Carfax as admitted that they only have access to 5% of all data on cars. That means there’s 95% MISSING data that doesn’t show up on a report. Would you put your faith in a product that only has the potential of being right 5% of the time???
While I knew that Carfax wouldn’t be 100% reliable source of information I didn’t know that it would only be 5% accurate. Thanks for that information.
I just wish we could figure something out. Time is a tickin’.
And of that 5%, 20% seems to be inaccurate.
I’ve been seeing their ads, and they’re careful to say “of the data reported to us”. Slick, huh?
The Town and Country was problematic through the 2007 model year. The 2008 had few problems. You can look up reliability here, too:
Use the Research Cars feature in the upper left of the home page.
We own a minivan, and I agree that anything that seats 7 will be very warm in back during the summer without the rear ventilation system. Roll down windows are not important if the AC works well in back and front.
If you wish you’d considered a new Honda Odyssey, why not look at a used Honda Odyssey?
And I’d consider 75K miles to be a pretty good place to purchase a used car. A lot of people turn in vehicles they bought new, because they insist on driving something under warranty. But a well maintained car of that mileage should be little trouble, drive quite a few years, and a car owner should be able to maintain an account for repairs.
I've been seeing their ads, and they're careful to say "of the data reported to us".
And that’s the problem…Who reports to them??? When you get your car serviced at the local garage…do they report it to Carfax?? The answer - NO…
If something shows up on Carfax…then it’s probably accurate…The problem is the data that DOESN’T show up.
I’ve followed the severe maintenance schedule ever since I bought it. Every 4 months or 5k miles, so it gets changed 3 times a year. It says 10 years/100k miles for coolant and I’m not entirely certain on spark plugs, but I think it just gave mileage figures on them.
Also, I don’t think spiders have found their way into my gas tank yet, they’re too busy occupying my house. 
@bscar2: sounds good!
Let us know when you’re getting ready to sell it. I hear the OP is looking for a decent set of low mileage wheels. 
Btw, I was referring to the OP buying a car some low mileage car that may or may not have been maintained properly.
You are looking at a car that is almost 8 years old. If you are interested in the car, take it to a good indpendent mechanic and pay him to do an inspection. A used car is always a gamble, but a thorough inspection by a good mechanic should improve your odds.
For an older vehicle, I wouldn’t put much stock in Consumer Reports or any other outside rating. The prior treatment of a vehicle carries more weight. If you know someone who owns a Dodge Caravan of the same vintage, ask them about his/her experience. I owned a 2006 Chevrolet Uplander. I had no problems and sold it to my son. I think this Uplander has 100,000 miles and has given neither of us any problems. It has had no major repairs. Yet, Consumer Reports rates it as unreliable. I subscribe to Consumer Reports, but I use them only as a guide. My needs in a vehicle take precedent over anything CR says.
“Btw, I was referring to the OP buying a car some low mileage car that may or may not have been maintained properly.”
That’s certainly not bscar2 or his incarnation in his previous life (bscar). You should have been around when he bought the Mazda. It was a very thorough search for exactly the right vehicle, from the very best dealer, and at the best price. Hard work does pay off, though, and this is an example of it.
I was buying new, so my situation differs from most visitors to this site.
Considering there’s only 3 Mazda dealers in 50 miles of my house.
Ricart owns one and I didn’t like my experience at their megamall. I wanted to walk around their lot and look at cars, they wanted to bring the car to me while I waited in their showroom.
he 2nd one tried to pawn off a car with nearly 20k miles on the odo as brand new(said it was a dealer demo). When I got that email that was the last time I ever spoke to them.
The 3rd was willing to order me a car from the factory to get the car how I wanted it.
I was lucky in that I had a good working car that was able to get me around while I was looking. Most people wait until their current ride gives up the ghost and they rush into things and get screwed out of more of their money than if they would have taken the time to do some research. When my current ride is paid for I’ll probably start another search while saving my money up. I paid a pretty penny for my current ride and I plan on taking care of it for the long haul
We ended up buying a Kia Sedona with roughly 75K miles. The body/interior looked great and well I hope the engine is great too. It sounds fine and seems to have a good Carfax. The back windows roll down and it has rear air vents.
The dealership said they wouldn’t go down on price $12,700 but did offer us $2,700 for my used Ford Escort ZX2 with 130K miles and an engine light that was on. (Vacuum leak?) I am the original owner of the Escort and have changed the oil every 4k miles and had the car serviced for all the routine maintenance that was suggested for the car. While I think they SHOULD have came down on the price of the car, I do think I was offered my ‘dream’ offer for my Escort. Win some lose some, right?
Now let us all pray that the Kia is as good as we think it is and lasts us at least 5 years. Maybe 10!
What year Sedona is this and what engine? I hate to rain on the parade but odds are that the vehicle is due for a timing belt job unless it was recently done; with written proof of this.
I think all Kias are interference fit engines so this means if the belt snaps the engine will suffer damage which can range from expensive to very expensive.