smokemake

I m buying a 2012 zr1 where the car fax shows on line 3 " transmission replaced"
This is two weeks before the car was sold the very first time
Original title is from FL and current title is in NY
This car s been on sale for a while

In the last line or report, it shows sold to another dealer last month but its still on sale from the NY dealer

Conv_GSDriver

hhmmm hard to say, depending on the sale price, it could be a salvage title. If you can get the VIN, take it to a chevy dealer and have them pull the maintenance history for that VIN. if nothing comes up via chevy then it could be some serious issues. Auction cars are always a surprise cause you really don't know much of what happened prior and going from FL to NY, it could mean that someone is trying to make a quick buck. definitely be careful.

Conv_GSDriver

i'm not sure about the hotline but if you provide a VIN and explain you are buying this car and want to see how well it was taken care of mintenance wise, and if it happens to be your local dealer, i'm sure they will be willing to help since that means you would take your car to them in the future, possible new business.

smokemake

Should I run an auto check too?

Conv_GSDriver

That's entirely up to you, I guess for comparison sake and if it gives you piece of mind.

1968swbbigblock

I would run the autocheck just for piece of mind.
I would also ask the local chevy dealer or Gene Cully @ GM Parts House (a vendor on this forum) to run a BARS report. They are free and they will show you everything that GM has done to the car, warranty and regular service work
I would also google the vin and see if anything pops up of interest

09Z06pj

What are the specifics regarding the car and how much are they asking? Do as much research as possible (GM VIS etc.) and make sure to test drive it before making an offer. Take it up to between 70-80 mph to ensure it does not have the dreaded steering wheel vibration. Most dealers don't have a clue as to how to fix this issue.

There is a ton of info regarding these cars in the ZR1 section of this forum. Got to do your homework or you could make a big mistake. I doubt it's a salvage title just for a transmission replacement and if that's all there is with the car, I'm sure it is fine. Good luck.

AORoads

I thought the BARS report is for fleet vehicles---could be wrong tho. I would do the GM VIS (now IVH?) report that is free and I'd also do an AutoCheck, too. Good idea to google vin, and very good idea to go on C6 ZR1 forum and look for things wrong, ask questions.

Maybe it's nothing but replacing trans before first sale could mean many things not least of which is someone at dealership took it for a fun ride and didn't know how to shift, or shifted poorly. Or raced it at a track.

hawkgfr

Find the owners....ask them about it and hopefully don't have a hand in the sale..

cclive

Sounds to me like the GM VIS report would be valuable here. Available from any Chevy dealer and a couple of vendors on here. The car is still on warranty, so the trans would show up on the report.

technolady

In my opinion, a major repair just prior to a sale is a no-go red flag. If they kept the car after the repair that would indicate (to me) that all was well but getting rid of a car right after a repair could indicate that the repair was the tip of the iceberg.

smokemake

But I was wondering if this could possibly be a mistake on Carfax or something
Not sure why a transmission would be replaced at 6 miles on the odometer

smokemake

So I can go to any Chevy dealer and ask for a VIS REPORT?
what does vis stand for?
I have not seen the car yet, I left a deposit of 3 k and its pending inspection of the vehicle in person for the full amount to be transfered

smokemake

I wish there was a way to find the last owner
On Carfax it comes up as corporate vehicle so last owner registered it under his company

phileaglesfan

A tranny replacement isn't exactly rare. The owner could be a crappy driver since it is a manual. I would get it inspected by a mechanic you trust. Remember that things on the ZR1 get real expensive quick. A stock wheel is a couple $k for example, tires are $2600 or so a set. My friend purchased a 2 year old 2010 ZR1 for $80k, already had 1 wheel, an alternator and I forgot what else replaced. He cracked the front splitter which is another $k or so. Roof has a few chips in it also.

cclive

I believe that any GM dealer can pull it up by the VIN...will show full GM service history from delivery onwards.

AORoads

Vehicle Inquiry System. To my knowledge it was replaced with the acronym, IVH (Investigate Vehicle History).

HBsurfer

If it was a company car the chances are good that all or most of the maintenance was done by a dealer. Not many company car drivers are doing home repairs because maintenance costs would be included in the "perk" of getting a company car. Run that VIN number. It will probably tell you what you need to know.

smokemake

I'm going to Chevy dealer tomorrow

I'm going to call that specific dealer that sold it for the first time as well

I'll ask them if it's still under warranty as well

Gary '09 C6

the GM IVH report will also show the warranties still in-force

this car (a 2012) should also be a CPO unit...if it isn't, then (to me) that's troublesome...