Is my car a Lemon?

TheEdgeofSanity · 07-14-2007, 10:38 PM

well, you've prolly heard me talking about my weak transmission lately. i'm weighing the benefits of having it rebuilt or shining up the alero and sending it on its way. There's a new factor in my decision now. When i bought the car, the previous owner said the car had never been in any accidents. A few months ago I noticed that the passenger rear door has been replaced (peeled a label off and red paint under it). Since then, i've also noticed that the passenger wheelwell, trunk cover, and rear body panel have all had work done on them and been replaced and repainted. From the looks of things, whoever did the body work did a shitty job and forgot to paint some bare metal areas inside the trunk and wheelwell causing a future rust problem. although i love my car, is it worth having the transmission rebuilt and extensive body work to correct the previous body work worth it?

-rich

also, if anybody knows any good mechanics who could do my trans in eastern michigan, let me know

rustyballs_69 · 07-14-2007, 10:49 PM

U can find a good used tranny for a few hundred bucks. Could you do a car fax on that or is that only if you buy it from a dealer.

Alerocharged07 · 07-14-2007, 10:52 PM

First of all I'm sorry that you caught a bad deal buying the Alero.

I guess you really can't trust buying a car from people. I would say if you can afford a better car trade in that banged up Alero and get a new car. I can forsee your Alero giving you even more problems in the future. My guess is your Alero was involved in a major accident and the damage was very bad. Whoever sold that car to you probably had the body shop put new panels and a couple coats of paint on it. The only reason I never traded in my Alero is because the resale value is so low. I'm also a college student as well so I don't have the money for a new car. Please save yourself a lot of repair money and get rid of the Alero. I wish you the best let me know how everything turns out.

Alerocharged07 · 07-14-2007, 10:52 PM

Sorry double posted

TheEdgeofSanity · 07-14-2007, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rustyballs_69

U can find a good used tranny for a few hundred bucks. Could you do a car fax on that or is that only if you buy it from a dealer.

i put in the VIN on car fax and it said that there was 13 records of my car on their database. its $30 to get the full report of what the records are and i'm skeptical that it'll tell me what I already know.

TheEdgeofSanity · 07-14-2007, 10:57 PM

I'll try to post some pictures the problems that I discovered tomorrow.

troyertrain · 07-14-2007, 11:19 PM

Carfax's are a valuable resource if you suspect anything wrong. I would recommend you buying one for any car you ever purchase from here on out, they can definately save you a headache (think about if you bought one for your alero). $30 is a small price to pay for what you could save in repair costs down the road.

now that i sound like a Carfax spokesman (i do swear by them though), its up to you on what you want to do. I myself would get whatever I could out of the car because I am not as in love with my Alero as others on this site, but if you love it then fix it. You can never really predict whether or not your car will be a POS in the future, its just one of those hit or miss things in a lot of cases.

Alerocharged07 · 07-14-2007, 11:21 PM

I know your skeptical about the carfax report but I think it will help. I remember when I did a carfax on my car and the report told me everything. I would check out the carmax report. Thirteen hits on your car histroy doesn't sound good.

I would go ahead and pay the 30 dollars and find out what secrets your car is hiding under all that paint.

rustyballs_69 · 07-14-2007, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheEdgeofSanity

i put in the VIN on car fax and it said that there was 13 records of my car on their database. its $30 to get the full report of what the records are and i'm skeptical that it'll tell me what I already know.

DAMN! 13 of em huh. Well for the 30 bucks you could see what else happen to it. If you trade it at a dealer they will car fax it and see all that shit and what they would give you would drop by half probably.

Gr1m · 07-14-2007, 11:30 PM

most of the 13 things on carfax are going to be like oil changes and stupid shit like that, basic checkup/tuneups

Redog · 07-14-2007, 11:32 PM

Don't woory too much about the Carfax. I think you sholud get it but mine had a lot of reports on it too. They were all simple shit like inspection, and when I got my personalized license plate, it went in as a second owner

I know my car's history, It rolled out of the factory around April 25th or so, and I bought it on May 4th. The car was on the lot for 6 hours before I bought it and it had 6 miles on it becuase some other lady test drove it, but decieded on the blue one

rustyballs_69 · 07-14-2007, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gr1m

most of the 13 things on carfax are going to be like oil changes and stupid shit like that, basic checkup/tuneups

I've never seen a oil change on a carfax before but i don't look unless i'm buying something.

rustyballs_69 · 07-14-2007, 11:34 PM

double post

Redog · 07-14-2007, 11:37 PM

I blew up my tranny about 2 years ago, cost me 2 grand and I got a discount since I knew the guy. The funny thing is I blew the tranny on Sunday, and it didn't start slipping bad until friday

rustyballs_69 · 07-14-2007, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redog

I blew up my tranny about 2 years ago, cost me 2 grand and I got a discount since I knew the guy. The funny thing is I blew the tranny on Sunday, and it didn't start slipping bad until friday

Did they rebuild it or did you get a new one?

SIUlero · 07-14-2007, 11:46 PM

Thirteen actually isn't a high number. Every time it comes into the dealership for something more than an oil change, is a hit. That includes tuneups, recalls (hazard switch), wheel hubs, LIM gasket, alignment, and so on. It also shows a hit every time ownership changes. So the original purchase is a hit, and then if it was traded in at a dealership, then resold, that's 2 more hits right there. Some shops will even report to carfax when they just rotate the tires. I had around the same number of hits on mine, can't remember the exact amount, but the most serious was some electrical thing....oh, that's another thing...you never get any real details on the work done, just what system (electrical, suspension, powertrain, body) was worked on.

rustyballs_69 · 07-14-2007, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SIUlero

Thirteen actually isn't a high number. Every time it comes into the dealership for something more than an oil change, is a hit. That includes tuneups, recalls (hazard switch), wheel hubs, LIM gasket, alignment, and so on. It also shows a hit every time ownership changes. So the original purchase is a hit, and then if it was traded in at a dealership, then resold, that's 2 more hits right there. Some shops will even report to carfax when they just rotate the tires. I had around the same number of hits on mine, can't remember the exact amount, but the most serious was some electrical thing....oh, that's another thing...you never get any real details on the work done, just what system (electrical, suspension, powertrain, body) was worked on.

Thats new to me but like i said i have just never seen it before. I never take my car to the dealership so I don't know.

troyertrain · 07-15-2007, 12:07 AM

^^yeah, i have had my car in the dealership a few times (hub, window motor, hazard recall) and none of them have showed up on my Carfax. Carfax I believe only shows ownership, registration, insurance claims, and odo discrepencies. I doubt routine maintenance would appear on Carfax...

doubleN0alero · 07-15-2007, 01:15 AM

The carfax on my old alero showed like 17 hits or whatever and again, it was when i moved...everytime i registered the car, oil changes...don't sweat that...whats funny is that it never showed the 4500 in hail damage that i had on my car..so i don't think they are all that reliable.

rustyballs_69 · 07-15-2007, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doubleN0alero

The carfax on my old alero showed like 17 hits or whatever and again, it was when i moved...everytime i registered the car, oil changes...don't sweat that...whats funny is that it never showed the 4500 in hail damage that i had on my car..so i don't think they are all that reliable.

I don't think they are either. I think carfax gets there info from insurance and dealerships, which of course are busy as hell so i really dought they get around to making sure everything that is reported gets on there.