Who can I trust when searching for used SUV

Consider getting it from the brand’s dealer who may offer theirs as cpo with factory extended warranty. Of course, you still need to do your diligence in finding out the history of it.

Nobody. Everyone is out to fleece you of your money. Treat everyone suspiciously and use your own mechanic for inspection.

engineered wrote: ↑ Nobody. Everyone is out to fleece you of your money. Treat everyone suspiciously and use your own mechanic for inspection.

I bought 2 used in a short time about 2 years. And yes, that advice is true for sure.

Chances of upping success:
-Go to Dealer, even if it's far away. You can see on the website first regarding their inventory. Preferably, a car that was bought there, and serviced there, and returned there whether it was through a lease or trade-in. Full service records, they also provide the Carproof report in the ads (many other used car sellers do this too). The benefit of a local driver there is less wear and tear vs GTA driving (I went a bit past London to get mine). It's more of a pain but worth it IMO. But many good local ones in the GTA too.

-2nd, did private. Didn't care about this one as much as I was driving it, so more 'risk' taker. Location is generally important. A 'richer' neighbourhood, the better. I got mine in Oakville from a Retiree who also had serviced it at a dealership. In Toronto, think of mid-town type area.

Just how they respond to emails, the way they structure their sentence, explain the background of the car, is a huge indicator if someone is a scammer or something to hide. Test driving is important obviously. You'll get a better sense if you drive more. Drove one in Brampton, and met the owners which was a bit shady, story didn't make sense, etc. Yeaa, you can guess the stereotype so stayed away from that. Oakville sellers got it certified at the dealer, they did a full check (everything was green checkmarks), included winter tires in great condition. Very happy with the car so far. So building rapport with the owner, they deal with alot of BS so they're glad to deal with someone 'normal' and serious. And when it comes to haggling on price, they're more flexible.

at1212b wrote: ↑ Oakville sellers got it certified at the dealer, they did a full check (everything was green checkmarks)...

Even this isn't a guarantee. Everything seemed fine with the previous owner I bought my most recent car from. They certified it for me too. Brought it home and found the power steering was leaking. That should have failed the certification. All it takes is a family mechanic and "hey, do me a favour, I'm selling this car".

derass wrote: ↑ Even this isn't a guarantee. Everything seemed fine with the previous owner I bought my most recent car from. They certified it for me too. Brought it home and found the power steering was leaking. That should have failed the certification. All it takes is a family mechanic and "hey, do me a favour, I'm selling this car".

True. For mine, they took it to the dealer for certification.

Just get a carfax and try to buy from a dealership if you can get/are willing to negotiate them on price. Two reasons why I suggest dealer vs private are that 1) you can scout out reviews before even picking up the phone or walking over, and 2) if there are problems after the fact, dealerships are going to have more heart in the matter.

I say this from experience as I purchased a car and had the carfax, etc. But didn't take it to a mechanic as the dealership provided their own in house certification that there were no problems. Two months later the cv axles went and I noticed the ac blasting out fine particualtes on everything when turned on. Took it back to the dealership even after my 30 day used warranty was up and they were all over it, even gave me a courtesy car while they fixed the car. Turns out there had been some rust issues, a faulty ecu and other things, they took care of it all and sent me on my way over two weeks, replacing axles, cv joints, computers with factory parts from Ford. My car cost 16k after taxes...they easily put 3-5k worth of work in.

Anyway if you have someone you know and TRUST, that's a good one too. Otherwise, go to a dealership and haggle price or buy if you find a good price/deal. Reviews are worth a lot to dealerships and many places(at least here in Saskatchewan now have 90 day used warranties). Good luck!

You can only trust your instincts and family and lastly close friends to sell you an SUV in good condition. If you must buy from a dealer - go to one that is high volume and reputable and be prepared to haggle on price and a vehicle history report (CarFax).
In my younger years, we accompanied a friend who was checking out a private seller of a Camaro. So the 5 of us hopped into his van and paid the seller a visit. We looked like partiers and goofs. The seller, Probably a curbsider wouldn't sell the car to my friend (it was a darn good price with unbelievably low mileage for that vintage) he got nervous and started to point out some faults without us ever asking. In looking back - the seller might have thought that if the Camaro ever fell apart or if we discovered mileage had been rolled back - we would have paid him a visit in the middle of the night for ?????????? I'll leave it up to fellow RFDers imagination for what could have happened. Hehe!!!