i need help from people who have bought a used car....
 

I found a (used) car that i like. Went and took a test drive today. So far, everything is good. EXCEPT, it has several scratches here and there. A couple are deep scratches, but mostly tiny surface scratches.

When i asked the salesman about them, he said "What can i say....scratches show up better on jet-black cars." Then he told me to get touch-up paint and fix it myself!

WTF??? :eek7

No, they show up because they're THERE.......fuckin dipshit.

Anyways, i still have to take the car to a mechanic to get it throughly checked out, but was thinking of taking it to a Autobody Shop too to get an estimate on the scratches.

But if i dont take it to a paint shop, should i haggle the price down on the car then?? and if so, about how much? $100? $200??

Help!!! :helpme

haggle it down based on whatever the cost of the repairs is

depending what type of caryou have and what year and which paint it COULD be a REALLY expensive job

some ducos wioll set you back a few hundred a tin - so it can get X'y

get a couple of good quotes first - then haggle

thanks Kitty!! :thumbsup

not sure what kind of paint, it is a luxary car though. so, im sure the price of the paint is a little bit on the high side. :(

bump for any more help :)

all used cars have scratches... they probably wont wanna knock much off the price... try and get as much as you can... definately get an estimate for the repairs so you know what your up against

oh man, just a warning, deep scratches mean a lot of repairs!! either the body shop will have to fill them in with some sort of metal putty or replace the panels completely. You're looking at thousands of dollars, maybe more for a luxury car. My advice is go to another dealer, the fact that the guy tried to feed you some BS line about scratches showing up on jet black just shows that he'll lie about anything to make the sale. You're really better off finding a good honest dealer who won't screw you over. If you do decide to stick with him, absolutely talk him down a couple thousand dollars. Those repairs will cost a TON.

thats true there are some scratches you just CANT repair

some cock sucker backed into my Merc a month ago and it's gonna cost a fortune to repair the chip on the bumper - in fact its cheaper just to buy a new bumper!!!

i would stay away from it unless you can get a great price on it. even if you get it repaired the paint job is never the same as getting it at the factory.

My Dad used to own a car yard and I sold new and used cars for major dealerships for a couple of years. I also still wholesale cars and I have learned from this experience that the customer will pay more if they really want the car.

If you are prepared to walk he will be more negotiable. Also have you shopped around other dealerships for the same car? If he knows that you can get a better deal elsewhere he will aslo be more flexible. It's all about his bottom line.

Good luck and I hope you get a really good deal! :thumbsup

Define "deep scratches". Are they right down to the metal? Is there a dent also? Or just scratches?
Most surface scratches can be buffed out, but anything that goes through the clearcoat of the paint will always be visible unless the panel is repainted.
The salesman is right though, scratches are WAAAY more visible on a black vehicle. If you decide to get it power polished/buffed to remove the small surface scratches make sure you get a shop that knows what the hell they are doing. If its not done right they can completely screw up your paintjob, especially on a black vehicle. Theres nothing worse then being able to see swirl marks over the ENTIRE vehicle instead of a few small scratches.
If you have more questions about the repair process feel free to hit me up on ICQ. I was an apprentice autobody technician for a few years.

you prbably get nothing off the price

Thanks!!! :thumbsup

(i dont like to use ICQ, if you use Yahoo Messenger, ht me up-Babagirls18 :) )

Buy and read "The Lemon-Aid Guide"

It's an invaluable resource for somebody who doesn't know alot about cars and is buying a used car.

It's going to tell you things like hidden warranties about your car, any recalls, what if any parts are unreliable and prone to breaking. Check it out.

that i already have :)

i checked and there was a recall on the car & its been fixed (they have the history report of that for me to see still), and http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/dmv/usedcar.html#6 helped me out a lot too.

just wondering about the paint, i already did my 'homework' on the car (and dealership). :thumbsup