Used car ?'s & VIN check please.

A friend of a relative is offering to sell me a car by taking over the payments. She just purchased a 2006 Nissan. She had a 2004 Oldsmobile Alero. She bought the new car, but didn't trade in the old car. I asked her why she didn't trade-in the 2004 for the 2006. She said because she was getting rebates the dealer told her it would be better if she didn't trade the Oldsmobile???!!!??? I've never heard of this before and think there may be serious reasons why she didn't do a trade-in.

I've looked up the msrp ($11,500) and the blue book ($6K) value and she appears to be upside down over $5K. I believe this is the real reason she didn't trade it in and thinks I'm too stupid to figure this out (or too desperate). I don't have a car now, my credit's not great and I've had a vehicle repo'd in the past (paid off). This opportunity seems to solve my auto problems if everything else checks out. But I wonder if there's more to it. The car's in pretty good condition except the hood appears to be slightly out of alignment with the left front quarter panel. Was the car damaged in an accident so it couldn't be traded-in, are there blemishes on the history, etc.? I've already accepted the fact it's upside down,I don't need to take on someone else's lemon too.

She lent it to me for the weekend and wants a decision by Tuesday. Could someone please do a VIN check for me as well as giving me your opinions on what you think. The VIN is: 1G3NL52F64C182559
If no one can do a check please recommend either CARFAX or AUTOCHECK for getting complete vehicle info.

Thanks

How much is actually owed on it?

I don't know if she bought it new, but she told me it was a 36 month buy @$455 month and she's had it a year. She owes $10,920 (24m x $455). Also the car's odo shows just over 30K miles which seems reasonable for a 2004.

AutoFX

The dealer may have just had a rebate that was only availible to those who dont trade in. Or they may have just said that because they did not want an Olds Alero. I personally think it isn't a bad car, but I have heard about reliability issues.

Carfax says there are four records availible to view. If you are that worried, why not just buy the report?

I know the cars not a popular choice, but the last 2 years have been a dogfight and financial nightmare for me. I recently moved across the country for a good job opportunity. I don't have the credit to walk into a dealership without a huge down payment and interest rate. I don't have the cash to buy a car that may or may not breakdown the minute after I buy it. I need to know it can get me to work everyday. This option appears to address all my issues. A 2004 w/ 30K miles should still be under the G.M. warranty. If it hadn't been sitting under water somewhere, totaled, junked, etc.

That's why I asked whether CARFAX, AUTOCHECK or some other source would be the best to uncover any problems that the car may have that aren't obvious. I've seen where an auto service may not have the info that another may have. When I did a "free" VIN check, CARFAX showed 4 reports, AUTOCHECK showed 10. Why the difference? Are the extra 6 reports with AUTOCHECK relavent or just 6 junk reports to make their service seem better? See what I mean. I don't mind spending $20-$25 bucks, but I don't want to spend it more than once if I can avoid it. Because I also want to have a mechanic check the car for any obvious (or potential) mechanical problems. The costs can add up quick and it could end up being junk.

I'm not going to take anyones word it's O.K. I want to go into this with everything on the table and I'm not sure she being square with me or just trying to unload her problem a quickly as possible. If it's good we've got a deal. If it's a bust I'll walk away.

AutoFX

You could lease a much better car for $455 a month. IMO I wouldn't touch it. You will have a car that at the end of payments is worth only a couple grand, and I haven't heard anything good about the alero. Its not a complete bucket but its just a middle of the road car, and since its oldsmobile, no one will want it.

she is trying to rip you off, thats way to much for an 04 alero. those cars average around 6-7 thousand in good condition (which is hard becuase they fall apart)

i owned an intrigue. it was the absolute worst car ive ever had, the alero is just as bad.

Yeah, I passed on the car. I just couldn't live with how upside down it was and how little it would be worth in the end. Also the fact that it's the cousin to the Grand Am helped kill the deal. I did an AUTOCHECK report and found the car had been a rental in Hawaii and auctioned in Michigan before arriving in L.V. She was trying to get out from under the loan and was withholding info in hopes I would be enough of a dope to take it off her hands after a 4 day test drive.

"When I did a "free" VIN check, CARFAX showed 4 reports, AUTOCHECK showed 10. Why the difference? Are the extra 6 reports with AUTOCHECK relavent or just 6 junk reports to make their service seem better?"

You nailed this. Carfax tried not to show duplicate data. For example some states show a registration request and a registration issued. Autocheck displays both - Carfax combines this to show one registration event.

Carfax is the best source for uncovering the history of a vehicle. They have over 7000 data sources to Autochecks several hundred. Both companies, however, will still advise you to have the car inspected - they will never find out every single piece of data on a car. The best protection you can get is a Carfax history report and an inspection by a trusted mechanic.

Remember when you figure the payments, you are including the interest. If she has 2 years left to pay for $455 a month, or whatever, she doent owe 24 x 455 on the car, a lot of that is going to be interest on the loan. If your credit isnt so hot, any car loan is going to carry a lot of interest anyway.

By the way, if Carfax gets wind of someone running vins for other people, they will not be happy about it. I am use when you sign up you agree not to do that. Could be costly for whoever is just trying to do a favor.