I recently bought a 2008 Lexus is350 from a used car dealer. I did not know dealers could even acquire and sell salvage titles legally, nor did I expect it from a lot that sells cars. Anyways, I want to know if it is more logical to try to trade in the vehicle now before I am in too deep in repairs (because it runs and drives fine as it is, but I am monitoring an oil burning issue at the moment) or if it would make more sense to drive it until something major comes up and junk it? One thing that I am also curious about is what the best attempt to remedy oil consumption would be. If it's Lucas Oil, what is the specific name?
I recently bought a 2008 Lexus is350 from a used car dealer. I did not know dealers could even acquire and sell salvage titles legally, nor did I expect it from a lot that sells cars. Anyways, I want to know if it is more logical to try to trade in the vehicle now before I am in too deep in repairs (because it runs and drives fine as it is, but I am monitoring an oil burning issue at the moment) or if it would make more sense to drive it until something major comes up and junk it? One thing that I am also curious about is what the best attempt to remedy oil consumption would be. If it's Lucas Oil, what is the specific name?
That's why you should've had a mechanic check it out, first. They're out there, before I bought my blue 2013 Ford Fusion, I was interested in a black Ford Fusion from the same year at another dealership that was basically a buy-here-pay-here dealership. When I saw the title had been a salvage car, I ran away from that.
Even farther back, when I was shopping for my 2nd car, and my first time financing something, another buy-here-pay-here joint had a car that had at least two accidents and the dealer "forgot" to turn off the blown airbags alert. I ran away from that one, too.
Even an actual Ford dealership didn't know, once. My step dad unknowingly bought a then-one-year-old 2016 Ford Escape that had been flooded out. My first red flag was all of the air fresheners on the bottom of the rear view mirror. It supposedly passed a Ford's "pre-owned certification" process. Around a month after he bought it, the transmission went and threw my mom's back out, because the transmission lurched so badly. They towed it back to Ford, and the transmission had mud inside of it. My step dad got his money back. It turned out, it was owned by a rental place and they had their own insurance, so they didn't report it to CarFax. ALWAYS find a trusted mechanic to go over things before you buy.
I neglected to mention that my previous vehicle had been in a wreck and I had to get something on the spot. Things are harder to do accurately with time constraints. I had somebody drive me to that lot. I am a licensed aircraft mechanic and an electrical engineer so I really just looked for the obvious things. What really throws me for a loop is that a used car dealer can get away with even trying to sell a salvage title...
One thing that I am also curious about is what the best attempt to remedy oil consumption would be.
Typically that would be rebuilding the engine.
What really throws me for a loop is that a used car dealer can get away with even trying to sell a salvage title...
Check your state laws. Dealers do all kinds of underhanded things, and used car dealers tend to be the worst. They don't necessarily let the law stand in the way of making a dishonest buck.
How much oil consumption are you talking about? Have you tried changing the PCV Valve?
In new york state, if a car is older than 8 years old, and it gets totaled, it doesn't even get a salvage title!
My 05 Matrix was totaled last week, deer hit the fender, bumper, and driver's door. The insurance company asked me if I wanted to keep it, and paid me. I never even lost possession of the vehicle, still got a clean title. I am fixing it myself, and it will be better than it was for the most part, but many vehicles fixes are not.
I asked the local adjuster how you even know that a car has been totaled after 8 years, he was like, you really don't. I am curious if mine will show up on carfax, though I don't really care as I don't plan to sell it, just curious for other cars in the future.
Be very careful when buying used, especially in states like New York!
Yea you can get easily fooled just cause it is a good title. I had a familiar experience when I bought my first car an 06 lancer. The title was good but later I found out the car had previously been in an accident. I sold that sucker after 6 months of use. Always check the car with a mechanic or bring a mechanic with you. Always check the VIN number of the car with Carfax or similar websites. Concerning your issue, how much did you pay for the car? I would sell or trade the car just to be on the safe side. But I mean if it runs and drives fine what the heck, drive it till it falls apart then junk it. Oh and regarding your oil burning issue, it could be a lot of reasons. Worn out valve cover gasket, PCV Valve, Worn out piston rings, the previous owner didn't change the oil on time, could be the rear main seal is leaking, or oil is leaking somewhere. There is nothing really that helps with oil burning issue other than fixing it.
