Well, then you can't go wrong with the Snap-On or Matco scanners, but those will be the most expensive. The place I'm currently working has an OTC and a Bosch scanner, and they seem to work just fine. I have no experience with Autel, but I've heard good things about them . As far as specific models go, I would have to look into it, but I'm sure that you can figure out what you need when looking through the catalogs.
Let me preface this question with yes, any purchase will be reviewed by an independent mechanic. Would you consider a used vehicle with "mild to moderate damage" on the Carfax? No accident reported. The car salesman said that mild is any body work professionally fixed (and reported), even a scratch. I am naturally inclined to disbelieve or be suspicious of any unverified facts by car salesmen. Details about the event are not included in the Carfax, guy said that level of damage could be that someone ran into a pole, etc. Are low levels of damage that are professionally fixed something that drags the price down? I am car shopping. I am pretty sure I'm set on a Subaru forester and now it comes down to finding one with low enough miles and at a price point I'm comfortable with. One I am considering had that info about damage on its Carfax and I'm wondering if it's worth digging or negotiating on. My priorities are: price point, AWD or 4x4 and snow/ice handling, roomy enough for entire family (husband is stupid tall), and long term reliability/cost to maintain.
A bit of things to go over; I'd start with googling the VIN. Sometimes that will pull images up. And no offense, but we're talking a Subaru here. Pretty sure there are literally millions of them in Oregon. Why risk it on one that has been in a collision? There are too many unknowns with how the repairs were done. I've seen some downright scary "repaired" shit. What paint was used in the repairs? Shitty paint will look amazing for a few years and then completely breakdown and the Sun will eat right through it. Ask if you can take it to a respected, local body shop. No chain shops. Hopefully you can talk to a manager/owner. Offer to throw them a few bucks to look the car over. They'll know what to look for and where to look.
About every other vehicle on the road here is a Subaru. I have many friends who drive them and love them. What's behind your stance? I'm also seeing something about linear cvt? I don't understand any of this.
I guess that's my hesitation. How bad was the damage? How good was the work? You're probably right about risk vs reward on this one. I'm looking for something in my budget, 20k or less, that hits the bullets on my needs list. We have a lot of shit to pay for this year, and I don't want to be saddled with expensive repairs or maintenance any time soon. But we need another set of wheels. I do have a mechanic I trust. But he's here, and a lot of these vehicles are in a large radius. That complicates things.
More info than you ever want to know: Can't say I know anything about Subies but a friend had one and had issues with his CVT. Sample size of 1... problems confirmed.
Ok, ok. So we hate Subarus and their transmissions. Given my wish list and budget, what WOULD you recommend? I honestly don't care that much about the model year, just the miles on the engine.
I'll let Dixie give the professional opinion but I don't think you can go wrong with Honda or Toyota. You might pay a little more upfront but they're cheap to maintain and you'll have better resale than GM, Ford, Dodge and WAY better resale than Kia or Hyundai
I, and many guys I've known/ worked with, have worked on Subarus, and we are not impressed with them, to put it lightly. This isn't because of styling, resale value, ergonomics, or any of that other bullshit that automotive journalist use as criteria. Mechanics think that Subarus are shit. Run and hide from any CVT vehicle. Why? See my response above.
We currently have a Toyota Highlander and it's awesome. Since we have one roomy vehicle, realistically a sedan would be fine. I just like the visibility of the SUVs. Maybe a Toyota sedan would be a more realistic thing to shop for. Hmm.
We currently have three Hondas and bought two of them used. We a VERY happy with them. Personally, I don’t think Toyotas deserve their good reputation. Certainly don’t buy a RAV4 - I’ve had two and they were shit. The second one had a CVT that crapped out just after the warranty expired.
10-15 year old Toyota Camry with a manual transmission, with between 100k and 150k miles. Price, probably $6K-7K. Life expectancy, half a million miles or more.
I just did some searching. Camry with a manual transmission is not a common car in your state, and the few that exist are about twice as expensive as the cars around here. There several of them in beautiful condition around here for that price. So, something else, then.
My parents have had Honda sedans for forever. They drive them into the dirt. I've been shopping for Honda and Toyota sedans since last night. They are looking about the same price as the small SUVs I shopped for before. But, they live forever. I have sent inquiries about a few. The camrys have an AWD version but there's only a handful of models in the radius. I also will only purchase within the state of OR since we don't have sales tax, but our geographically close neighbors all have sales tax.
If you can find a good, low mileage Honda element, that might be a good compromise between and SUV and a sedan. We've love ours and it's been trouble free except for one temp sensor that controlled the fan and regular wear and tear items. Some models are awd, kinda heavy, which helps with traction, and roomy as hell for the giant in the family.
Problem with the Element is that they're gathering a cult following and prices are getting dumb for clean, well optioned (aka AWD) models. I've seen a few on Bring-A-Trailer going for over $30k Edit - I checked BaT and that's only for very low mileage cars. Common mileage is more in the mid teens. My SIL had an Element that was totaled in an accident some years back and she still misses it.
Dont Subarus have boxer engines? That can't be cheap to fix. Honda CRVs and Toyota Rav4s sounds like the type of car you are looking for.