I am planning on buying a new (2023) Subaru Ascent . Should I have it inspected before I sign the documents and pay the money? Do I trust the dealer if they say "we just put it a thorough 573 point inspection - you don't need to"?
Do I trust the dealer if they say "we just put it a thorough 573 point inspection - you don't need to"?
Maybe they did, maybe they didn't . It doesn't matter. Stuff gets missed regardless. There is a lot of pre-delivery stuff a dealer has to do, and sometimes .... well it's a Friday afternoon.
test drive it, and give it a look over for anything obvious before you take it home. Make sure all the pieces are there and everything matches. Make sure all the options and accessories you asked for are there. Sometimes they steal things like mats or liners out of one vehicle to put in another a customer wants to buy.
I don't think it makes sense to get a full mechanical inspection a brand new vehicle. That's what the warranty is for.
Trust no one. Even if it's a new car, dealers always hide something.
Stuff can get missed even on brand-new cars. This is the very reason why Consumer Reports' technicians do a pre-delivery inspection (PDI) at their Auto Test Center once they take delivery of new test cars. Because there have been many instances where defects and problems arise on the test cars during the PDI. And if that's the case, the test car is brought back to the dealer and the defect or problem is fixed under warranty.
I don't think it makes sense to get a full mechanical inspection a brand new vehicle. That's what the warranty is for
I agree with mmJ , I don't see the logic either.
the test car is brought back to the dealer and the defect or problem is fixed under warranty
I don't see any difference. PDI's aren't performed in an area open to the public anyway..
I would mainly look for indications of body work to make sure you're not getting one that fell off the truck or someone managed to hit with another car on the lot. No need to start out with a new car that has paint which will peel off in a few years.
https://forums.redflagdeals.com/car-sold-new-dealer-looks-like-has-had-paint-job-done-2426272/
My father bought a new Buick Riviera many decades ago from the local Buick dealer. This dealer and my father were very close friends. Dad owned and ran a shop up the street from his pal's dealership. When the new car was delivered, my dad asked me to check the "air in the spare" before he took off on a beach trip. I opened the trunk and immediately noticed that 2 lines for the 'rear air shock system' were disconnected. I hooked the lines back up to the shocks and proceeded to check all of the fluids. The oil dipstick showed no oil, barely damp from the machine oil of the day.
Oh.. The spare was fine
My 'take away' from that incident was it's best to check things for myself. Don't believe folks with little knowledge of cars should really be concerned.