Hi Scotty,
I’m thinking of buying a used 2016 Toyota Camry with 97,000 miles priced at $7,100 with an automatic transmission from a private party. My question is getting the car inspected by a mechanic and making sure that they don’t tell me a bunch of things are wrong with the car and I need to buy a bunch of things to repair it. What are some characteristics, or some immediate red flags you can tell that a mechanic is trying to scam their customers? What if the car really is in bad shape?
Thanks
the situation kind of works in your favor.
1st of all, he's only there to do an evaluation and report on the vehicle. He has zero guarantee that you'll ask him to fix anything. You can go to any mechanic after the sale.
2nd. He knows that if he makes the vehicle sound like too much of a money pit, you won't buy it, and that's less business for him.
So ask probing questions such as: what needs to be done right away, what need to be done soon, and which problems are benign and can be left alone. You can tell him your budget is extremely tight, and ask what absolutely needs to be done. It's the same strategy with blood sucking dentists.
ask friends neighbors co-workers to find a good mechanic
should not be too much wrong with it, watch out for flooded cars on the market
a camry like that goes for 14,000 down here
https://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/d/sherrills-ford-2016-toyota-camry-se/7348494333.html
