Common FAQ’s

• Do I really need a Car Inspection before I buy a Used Car?

  This is the question everyone asks themselves while car shopping, unless they’re buying a brand new car off the lot. (New Car, not Used Car lot).

  Think of it this Way:

  Could a Car Inspection Save You THOUSANDS on Repairs or Help you Avoid a Junker?

  Answer: YES!

  If your buying another car, or your first car, there’s several things to think about when purchasing a car.

  Has the car been maintained correctly and regularly? How are the tires? Belts? Hoses? Is the Car leaking any liquids or Oils? Is it a Convertible? Does the top leak? Have the wheels been properly (or improperly) rotated? Does it have a Clean/Salvage/Branded title?

  These are a few questions and things we look for when inspecting a vehicle for a customer. Its hard to list everything on our website, as it would take us hours to explain everything we inspect and why we inspect it.

  If your on the fence about paying for a car inspection (cheap or not), think about it this way. Do I want to spend $5000 – $15000 on a car and not know what might be wrong with it ?

• What does Salvage/Branded Title Mean? ?

   

  We get this question almost every week, partly due to the relaxed laws in Oregon. If have been looking for cars online or even at used car lots in the portland area (Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Lake Oswego, Clackamas, 82nd or McLoughlin), you’ve probably run into cars with either a “Salvage Title”, “Marked Title”, “Branded Title” or something along those lines.

  Car sellers are becoming more creative with their descriptions about their vehicles and more so, with their Titles, especially if it is not a Clean/Clear title. We’ve even seen people describe their cars having a “Clean Title with a Brand” or something similar to that.

  Salvage/Branded titles usually mean the Car has been considered a TOTAL LOSS by the Insurance company (Greater than 70% Loss in Car Value) and have either sold the vehicle back to original owner or put it in a Salvage Auction (Copart or Insurance Auto Auctions) to sell the vehicle to either private party buyers or used car dealers who then fix the vehicle and either keep it or try to resell the car. Many, if not all, Cars with salvage or branded titles will not be approved for a car loan either, regardless of your credit score or standing. Many people end up thinking its their bad credit that prohibits them to buy a car with a bad title, but its more likely than not the actual car itself.

  Many times cars with Salvage/Branded titles are not fixed properly – either due to cost savings or cutting corners in the repair process or buying aftermarket body parts rather than OEM parts. This then leads to improper fitting on the vehicle and you end up with a vehicle that was not even aligned properly, let alone what other damage it incurred.

  If you are looking to buy a car with a Salvage/Branded title, we Highly Suggest getting a Pre-Purchase Inspection before buying the Vehicle. Many times, we’ll be able to dig up old photos of the vehicles in their damaged state. You would be shocked.

• Is Carfax or Autocheck better than an Inspection?

  We Recommend ALL Vehicles Get Inspected by a 3rd Party Company, Regardless of What the Car Dealer Says!

  Carfax and Autocheck NEVER Tell The Whole Story about a Car!

  Carfax and Autocheck are companies that have historical reports on a vehicles mileage, maintenance records (if the mechanic reported them to Carfax) and damage history (if the Car was fixed through a participating body shop or insurance company).

  Many times though, Maintenance and repairs are not reported on CarFax, along with body damage repair and such. Buying a Carfax or Autocheck report is a good first step to finding out some broad information regarding the vehicle.

  We recommended an In-Person Car inspection to really dig deep into the vehicles current condition, as we’ve seen cars with stellar Carfax reports and have been less stellar in person.