It looks like I need to subscribe to the Paul Harvey philosophy and tell the rest of the story. For those few who may have assumed or misinterpreted, I apologize in advance.
When a charity loses a vehicle's keys and advertises the car as having a fatal flaw, it often times doesn't. When I find these rolling question marks I usually do two things. First, I use the Carfax history and contact the garage that maintained it last. If that information is unavailable I'll go where the vehicle physically is and inspect it myself.
I'm not a 'flipper'. Hate that term. I invest in what I know and spend a LOT of my money and time to make sure the vehicle I have is right before the customer ever gets the keys. If you ever see the show Monk, I'm pretty much like that when it comes to cars.
This Y2K Ranger was one of those unique cases of hitting 'em where they ain't. Most dealers these days don't personally go to inspect the vehicles anymore. Especially older models. They rely on the internet and use a condition report, images, and sometimes a video to determine the vehicle's value.
This truck was one of those unique situations where asymmetric information came into play. The Mercon fluid was actually pinkish red (brand new) and looked to be about a quart and a half overfilled.
The entire vehicle was immaculate. Nicer than many five year old trucks, and it had obviously been garage kept judging by the clearcoat and interior because here in Georgia, the sun and the heat will zap a Y2K era clearcoat and dashboard after just a few summers.
Then there was the entire owner's manual printed out from a personal printer, page by page, and kept underneath the passengers seat. You don't go through all that trouble to print out an entire owner's manual unless you are highly concerned about maintenance and longevity. I can go on about little things such as the radio which had no discernible wear along with the radio stations which had a light rock / NPR presets, or the bedliner that was actually a high-end job, but you get the general idea.
Finally, after I bought it and had everything done, I drove it about 50 miles before putting it online. My daily driving wasn't an emissions issue. It had no codes and nearly half my buyers are outside of the metropolitan area and don't require it. I actually advertise in four different markets and have a car buying service which has a national reach. What I didn't have with that particular vehicle is all the uncertainties eliminated. Which is why I drove it for several days in city and highway traffic to make sure everything was right.
My customer came from South Georgia. I kept it for an extra day or so after the transaction so his buddy could come with him to pick it up, and that was that. It was definitely a home run for all concerned. And that my friends is the rest of my story.
If you want to know who I am,
here and
here will answer your question. I love the car business but my work covers a far wider net than just buying, fixing, financing, and selling. I'm not Adrian Monk. Just a used car wonk.