Auto vs Manual (Aussie looking for US advice)

Update: What a day... Yesterday I went to see a Tacoma for sale in the NorCal region. I saw the Tacoma on Craigslist a few weeks ago, a 2005 model in great condition with 131,000 miles advertised for $13,800. Wow, I thought to myself, this must be a diamond in the rough however having a few other commitments, this weekend was the first weekend I was available.


A few days ago I rung the seller to ask if it was still available and it was. I asked for the license plate number or the VIN number so I could get a CarFax report. The seller had no idea what a CarFax was and refused to provide either records. At that point I gave him benefit of the doubt and thought maybe he genuinely didn’t know what it was and felt uncomfortable sharing those details with a potential buyer (but let’s be honest, it’s a VIN/license plate number, not a social security number). The seller insisted the vehicle was in perfect working order and very clean. So I thought, well, there is still no harm going to check it out. I also rung a Toyota dealership to book a pre-inspection for that day but they only had 2:45pm available, so I thought I’ll turn it into post-inspection instead.


Viewing the truck and sure enough, it was in amazing condition, extremely clean, not a speck of rust on the rear leafs, the frame or the running gear itself. There were new tires, all panels were straight, paint was great and it looked good. The seller mentioned there was a new clutch and new suspension that I didn’t know about (which made think was a little strange because you’d advertise major improvements like that, wouldn’t you). I asked if there had been much interest in the vehicle and he said no, only some people coming tomorrow. I thought to myself, how does a Taco with 131,000 miles at $13,000 this clean not have any interest. Again though, my benefit of the doubt kicked in and thought give him a fair go (there is something that Australia has that America doesn’t, the good ol’ spirit of being given a fair go). I asked if there were receipts for the work performed to which the seller said no, his best friend did the work, again, benefit of the doubt. I took the truck for a test drive and it drove well so I decided to shake hands and hand over cash. The truck came with a smog check, pink slip and receipt.


I made my way to the Toyota dealership and got that underway. While waiting in the reception area I thought to myself, bugger, I forgot to get the CarFax report in between everything. The CarFax report had an odometer discrepancy, it showed the vehicle being driven up to 224,000 miles and then all of a sudden being reported at 131,000 miles six months later. I contacted the workshop on the report who last performed any work on the vehicle (July 2018) and they confirmed that it was recorded at 224,000 with a blown head gasket, to which the client declined the work at the time. They were dumbstruck as to how it now reports as working in perfect order with 131,000 and asked themselves if the vehicle has a) 131,000 actually being correct b) 224,000 being correct or c) it’s actually got 131,000 + 224,000. I had also spoken to Toyota about the mileage issue, they said all sorts of things can happen, including it could have crossed the border to Mexico and came back. At this point and to be completely honest with you, I was freaking out. I spoke to the seller over the phone and asked about the blown head gasket in July 2018 (as during the test drive I had asked if there were any major issues over the three years he had owned it; he said no, it has been perfect). With a few more calls with the workshop and discussions with Toyota, they both concluded that the truck has had a new cluster at some point in time and/or something is not right with the mileage. I rung the owner back a second time and asked how long he had ACTUALLY owned the vehicle, which the response was three years. I asked what happened in July 2018 with the head gasket and the response I got was, “I don’t know, nothing happened”. I also mentioned that the CARFAX report does not indicate any change in title three years ago. Anyway, you catch my drift here, I asked a bunch of questions to which the response I mostly got was, “I don’t know”. Over the phone he asked if I wanted my money back and I said that first and foremost I just want the truth as to the history of the vehicle. I was starting to wonder if the vehicle was stolen but did not mention this as I didn’t want to start throwing around large accusations. I did mention that I was inclined to go to the police and explain to them that I purchased a vehicle from this person which could possibly be fraudulent (maybe a bit extreme, but like I said, I was a bit uncomfortable). I told him to meet me an hour later and we will discuss.


Upon meeting, the first thing he says he that he feels bad (which I’m thinking to myself why, what is it that you’re not telling me). I asked him how long he had owned the truck and eventually he told me, almost three months, which aligns with CarFax. Therefore I asked again about the mileage, the service history, the blown head gasket etc. and he said he wasn’t sure. For a period of time between July 2018 and January 2019, the vehicle has been repaired from a blown head gasket and lost 93,000 miles. I said that as unfortunate as it is, I’m going to need my money back. We exchanged keys and cash, I apologized for the inconvenience and he drove away in his Tacoma truck once again.


The very confusing part was that the vehicle is in very good condition. The Toyota post-inspection report came back with on some wear on the rear brake pads although they still had 1.5mm in them, but otherwise the truck is in great shape. I spoke to the service technician about doing a compression test in regards to the engine etc. and his verbal report also claimed that the truck was in a very good condition. A part of me wonders if I did miss out on a great truck at a great price but it also seems like a too-good-to-be-true moment. There were just too many question marks, unanswered issues and the history was a bit all over the place. For a little bit I wondered if I should offer the value of a 2005 model with 224,000, but thinking my best bet is to start fresh.


This has been my first buying-selling experience of a vehicle in the U.S. and it’s made me aware that the private seller industry can be and seems to be incredibly shady. I returned home and woke up this morning still Tacoma-less and not really knowing what to think about the used car industry. I felt like I was lied to in more ways than one or, it could have been completely truthful and I have missed out on a good truck.


I stopped into a certified Toyota dealership on the way home (which by the way, I had handed back my rental vehicle and then had to go back make a reservation for a another rental vehicle). I spoke to a great guy there and we spoke about the manual vs automatic aspect. He said he loves manuals as well and much prefers them however decided to go for an automatic as there is just so much more of them around. After yesterday it made me think if I should just bite the bullet and get an automatic because at least I know I would be getting a vehicle that’s honest, I know what I’m getting and there is more of a selection.


Onwards and upwards and the hunt for a vehicle continues. Feel free to offer any thoughts or comments on the matter, like I said, this was my first experience. Buying and selling vehicles in the U.S. verses Australia is so unbelievably different.

 

It's a sad but true fact that you really can't trust people these days. Which I guess is why companies like Carfax are successful. Many moons ago, when I still had hair and my own teeth, I went to look at a Ford truck listed in the want ads. The seller was friendly and the truck looked pretty nice so as a dumb kid I ignored the warning signs. It had out of state plates and said he was just here temporarily so would mail me the title when his job ended and he got back home. I forked over the cash and drove away happy with a bill of sale. The tags were still good so I didn't try to register it. Expecting the title in the mail any day. Two months later the timing chain broke and I had no money or know how to fix it so I put it in my parents garage to fix someday. About a year later I get a phone call. It turned out the seller didn't have the title. Big surprise. He had financed it through his father in laws credit union, then divorced his wife, took the truck and skipped town. The father in law had finally tracked him down and got my number. He just didn't want his credit ruined and agreed to pay me back if he can come get the truck. Which he actually did luckily for me. He had to haul it back on a trailer. I felt bad for him but I learned a valuable lesson and it didn't cost me anything.

 

Just think how hard things were back in the day before digital records .

Finding all that different information might take days going through hard copies if anyone would even bother.

 

Ouch!

I agree, I’m sure back then it was more of what you see is what you get. It’s turned into a very shady world these days which has promted businesses like carfax. I’m sure once upon a time the buying a selling of transportation was less complicated and more straight forward. I mean, a horse and cart was probably sold as a horse and cart with little to hide.

The weekend just passed opened my eyes up to many things that I need to be more aware of and I feel lucky that I was able to reverse a decision that I ended up being very uncomfortable with.

 

You where gonna give $13,000 for a 15 year old truck? When you can give 5 more and have a 5 year old truck?

Go on CarGurus.com, enter Tacoma, go to the left side bar and select "manual transmission" and it will show toy every 5 and 6 speed for sale within 500 miles, or nationwide.

 

I like being able to drive and hold my coffee without turning loose the steering wheel to shift, cause I really hate putting my coffee down.

 

My Aussie doesn’t care which she gets to ride in.