I bought my ES350 from a dealer 1000 miles away from home. I think I was lucky. I couldn't really check it out until I got it home.
Now I want a Highlander and local ones (NH) have spent winters in the salt and I can find ones with much better pricing elsewhere. BUT, how do I find a good Mechanic to check it out? I'm thinking of creating a list of questions for mechanics in the area where the various Highlanders are for sale. What questions will be most helpful?
If it checks out, I fly down and drive it back. But how do I get it checked out.
If you are going to invest in a new-to-you vehicle that isn't local, the best plan of action is:
1. Talk to the seller and ask lots of questions.
2. Hire a professional to inspect the car pre-purchase. If you do not know a good mechanic in the area the car is in, hire a professional company to inspect it for you. Here is one that is nationwide:
3. I STRONGLY recommend making a trip to see the car prior to handing over money. There are no returns when dealing with a private party.
4. If a deal is struck, have it shipped ENCLOSED to you. Reliable Transport is a good company for that.
All that said, I never buy a vehicle sight unseen. I live in Houston and have flown around the country to purchase privately owned vehicles for my dealership. I also never sell a vehicle without a test drive. Period. I will ship to the customer on my dime and if they like it, they buy it. If not, I have it picked up and returned to me on my dime. I've been at this a long time and can count on one hand how many have come back. BUT you just never know. A vehicle is a large purchase and you really have to know what you are getting before you spend thousands of dollars.
Unless you just like to waste money and don't care, in which case just buy it and ship it in.
I like all those points.
And having used a "service" to check out my current car, I got no data (except photographs) about the mechanical condition of the car. That is not enough for my next car.
If you buy and sell cars, I suspect you have a better sense of how to check out a car than I do. That is why you might not want a pro, but I do. I've been asking how to FIND such a pro. The advice I'm getting does not answer my question and thus is not helpful.
I did ask a mechanic (local AAMCO owner) about how to find a mechanic elsewhere. He said both AAMCO shop owners and local parts supply places would be good places to start. So he seems to agree with Scotty.
I agree, wholeheartedly.
Now hear me out, if you are willing to pay a bit more for places like Carmax, and they do have clean cars... They have 7 day returns so you could take it down, have your local mechanic check it out, and if there are problems return it to your local carmax...
Worst case scenario, get a scan tool with you, test drive it... Below are some links have a read through the "Used Car Buying Guide"
I've had experience with CARMAX before (ALL GOOD), but their pricing prevents me from thinking of them as the "right place" to buy a car. I approve of profitability. And I run an increased risk by trusting the skill and judgement of others (though their skill is almost undoubtedly greater than mine) when it comes to checking out a used car.
I might start by asking my mechanic what questions he would ask of another mechanic if he wanted a used car checked out for him in a town far away.
And I think trusting the opinion of a good mechanic is probably worth doing. Perhaps you disagree. Of course I'll drive it before turning over all the cash (though I might commit some upon getting an OK from a good local mechanic (if I can find one). That is the point of this thread. HOW DO I FIND ONE?
Check out the Highlander forums...a lot of good information there for the different generation Highlanders
https://www.toyotanation.com/forums/highlander-forum.207/
Great site, and I also find one Toyota mechanic does a great job of discussing most Toyota models including the Highlander. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEKt2bUDBoRUw3wpPpDOUaA
I suspect there are others who are very knowledgable about the cars I'm interested in, but I still want to find one who will eamine a car thoroughy for a reasonable fee.
Well, put the question out in the forum. I'm sure there are people on the forum from NH or wherever you might be with Highlanders and maybe they could give you some recommendations that are close to you to check out and ask them your questions
Great idea. Thanks.
Have a look at the FAQ and see if that helps
I read the FAQ, watched Scotty's video. Both are helpful, but neither gets very specific about how to pick a mechanic in an area where you do not live: where you do not know the Auto Parts stores, where you know of no mouths to listen to for word of mouth.
A helpful question MIGHT be something like - tell me about the scanner you use to diagnose engine and transmission issues (though I wouldn't understand the answer without doing lots of research). But still, that question would help me separate the $100 scanners from the $1000 scanners. Another questions might be - How long do you usually take to diagnose problems in a vehicle you have never seen berore - diagnose for a potential buyer to help insure he knows what he is buying? Anothr question might be - What do you think of Scotty Killmer's YouTube videos and his web site? Another MIGHT be - How long have you made a living as a mechanic? How long have you owned your own shop? another might have something to do with Toyota experience (given that I want a Highlander).
I'm hopeful that a real mechanic will have better questions (and maybe help mne figure out what answers I should expect if I want a "real" mechanic).
I might start by asking my mechanic what questions he would ask of another mechanic if he wanted a used car checked out for him in a town far away.
I was referring to the topic "I need to buy a car". There are tips, videos and articles about things to check before buying a vehicle. I would just ask the seller as many questions as possible, and then go check it out myself.
I’m thinking of buying a vehicle far enough away that “going to check it out” doesn’t make sense to me. I really need it checked out by a pro, and one who lives near where the car is.
finding that pro is my challenge. I’m not a fan of dealers, but can I assume that they can actually diagnose? I don’t want them to work on the car, just to tell me what codes show up for engine and transmission (and maybe other systems as well).
I’d prefer a mechanic not working for a dealership. I’m trying to figure out how to find him.
you're going to go physically sit in the car before handing any money over aren't you?
Or are you a gambling man?
Buying anything used is somewhat of a gamble. I want to tip the do’s in my favor. Before I travel to look at a car, before I think about handing over money, I want to know what a pro thinks about the car. It is a gamble to fly to Phoenix to look at a car if all I have to go on is what the owner (and maybe Carfax) says about it. Let’s take Phoenix and Denver as examples. Assume I can get there for under $500. And stay for a night or two for under $200. I don’t want to invest that travel money unless a good mechanic says that the car checks out. If it DOES check out, the trip will be worth taking. But until I can find a good mechanic and have him check the car out, I’m staying home. I’m curious about how YOU would go about finding a good mechanic in a city 1000+ miles away fro where you live. And I’m not getting much of an answer to my question.
I personally don't need a mechanic. I'm am confident in my own abilities to evaluate a car.
I appreciate that, but I DO need a mechanic to check things out for me before I fly to look for myself. I'm just trying to figure out HOW TO FIND SUCH A MECHANIC IN A CITY FAR FROM MY HOME.
Research. Call around and talk to people. Read reviews. If you are hesitant to trust mechanics (I would be) then maybe it's not such a good idea. I sure wouldn't buy an out of state car if I was dependant on a mechanic. It's like relying on home inspectors.
What year Highlander are you looking for? AWD I presume since you're in NH ?
I don't use AWD now, and my plan is to be outside NH most of the winter, so FWD is fine for me.
I'm leaning toward a southwestern car to avoid the salt that we need to use on our wet snow in the northeast. Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and maybe Southern California. Though I don't use dealers for repairs (too costly), I'm thinking that dealers (Lexus, Toyota, Accura, Honda) probably have the easiest to find master diagnostic technicians in those places. If I want someone to check out a car for me BEFORE I fly out to check it out myself, I'm thinking dealer rather than general mechanic.
I suspect they know (because they mostly service the specific cars I'm interested in) and can diagnose more thoroughly and at the same time more quickly than a mechanic who services all sorts of vehicles. Might be enough faster that even though they charge more per hour, they can do the job better and at roughly the same price.
I wonder what you guys (and gals) think of that.
It's hit an miss. I'm sure they have some good techs, and some for whom it's just a job. They will have a higher standard of training, but experience level will be a mystery.
The thing about dealer techs, is that they are paid by the hour. There isn't much incentive to go above and beyond. As long as he doesn't screw up too badly, he has a guaranteed paycheque. On the other side, for an independent mechanic, his success is in his own hands. If he screws up , his kids may not eat. There are crooked mechanics certainly, but they tend not to survive as long as the good ones.
So in almost any city I can find a dealer and that dealer’s mechanics; familiar with the car I’m trying to have checked out. As you point out, the one I find might not be technically savvy and his incentive might be less than stellar.
so let’s assume I want to take your advice and find a technically savvy and competent private (non-dealer) mechanic. I keep asking HOW DO I FIND HIM? And, alas the answers I get never seem to address that question.
From the start I think I’ve been clear about my question. Do you have an answer?
I did answer you. Several times up above but you keep starting new sections.
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/buying-at-a-distance/#post-77290
I also said there were tips for finding mechanics in the FAQ including a video from Scotty. There's no magic bullet by the way. You just have to do the legwork which it doesn't sound like you want to do. Maybe buying this car isn't the best option for you.