Should I trust a Car at local shop that was acquired from an auction?
Posted by Another_Anon_Person@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 8 comments
Hello, in a little bit of a situation and was hoping to get some help on it.
Recently I lost my main mode of transportation, was written off as a total loss and I decided to give it away for a pay out. It's left me looking for a new vehicle but so far it's been a little underwhelming and has left me scrambling. The most i wanna shill out (granted would be paying monthly after down payment) is 10k. Looked around a bit with some help amd kept a few cars in mind. However the most recent stood out, a 2015 Kia Forte Lx
Me and my father looked at it, a smaller dealer that dealt with pre owned cars had it in their lot. Didn't have many miles on it(only at 76,000 something), looked mostly fine (albeit with a hubcap pretty pent looking and tires definitely had some age) ,and they were only asking 7500 for it. Me and the ol man asked the sales person a few questions and he seemed pretty transparent about it; they had recently gotten the car from an auction and definitely had work done on it in the time it had been operational. Several past owners and everything, my Dad however got a weird vibe and said to maybe look at other cars first before springing for it. He explained that it being from an auction previously before that car lot and several past owners is something possibly negative. Just wanna know thoughts from people who have had cars/dealt with stuff like this before think
NotYourNativeDaddy@reddit
Stay away from a Kia
One_Evil_Monkey@reddit
Auction part isn't really the issue.
It's that...
A: It's a 2015 Kia Forte. https://www.cherishyourcar.com/kia-forte-engine-recall/
B: The shudder you feel is most likely rotor warpage. They should've replaced the pads and rotors. Not that expensive on that car.
C: Aged tires. If they're over 6 years old, even with good tread left, they still should have replaced them.
D: Potential insurance issues. Possible higher premiums because it's that era Kia or having trouble even aquiring coverage because it's that era Kia.
Honestly, I'd listen to your dad. Pass and keep searching elsewhere.
BoondockUSA@reddit
The auction concern is moot because you shouldn’t consider buying that era of Kia. Kia Theta II engine failures are EXTREMELY common. That car is a ticking time bomb for a complete engine failure. That’s in addition to the overall low build quality of Kias to keep production costs low.
If you don’t want to listen to my warning, at least check the cost of insurance before you buy it. Due to the high number of Kia thefts, many insurance companies weren’t taking new customers with Kias, or were charging significantly more money. I think that’s getting better but the insurance rate may still surprise you.
To answer your general concern about auction vehicles, many used cars at dealerships are sold and bought at auctions. It could be a lease return in which the large leasing company sends most of their lease return cars to auction, or it could be a dealership sending in their trade-in’s that aren’t suitable for their dealership model/branding (like a Kia being traded in at an Audi dealership), or it could be a large fleet that auctions their vehicles (such as the federal GSA), or it could be a car with a ton of problems that a dealer needs gone. My last two vehicles I bought at GSA auctions and they haven’t had any more issues than the other used cars I’ve bought in the past. Again though, don’t buy that era of Kia.
Did I mention that you really shouldn’t buy that era of Kia? Just wanting to make my warning unambiguous.
shaggy24200@reddit
The forte is not a theta engine
jstar77@reddit
Almost all used car dealer inventory comes from auction.
MaximumDerpification@reddit
Nearly every car on every used car lot has passed through an auction... but that's not the problem here. Do not buy a Hyundai/Kia without a FULL warranty, especially not one from that age range.
BisexualCaveman@reddit
I've owned 4 Hyundai/Kia over the years.
You don't want a 2015 Kia Forte.
Sometimes you get lucky and they're fine, and sometimes the engine blows the hell up on those at right about the mileage you're at.
Listen to your dad; not everyone got one that knows anything about cars.
jrileyy229@reddit
You do not buy that car, period... You do not want any Kia or Hyundai from that era... Especially one that was beat up.
You also do not want to buy anything from that dealer. A hub cap is $25 and they couldn't be bothered to replace a broken one? The brake vibration typically means the rotors need surfaced or replaced... A pair of rotors for that car from rock auto are probably $40 and takes under an hour to swap... Any dealer who is willing to sell a car with brake judder to save $50 is not a place you want to be shopping at.