Hello,

I've been checking out CL's for about 2 weeks now...and think I've found the one. Please give your feedback on this situation!!!

'01 CL-S, absolutely gorgeous, black on black, navi - looks PERFECT. Asking around 17k.

But Carfaxed it...and 4 PREVIOUS OWNERS...and one owner in Upland, CA (which I don't remember being the nicest area) for just 4 months who drove it for all of 700 MILES.

Here's the stats:
11/09/2000 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Pasadena, CA
Title issued
First owner reported

02/05/2002 10,914 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Upland, CA
Title issued
New owner reported

02/09/2002 10,940 California
Inspection Station
Passed emissions inspection

05/07/2002 11,655 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Trabuco Canyon, CA
Title issued
New owner reported


06/01/2003 20,398 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Trabuco Canyon, CA
Title issued
New owner reported


06/04/2003 20,432 California
Inspection Station
Passed emissions inspection


The guy I'm buying it from said he bought it from his neighbor...which CarFax does confirm (titles changed twice in Trabuco Canyon).

Now...What do you guys think of this thing?? What could of happened? Any ideas?

Can I take it to an Acura mechanic, check if everything's OEM, check if tranny's been changed, etc.?

There must be a way to see if something shady's going on!??

Thanks for the help guys! Want my new CL-S badddd !!!

 

Someone else (or maybe it was you) posted this same question on this car a few days ago. I don't see the mileage mentioned but the other one was kind of low miles for an 01. With 4 owners I'd be suspicious. There are tons of 01 CLS out there. My first thought is wreck, if a car has low mileage, it can happen. Have it checked over by an Acura mechanic if you buy it.

 

O yea...and the CarFax said 100% Clear on Title History, Mileage Issues, Accidents...don't know how much I can trust CarFax though, but I hear they're alright.

But it's got a Clear Title, and the condition is practically perfect.

Don't know what to do here. Damn used cars.

 

keep on looking!

 

carfax is BS. my car was in accident, and car fax is still showing that there were no accidents. Besides, so what if my car had accident, the body shop did a good job giving me brand new OEM bumper, the car looks/drives like new. dont be so crazzy about car fax, i'd be more concerned if the owner took care of his car... which car fax never shows...

 

keep looking. something is wrong with 4 previous owners!!

 

4 owners is a lot! If your not going to keep the car very long (2 to 3 years), then I wouldn't really worry about the number of owners. If you looking for a long term car (6 to 10 years), I wouldn't buy it ... I would keep looking for the right one.

 

CARFAX actually has not been that accurate with my car or my buddy's car. My buddy has a '01 TL which had some major damage. It even had frame repair and CARFAX reported that it had been in no accidents. Now the shop had done a nice job, they used all OEM parts, but when we went to look at the car I told my buddy it had been an accident. The salesman basically said I didn't know what I was talking about after I left but I guess he was the idiot because now he has a lawsuit on his hands and so does CARFAX. My car, a '01 CL-S reported being in no accidents but I can tell the front bumper was repainted, along with the fender, and the door. Now maybe there was just a scratch along everything b/c all the VIN #'s coordinate to the VIN on the car but they were definitely repainted. So in the end CARFAX sucks.

 

All of you guys saying that Carfax is not reporting right, were your accidents properly reported to the Police, Insurance Company and DMV?

If the accidents you had with your cars were never reported to anyone, and fixed at the bodyshop without insurace, how is Carfax supposed to know about it?

 

Hmm...so it seems like a mechanic could have easily picked up the accident/problems?

It's definitely the best condition out of all the 01 CL-S's I've seen...and the last owner seems pretty straight.

But can anyone give a possible explanation for why someone bought it...sold the car with 10.7k to a guy in Upland, who resold it with just 700 miles more in 3-4 months?
That's the part that's bothering me.

 

Maybe the guy just lost his job after buying it and couldn't pay for it who knows, sometimes, shit happens. You could think of a million reasons why someone would sell it so soon, and you probably still wouldn't be able to figure it out.
Bottom line is, if you take it to a dealer, they should be able to tell you if the car is reliable at this time or not. Whether it has been in an accident in the past or not is not as important as what shape the car is in now. My car had three previous owners and I have had it for three months now, with no problems in sight. See if the guy selling it will pick up the tab for the dealer inspection, that is what I did. Much more insightful than a simple CarFax.
Good luck, once you get a CL, you'll love it!!

 

mine was reported to police, police was at the scene....

Why do you guys care so much about car being in accident? If it looks good and drives good, I would not worry about it. Our cars are pretty new, body shops can only use new OEM parts (when a car is relatively new its almost impossible to find part on junk yard). For example, my bumper and hood have "Honda" label, and they were new, I was at body shop when they got the parts, it was all nicely packed and totaly new & OEM. yes, take your car to the mechanic, let him have a look for mechanical problems. but if some parts were replace and you can't tell the difference, so what??