show me a typed copy paper & told me, " here is the invoice on the truck". I told him my 8 yr. old nephew could make a more realistic " invoice" than his on a toy computer! There are ways to find out within a few cents what the dealership actually has into a vehicle, as well as the total true history on any used vehicle. Do your homework man, it has saved me thousands!

 

if you need a purchase loan let me know my friend.

I can get you amazing rates

 

There is nothing you can do 2 years after the sale if you are concerned about going back to the dealer.

Car fax is not worth the money you pay. They are often inaccurate as you found out and can give you a false sense of security.

Just for the hell of it, call car fax and ask them why the two different reports. But I bet they have a disclaimer

I personally would never pay for a car fax report. Anyone with half a brain can tell if the truck has been wrecked. And if it has a reconstructive title................RUN!

 

A loan? I own the truck out right. I was just lied to when I bought the thing

 

no doubt you signed a purchase contract when you bought the vehicle. normally the terms of the contract are the only controlling factors - i would review that agreement if you still have it. i'm willing to bet there is language in that contract that says there were no oral or other agreements as between the dealer and you and the vehicle was bought "as is."

that being said, there are still things you can do once you find out what the "real" car fax says. follow up with the local better business bureau, and contact your local department of consumer affairs. you might even let the DMV know about it because they can investigate fraudulent practices on the part of car dealers and fine them and/or suspend their licenses. you might even contact your local district attorney's office and let them know what is going on, they have the power to investigate scams like this as well.

good luck OP.

 

Lied to by whom exactly?

1) I seriously doubt the dealer lied to you. Carfax is known to be inaccurate. They settled a class action lawsuit in the mid 2000s regarding the accuracy of their reports and the claims they made regarding their accuracy.
2) If the Carfax is different, take it up with Carfax but good luck. They probable have a a disclaimer as has been mentioned already. Not everything gets reported to Carfax.
3) you can try to go after the dealer but you really think they altered the carfax. I doubt that. Much more likely the carfax, which requires third parties to report information, was inaccurate and you trying to argue that with carfax is probably a long shot.
Good luck though.

 

Yeah. I'm definitely gonna speak with a lawyer and see exactly what can be done. I am by NO means someone who tries to get something for nothing. But had I known I would have been the 4th owner when I was coming in to buy the truck, I would have bough the other Tacoma I had been looking at.

I understand it can be hard nailing fraudulent sellers on Craigslist, but if the fraudulent seller is a dealership, and you sign contracts to purchase the vehicle "As-Is", there's gotta be some loophole to cover you if you were blatantly given false information.

They can have the truck back, I just want my investment back, because privately selling as the 4th owner won't be easy

 

In canada, you'd be able to return the truck and get your money back

but I think you're over thinking it, a lot of people don't really care if it's had a few owner, as long as it's in good shape and checks out mechanically

 

The dude that got the carfax done in an attempt to buy my truck is sketched out now, and probably won't buy it...

 

Don't trust stealerships....many in the California area have been rolling the miles back on used cars to get premium price. I will try to find the consumer reports investigation, but always get a car checked by a trusted mechanic before purchase. As far as you not being the second owner and trying to sell it, shouldn't matter too much. As long as the vehicle checks out fine you and potential buyer should be ok.
Besides, it is a Toyota.

 

for your home... I work for a bank

 

You would, lol

 

Haha im only trying to help

 

Is it realistic for you to be the 4th owner? How old was the truck when you bought it? How many miles were on it? There could be some sort of glitch in the report where it is counting the original dealer as the 1st owner, the original purchaser as the 2nd owner, the dealership you bought it from as the 3rd owner and you as the 4th owner. I don't find it too realistic if you were the 4th owner if the truck was 3 years old when you bought it.

 

Because we all know the number of owners determines the quality and value of a vehicle...

 

What we know and what we can prove are different. Can you prove that a truck that had three previous owners is a lower quality truck? There is nothing in NADA or Kelly blue book that takes off money based upon how many previous owners.
My advice is to forget it and move on otherwise you will just suffer aggravation and attorney fee's and gain absolutely nothing unless you can prove the dealership altered the car fax report. Even then, they can come back and say you owned the truck for 2 years so you must of been happy with it.

 

No, but when you are buying a used car from a dealer, you don't get to ask the previous owner why they are getting rid of it. And if 3 people got rid of it in a short period, that should set off a red flag that there might be something wrong with the truck. This isn't always the case, but there's a reason people advertise that they were the original owner when selling a used car.

To the OP, if you've had the truck for a couple of years and haven't had any problems with it, then it shouldn't scare your friend's cousin away from buying it. Just take it to the dad's dealership and let a mechanic take a look at it.

 

Realistic enough apparently. I'm gonna contact CarFax once I get this most recent report, and see which is more accurate. And exactly what grhopper said, if 3 people owned it instead of one, it increased the chances of the truck being mistreated, and people may say it doesn't matter, but a number like that really can hurt the resale possibilities of the truck.

I just need to figure out which CarFax is gonna be the "accurate" one according to them. You wouldn't think they would screw up on something so easy as a private or commercial registration on the vehicle.

 

Exact scenario as when I bought my truck, I was the 4th owner for the exact same reasons.