Am I reading too much into these Carfax entries (is it just a common part of a regular maintenance check to do these things for example) or are they truly "red flags"?

Honestly, yeah. Some places have gotten way too automated with Carfax reporting and all kinds of nonsense goes in. I'm happy just seeing that the car was seeing regular service. Owners getting occasional niggles or quirks checked out is a pretty normal part of the ownership experience.

 

I don't know for certain, but I assumed Carfax just lists things it finds from dealer service records. Those checks are typical "multipoint inspection" things that a lot of shops will do (or say they do) regardless of why the vehicle is being looked at. I probably wouldn't put a lot of faith in their reporting -- if I'm looking at Carfax data, I'm only interested in previous accidents and the number of owners, but of course it'll never capture everything (especially incidents that aren't reported to insurance).

As for why some specimens aren't moving versus others that get snapped up quickly... there's just such a limited supply of these vehicles, so ones that meet certain buyer requirements (color, transmission, year/model) are going to go quickly, usually regardless of issues. None of the issues you'll find mentioned are completely debilitating, so most niggles can be sorted out relatively easily/cheaply. Obviously once you're serious about a vehicle, you should definitely have a PPI done by a trusted shop/tech to know what you're getting into.

 

Carfax like anything else on the internet is just another source of info or misinfo. I always look for multiple sources for collaboration of info.

 

CarFax is hit and miss. My Subaru that I bought brand new said it had 2 wheels replaced when the dealer was just setting up the TPMS sensors.

Later on in ownership, when the engine was replaced under warranty, it just said ‘checked oil’.

 

Carfax claimed my 400 saw two new sets of tires (so 3 sets total including the tires that came on the car).

It was a 2017 400 I bought in 2021? With 7000miles. The date code on the tires when I bought it were early 2017.

So either someone smoked 3 full sets of rubber in 7k miles AND managed to buy 2017 rubber in 2021.... Or car fax has no clue what's going on....

 

I hate CARFAX. I think the idea that a 3rd party company can have inaccurate or outright false information that can impact the value of your vehicle is wrong.

I've read several stories of vehicles being traded in or put up for sale that were NEVER in a collision but reported as being in one. That reduced the trade in/overall value. Some CARFAX reports had the crash with a VIN that did not even match the manufacturer. Owners faced an uphill battle in getting it corrected as THEY had to prove the information was incorrect or CARFAX would not amend it. All they want is profit.

 

I agree with the comments above. Complete hit or miss. The only thing I really look at is the number of owners and if there was an accident.

 

Spell it: CAR*UX
In the final analysis what you see is what you get.......when it comes to buying an exotic car the advice is > go to it, go over it closely, put it on a lift, take stuff apart carefully (if they'll let you), drive it and drive it hard on the engine (after it's warmed up), hard on the brakes, hard into and through a couple of corners, if you like it then take it with you......because if you leave it and are going to have it shipped at a later date, what arrives maybe not be all of what you inspected. Yes, the thought of > go look at it < can be a hassle......but I shall repeat > CAR*UX is not to be relied on for all that much

 

Completely agree you have to see one before you buy. What I was hoping to avoid was traveling all around the country to look at "bad" cars that you could tell were bad because of certain CarFax entries that the better Evora-educated members here would all recognize as "red flags." No such luck I guess.

 

When I was checking out my used Evora prior to purchase I ran a Carfax, had Lemon Squad do a pre purchase inspection, and asked to see all the dealer service records on file. I also had them pull a CPU report. My sales agent didn't bat an eye. He was super helpful and happily gave me all the files they had on the car.
Of course they were the dealership that originally sold it when new and also did most of the maintenance. If you are buying private party it might be a bit more difficult to get the dealer service records and CPU printout.