Let me start off by saying I have no one but myself to blame. Anybody who buys a used car without…read morefirst taking it to an independent mechanic for inspection is either independently wealthy or not very bright. I was in the market for a Honda Element. Honda introduced the Element in 2001 and discontinued it in 2011. The vehicle has developed a cult following since it's demise which means owners are asking way too much for them. Stafford Motors had a 2003 Element EX AWD that they were asking $5400 for. What attracted me to the vehicle wasn't just the low price, in fact the price made me a little leery. What attracted me was a clean Carfax report and a recent Virginia Inspection.
The day of the test drive was not ideal. Traffic was horrible. The 95-mile drive took me three hours, jeopardizing my scheduled appointment to look at another Element in Leesburg. I arrived just before noon armed with a code reader and a flashlight. Unfortunately, I could not find the ODB port on this vehicle. The manual shows it just above the fuse box (above the gas pedal) but there was no port to be found.
I'm no mechanic but I've owned enough hoopties' to look for the obvious problems: Oil/coolant leaks, rust, flood damage, etc. The car looked clean. I took it out for what I considered a vigorous test drive on the back road behind the dealership. I wasn't impressed with the acceleration but we're talking about a 3300-pound vehicle being pulled by a 2.4-liter 4 cylinder. I stomped on the breaks a couple of times. The pedal didn't feel as firm as I like but break jobs are within my wheelhouse, especially disk brakes. The paint on the upper dash was peeling a bit but I wasn't buying the car for its aesthetic beauty. I was more concerned with the mechanics. What I didn't do was take it out on the freeway. 95 south was a parking lot so I figured what's the point (fatal mistake number 1). I decided since the Carfax was clean and the vehicle was recently inspected, I would forego the mechanic's inspection (fatal mistake number 2) and buy the vehicle. I had driven my other car to the dealership so I arranged to pick up the Element the following Tuesday. Rebecca, the saleswoman, asked that I call her prior to coming out so that they could detail the car prior to pick up. Monday evening, I called her to let her know I would be arriving Tuesday just before noon. I showed up, as promised. They were still detailing the car and putting on temporary plates. Meanwhile, I filled out the final paperwork. They handed over the keys and I was on my way home. I jumped on 95 north and accelerated to highway speed. The vehicle seemed to have more pickup than it did during the test drive (great) but at about 70 miles per hour, I noticed it pulling to the right. At first, I chalked it up to wind (The shape of the Element isn't exactly aerodynamic) but when I let go of the wheel the vehicle practically changed lanes. "This thing is going to need an alignment," I thought. Turns out it was going to need much more than that.
During the Maryland State inspection, the mechanic flagged three items. The windshield wipers (no big deal), the rack and pinion assembly (Wait, what?) and a leaky power steering pump. The repairs would cost 1600 dollars. I asked them to hold off and called Rebecca. "Call the warranty company and see if it's covered," she suggested. I already knew the answer before I called but the "limited" warranty only covered engine and drive train. I was screwed. The sale was "as is." An independent mechanic would have flagged the problem immediately but old dummkopf decided to skip the inspection. It wasn't even a matter of money. I would have gladly paid for the inspection. I just didn't want to waste another day driving back and forth from Stafford. The trip took me 6 and a half hours. I didn't want to dedicate another day to Stafford Virginia. I called Pep Boys and told them to go ahead with the repairs. This would be another expensive lesson dished out by a Virginia Used Car lot.
Pep Boys didn't have the part in stock so it would be a couple of days until the work could be completed. I went over the sequence of events that led to my stupid decision. Then it hit me. If this vehicle doesn't meet Maryland State requirements, how the hell did it pass a Virginia Inspection? I knew why the CarFax report didn't mention anything. The problem probably was never reported. I went online to see what my options were. I called Stafford Motors and requested the name of the garage that performed the inspection. I know there are garages out there that will pass unsafe vehicles for a little scratch on the side. If this is one of them, I intend to report them to the Virginia State Attorney's office. I know it probably won't get me my money back but hopefully, it will put the inspectors and Stafford Motors on blast.
Virginia used car dealers: Avoid at all costs.