Cool J

it says it failed emission inspection so should i even bother with this car? it's a 97 gle i think since it has a bose system and abs brakes and leather. the price was $7500 and it had 80k miles. i ran a carfax on the car and here's what i get:

Date:
Mileage Reading:
Source:
General Comments:


07/01/1997 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Registered as
lease vehicle


07/14/1997 13 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Hayward, CA
Odometer reading reported


07/28/1997 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Title issued
First owner reported
Registered as lease vehicle


07/23/1999 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Hayward, CA
Title issued
Registered as lease vehicle


06/28/2000 34,350 Auto Auction
Sold at auction
in Pacific Southwest Region
Listed as
a fleet vehicle


07/07/2000 34,557 California
Inspection Station
Smartville, CA
Passed emissions inspection


07/07/2000 Vehicle Repair Center
Smartville, CA
Vehicle serviced


07/09/2000 34,666 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Manteca, CA
Odometer reading reported


08/30/2000 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Manteca, CA
Title issued
New owner reported
Loan or lien reported


07/13/2002 61,771 California
Inspection Station
Passed emissions inspection


07/13/2002 California
Inspection Station
Failed emissions inspection

this is what carfax said about the emission problem:

Failed Emissions Inspection
The emissions check performed during a vehicle inspection indicated the vehicle was emitting more than allowable emissions standards and/or had missing or modified parts. Repeated failed emissions records can indicate engine problems and CARFAX recommends you have the vehicle inspected.

SXN

jeebus...why did you post all that. just cuz it failed doesnt mean its a bad car. tons of things can make you fail. failing the emissions part can be due to taking out a cat, changing your Y pipe, etc. the visual portion and ECU check (that all 97s must go through) can be failed by ANYTHING that isnt legal, intakes (even a simple pop charger or CAI)... so dont worry about it, and better research the car

Lonely Driver

I'd be more worried about why it was sold at an auction in 99.

Cool J

why should i be more worried about that? i think i will just have a mecahnic check it out. anyone know how much it costs for a sellers car to be inspected?

maxy95

Pay a mechanic, or save time and money. I've heard that the rear o2 sensor could cause bad emissions results and is pretty cheap to fix. But the best way to know what's going on is an ecu diagnostic of the car.

Pickup a chilton's book on the car from just about any auto parts store. It will have instructions in there.

Instructions should be similar to

1 while car is off, turn key to on position (but don't turn the car on)
2 locate screw on ecu and turn fully clockwise, wait for two seconds
3 turn fully counter clock wise and watch the MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light)

The long flashes are the first digit, and the short flashes are the second digit. Example 34 = Knock sensor.


max95

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

The reason it was auctioned is - 34,000 miles turned in after a lease. Leased cars are often given to action houses by dealers. It's a quick way for the dealer to make an easy sale. There's no registration or advertising involved on the dealers part when the car is sold. They get their money and run.

I wouldn't worry about the one failure of emmissions either. It probably needed a tune up. Look at the mileage when it failed.

Thats a clean CarFax report.

ch13f

I would be a lot more worried that it was listed as a fleet vehicle right after it was auctioned... usually those cars aren't taken care of very well and often beat on.

ChrisA

it also said it passed on the same day, didn't it? maybe it failed and then was retested and it passed?

nothing wrong with a car going through auction

LastBoyScout

It will be fine......

When you go to pass it next, get you some nice fuel additives....like some fuel injectr clearner, and also, they make a product that you add to your gas that is suppose to help it pass. just go look at the additives section of adv auto parts, napa, auto zone, o'reily's, wally or some automotive place. Then run that b17ch as hot as you can... then go have it tested while its still running hot. Give that CAT a good chance to clean that air up.

Besides..... Here in TN, they tell us why it failed. Call up a automotive repair shop, tell them you readings, and ask them what all they need to repair to fix the problem. Tell them you want to know. dont let them jerk you around.

Jatan

iTrader: (3)

It probably failed the OBDII test, but I guess it passed the regular test (the ones they do on older cars)

To me that's nothing to worry about since it passed on the same day anyways. Maybe they weren't using premium gas

SXN

part of the description was that the car "had missing or modified parts" and therefore failed... he could of had a y pipe, gone home changed it then passed.

Cool J

alright i found more information on why it failed and passed the emission inspection the same day. there was a power outage when the test was running so it did not complete so thats why it failed and then it was tested again and it passed. he said its the sporty version so i think it's an se model with a spoiler, leather, bose, auto, and abs options. if it is i will be glad it's an se since now i get the 5 spoke alloy rims, white gauges and sport suspension. i'll have the check the tag on the inside to see what model it is for sure. i am going for a test drive tomorrow afternoon.