Burned on Carfax?

[DZTR7]

Hey folks,
I’m in the market for a used R1t. The dealerships are quick to throw you a clean Carfax to give reassurance. However, I feel that quality control agencies do not have a good grasp of electric cars especially Rivians. For instance, I’m not sure if electric or software issues would be accounted for in the report. Has anyone been burned on a clean Carfax? Thanks.

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[Riviot]

For instance, I’m not sure if electric or software issues would be accounted for in the report.

Can you elaborate or provide an example?

 

[jjswan33]

You are on a roll today man..

If you have concerns about a specific vehicle contact Rivian, if the warranty is good then I would only worry about cosmetic issues. Any accidents or anything like that should show up in the Carfax report

 

[DZTR7]

Yeah. I understand what I am asking is vague. I guess I am seeking out people who had issues with the car, especially on a metric not accounted for Carfax. Love the GIF.

 

[DZTR7]

Ha. Yeah I’m new to this forum. First day. My Tesla is having issues and I want to sell it quick. Want a Rivian soon but I have never bought a used car.

 

[TollKeeper]

Yes you can absolutely be burned on CarFax. There are insurance write offs that go thru auction all the time with a Clean Title. I was looking at a 2023 Corvette C8 just yesterday that is SMASHED on the front right corner, air bags deployed, tweaked frame, etc. But it has a clean title.



Carfax, autocheck, etc, are all pretty much useless in my opinion.

Heres another one, clean title, insurance write off.. Its not clean!
https://www.copart.com/lot/60731294/clean-title-2023-mercedes-benz-e-350-4matic-co-denver-south

Edit: Heres a Rivian, insurance write off.. Clean title.
https://www.copart.com/lot/59597794/clean-title-2023-rivian-r1s-adventure-tn-nashville

 

[jjswan33]

Ha. Yeah I’m new to this forum. First day. My Tesla is having issues and I want to sell it quick. Want a Rivian soon but I have never bought a used car.

Maybe check out the classified section here and see if anyone is local. $55-65k seems to be the going rate for a 2022 or 2023 QM R1T depending on options and mileage.

Or get a lease deal direct from Rivian, they still have some 2024 inventory, if you search the forums folks have offered Rivian F&F discounts on R1T inventory but you can't go wrong either way.

Good luck.

 

[CrazyOne]

There are ways to keep damage out of Carfax. Anyone in the auto repair industry can easily pull it off. Get it inspected by a pro. Carfax is just the start

 

[Ngkgb]

I have been burned by Carfax. I’d also check Autocheck.

 

[DZTR7]

Thanks guys. Much appreciated. Happy 4th.

 

[CharonPDX]

As others have mentioned, CarFax and similar can be fooled on physical damage; but it sounds like you're also interested in "software issues" - on most vehicles with heavy software integration, a "software issue" tends to be widespread, not vehicle-specific, so a CarFax wouldn't show something like that. "All Rivian vehicles have a software bug that causes them to lose power for one minute every time the odometer's 10,000 digit rolls to 0" (not a real problem) for example wouldn't show up.

If an individual vehicle had repeated software problems *sufficient that Rivian bought it back as a Lemon* - it would show up, though. (Assuming no tricks to block it from appearing.)

 

[computertom]

I owned a car for near a year before the carfax came back with a small accident. It was well repaired and I’d missed it. It cost me a few grand when I later sold it. Live and learn.

I now own a paint meter and a good detailing light. Are they perfect? No, but you’d be amazed how many cars fail the paint tests that are “accident free.”

Computer issues? Unless something is a buy back, you’ll never know.

 

[iansriv]

OP: I think Ive seen a few of your threads. It appears that you are considering a used R1T. You also seem to be concerned about buying used, understandably. Have you looked into leasing? There were some great leases on the 23s. All the best.

 

[Boo23]

It’s optional for body shops to register with Carfax, my local “high-end” body shop does not so if you have work done and don’t go through your insurance it will not show up. Its bad both ways, I had a Jaguar F Type SVR that my wife ran into a rock on a parking lot at 5 mph, smashed the front bumper, cost to replace $20,000, shows up as a moderate accident on Carfax when all it was was a bumper replacement, value then takes a significant hit.

 

[Tango45]

@DZTR7 As a previous EV owner, I think you're right to be concerned about things that might not show up on a Carfax as they are unique to EVs and maybe even unique to the brand. There's a few threads out there about buying used Rivians and what to look for, but searching can be a frustrating endeavor. Maybe there's a sticky somewhere that consolidates them, but that might be a question for @Administrator and I hope they are knee deep in hot dogs and mediocre beer right now.

For me, I would ask to take it to a fast charger to make sure it charges ok (like, initiates the charging session without issue) based on personal experience and take a good look at the suspension based on some of what I've read here (to include driving around with windows down and no music playing to listen for odd sounds - ticking and clicks are reasonably ok, but grinding might be bad?). I'll stop there and let more experienced members of the community chime in...

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