I'm an Upstate NY'er that doesn't have good credit or money to lease/finance a new car. My current 2009 Nissan Versa hatch 149K won't pass NY inspection because of subframe rust, so I have to purchase a car that will last while I fix my credit for the next 5 years/17,300 miles (mostly short work commute, maybe 1/2 professional conferences in the northeast). I'm interested in this Rav4 but don't want to pay for a Carfax before I got some solid advice from folks here. If I get a green light, I'll follow up with Carfax, a test drive and code read, then a pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic. The car is being sold by an individual with a dealership license, but with good Facebook customer reviews. His Facebook profile says he also worked at a car repair shop, so I'm concerned he may be detailing cars and repairing necessities before flipping them - but even regular car dealerships do that. Unfortunately my regional car market is mostly curbstoners and flippers, rare to find a private owner sale.
The car description details lifelong rustproofing spray applications, recent replacement of rear rotors, pads and calipers. I'm attaching pics of the undercarriage for your review. I'm hoping the dealer didn't spray something on the undercarriage to make it look barely rusty. Thank you for your advice!
