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We found one we like, maybe... if we can get a deal. It has 28K miles, the exterior, engine and body are clean and it's a certified Honda vehicle.
Problem is... the interior is filthy. Stained leather, ball point pen on on the passenger seat leather, filthy armrests, stained carpet (smells like grape juice to me!), lots of dings, scratches and a few cracks on the plastic panel parts. I would say approximately 30-45% of the interior is REALLY dirty. We currently have a minivan that is 6 years old, it looks vastly cleaner than this 2 year old van.
The salesman claimed that they had already detailed it, too :/
I'm having a problem finding a specific "grading" scale when it comes to car interiors vs. price.
The dealer is charging "outstanding" Edmunds.com price.
Really, we think it should be downgraded to "Clean", if not "Average".
So, my question is... for anyone out there who knows this... how much weight should we put into stained leather, stained carpet, scratches on the interior consoles etc?
Also... another question... if this is how they treated the interior of the car, should I be worrying how they took care of the engine, or would Honda not certify it otherwise?
I could deal with the stains IF the price was right
Pay what makes you feel good. if it dont work out, it dont work out. You are right to use it as a haggling tool. A (substantially better) detailer, may be able to clean it up a little better, but it doesnt sound like it will ever be 100% nice. If you want it perfect, you may have to keep looking.
We found one we like, maybe... if we can get a deal. It has 28K miles, the exterior, engine and body are clean and it's a certified Honda vehicle.
Problem is... the interior is filthy. Stained leather, ball point pen on on the passenger seat leather, filthy armrests, stained carpet (smells like grape juice to me!), lots of dings, scratches and a few cracks on the plastic panel parts. I would say approximately 30-45% of the interior is REALLY dirty. We currently have a minivan that is 6 years old, it looks vastly cleaner than this 2 year old van.
The salesman claimed that they had already detailed it, too :/
I'm having a problem finding a specific "grading" scale when it comes to car interiors vs. price.
The dealer is charging "outstanding" Edmunds.com price.
Really, we think it should be downgraded to "Clean", if not "Average".
So, my question is... for anyone out there who knows this... how much weight should we put into stained leather, stained carpet, scratches on the interior consoles etc?
Also... another question... if this is how they treated the interior of the car, should I be worrying how they took care of the engine, or would Honda not certify it otherwise?
I could deal with the stains IF the price was right
Thanks so much for your input!
As a person with in depth experience at auction's, buying, selling and reconditioning cars, you can tell how a person maintained the car by the interior condition.
The dirtier the interior, the more the recon cost.
They were people who didn't take pride in their vehicle.
My advise to you, walk away.
Don't look at "certified" as anything except a sales gimmick.
It's a pretty useful bargaining tool, if you can deal with it.
That said, this sounds pretty awful and with the dealer starting pricing where they are i'd either put in a preposterously low offer, or I'd find another vehicle.
You're talking about the part you spend all your time in, after all.
As a person with in depth experience at auction's, buying, selling and reconditioning cars, you can tell how a person maintained the car by the interior condition.
The dirtier the interior, the more the recon cost.
They were people who didn't take pride in their vehicle.
My advise to you, walk away.
Don't look at "certified" as anything except a sales gimmick.
Thanks so much for your advice...
I was giving this van a second look because of the low miles and great condition of the exterior and engine.
But I do understand that the interior says a lot about the owners. I was hoping this one just said "messy toddler & busy Mom" and not "neglectful car owner". The bulk of the stains were on 2 seats where you could tell a child's car seat had been....little feet marks on the back of the passenger seat and everything.
I mentioned that it was Honda certified because Honda will fix anything for the life of the warranty. We have a 2004 Odyssey and (knock on wood), they've been great about fixing things. So, if this 2008 van had issues... in theory Honda would fix them (although, what's the point of buying a newer car if you are going to leave it at the shop all the time?)
Your experiences really does make me want to walk away though
It does say something about the owner, but just because they let the car get dirty doesn't mean they didn't get it mechanically maintained. Also figure out what the car would be worth with the interior matching the exteriors condition, and then subtract the amount of what it would cost to replace the interior.
So, I put in a low offer ($500 over "average" Edmunds price), and they completely rejected it. They didn't even bother countering and stuck to their "outstanding" price.
I guess the dealer thinks that filthy leather and stains the size of basketballs = "outstanding". :/
To me it makes a lot of difference. For one, I will never buy a smokers vehicle. That smell cannot be completely removed under any circumstances because it gets into places that cannot be cleaned.
The interior condition being an indicator of overall maintenance goes both ways. Some people don't care about their vehicles enough to do any maintenance or deep cleaning. They are called slobs, and it should be obvious who they are. Others, like a buddy of mine, has his cars into the dealer for every little thing, and that's about the only time his car gets cleaned. But it was well maintained mechanically. Many "soccer mom" vehicles fall into this category, and the vehicle in question may as well. Then of course there are the people who meticulously maintain everything.
Replacing the carpet in a vehicle can go a long way to making it like new again. Carpet can be had for a couple to few hundred $$$ for most vehicles. The labor required to swap it varies greatly on the vehicle, but requires little aptitude or special tools. While the carpet is out, the other dirty pieces can be cleaned, and the broken trim pieces can be replaced. I did this in the used F150 I bought a few years ago. I replaced the carpet, and removed the seat upholstery and washed in them in the washing machine. The water turned dark within a minute of putting in the seat covers. They were much nastier than I thought, but look new now. The job took about 6 hours, and I spent about $200 on the carpet and cleaners. My truck looks new inside now, with 150K on it.
A good detail can make a big difference as well. A pro can get out or reduce just about any everyday stain.
As a person with in depth experience at auction's, buying, selling and reconditioning cars, you can tell how a person maintained the car by the interior condition.
The dirtier the interior, the more the recon cost.
They were people who didn't take pride in their vehicle.
My advise to you, walk away.
Don't look at "certified" as anything except a sales gimmick.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Petunia16
Thanks so much for your advice...
I was giving this van a second look because of the low miles and great condition of the exterior and engine.
But I do understand that the interior says a lot about the owners. I was hoping this one just said "messy toddler & busy Mom" and not "neglectful car owner". The bulk of the stains were on 2 seats where you could tell a child's car seat had been....little feet marks on the back of the passenger seat and everything.
I mentioned that it was Honda certified because Honda will fix anything for the life of the warranty. We have a 2004 Odyssey and (knock on wood), they've been great about fixing things. So, if this 2008 van had issues... in theory Honda would fix them (although, what's the point of buying a newer car if you are going to leave it at the shop all the time?)
Your experiences really does make me want to walk away though
Consider that the 28,000 miles is not a true mileage since the inside is a mess what stops them from rolling back the odometer if they don't get caught?
If it looks this way now.. on the lot... how did it look when it was brought in?
When I buy a car, I want the inside to look as nice as the outside.. I would hate to be in a car that was beat up on the inside already.
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