Last Saturday, I wanted to test drive a 2012 Honda CRV that’s for sale by a new car dealership that also sells used vehicles of other brands. I was told the car was being serviced by a dealership of another brand down the road. The salesman told me it needed brake work and the other dealership was waiting for a certain part. I was told the car might be ready on Monday. Monday afternoon I was told they’re still waiting for the replacement part and it’s still not available for test drive. The salesman said he’ll call me when it’s ready. Is this a red flag warning not to purchase the vehicle?
Tester
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When I went to purchase my Lexus IS, I was told the exact same thing you were told — that the car needed to be serviced and brake replacement needed to be done. It was a used vehicle.
The salesman told me that the car would be ready within a week, which never happened, as the parts were not yet delivered within such estimated time frame.
I was called to go in 2 weeks later.
I bought the car and the car has been extremely reliable.
Would you prefer to buy a vehicle from a dealership that doesn’t have their used cars repaired prior to selling them?
The red flag to me would be the lack of spare parts. Like one old mechanic told me years ago, stick with ford or Chevy. Everyone has the parts.
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What does the sales staff consider to be “brake work”?
There is a recall for the Brake Transmission Shift Interlock. After the repair, they will find a buyer for this vehicle.
Keep looking. If you haven’t purchased a car by the time the Honda is ready, then test drive it. It’s not the only car on the market, and probably not the only CR-V that would suit your needs.
The Consumer Reports website has a link to check for un-repaired recalls on any car. All that is needed is the vehicle’s VIN number. There was no un-repaired recall on this vehicle.
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Thank you for your kind words.
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Because Hondas are so popular, I didn’t think spare parts would be a problem. But, maybe I’m wrong. A neighborhood mechanic told me that many years ago, the quality of American-made cars was supreme. That changed in the late 1990s. Today, his customers bring their Japanese imports to him for routine maintenace. It’s the American brands that need the major repairs.
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Some Japanese brands are made in the US and some US brands are made in some other countries . Toyota just announced another recall so that mechamics theory is flawed. The reliability of any brand can change from one year to the next.
That actually changed long before that, 1970s for everything except the body corrosion protection, which they solved soon afterward.
That dealer has every reason to get the car fixed and sold, so I bet it’s a parts shortage.
Not a recall, did you ask what type of brake repair was being performed? Brake systems are complex, not all brake system parts are kept in inventory.
Some on here seem to think that a brake problem is just the pads, rotors, calipers or hoses, and forget stuff like Nevada mentioned, or brake master, booster, abs module, etc etc… Parts get on back order and can be dealer only parts…
have you paid for a pre-purchase inspection done by a mechanic you trust?
If so, what did they say about the car?
if you haven’t do so, why not?