A call to PA people

[Tad]

I was wondering if some one who lives in PA could answer a question for me. I am looking to buy a vehicle from a used car dealer. He said he is selling it in NY because it will not pass the PA rust inspection. It has a quarter sized hole in both rear wheel wells. This sounds fishy to me, I have seen cars worse than that in PA before. Is there such a thing or is this guy takeing me for a ride? Any help is appreciated.
Thanks
Tad

[cfabe]

There is such a thing, I don't know exactly what their rust standards are, but here in ohio we get those PA rejects too.

[michiganfarmer]

I was in the marine corps with a guy from PA. He commented a few times that people will get a ticket for a rust hole in their car, or truck body

[Honorine]

If the car is a uni-body and has rust-thru on whats basicly the frame no it won't pass inspection, PA is really strict on that. I've had this problem with two different Subarus. Now whether you'll get ticketed just for rust holes I don't know, the safety of the vehicle would have to be compromised somehow I would think.

[citilivin]

If it won't pass to begin with, you might have a problem registering it in PA.

[chas]

I can drive a vehicle with a rust hole and have no problem untill i try to get it inspected.Of course the bigger the hole the more chance of getting stopped for an unsafe vehicle.Usually a quarter size hole means alot more rust under the paint when you go to fix it.Been there done that!
Chas
Ps In the past I coulda throwed a cat thru the fender and never got stopped .A tropper with a bad day could take notice though!

[SHELBY]

It has a quarter sized hole in both rear wheel wells.

Being a car there can be no holes where exhaust fumes could come into the car.
now rust holes on the bed of a pickup they are sometimes a little more lax with.

PA is really picky that way,

[teresab]

I agree with the above people....they are that picky at inspection time here in PA.

[pistolsmom]

I live in PA and my daily driver is a rust bucket, and that's putting it mildly! :} To the best of my knowledge the law now is that there can be a hole of any size as long as it DOES NOT go thru to the cab of the vehicle.

[MrPG]

Does PA maybe have some other safety req't that NY does not? The rust hole might be true, but not the real reason, after all a little Bondo and paint would make it salable if that is all that is wrong.

[comfortablynumb]

mrpg is right, pa isnt that prissy about rust, its where it is, and they dont care about bondo or tiger hair unless its on the unibody rails.

offer to have your mechanic check it and I bet he refuses to let you.

the odomters probably spun back or its 2 cars welded together from wrecks.

[rr]

This person is a dealer in Pennsylvania? He has license plates he uses on cars that say "dealer"? If so, call the Pennsylvania State Police barracks nearest to him and describe this situation. At the very least, the guy is setting you up to be cheated badly. He's probably also breaking the law.

[MrPG]

Another thing I just thought of, he might be trying to "launder" the title. Since states have different title codes for e.g. rebuildable, salvage, theft recovery, off-lease, etc. he may be trying to sell it in one state to avoid the title disclosure that having the title in another state would require.

If the car looks like a good deal, I suggest carfax.com is probably worth it.

My mother bought a car without checking CarFax and after I ran the VIN it turned out it was off-lease to two different people, was a smoker's car, etc. It had been bought at auction and was sold by a local Mennonite used car dealer, so it seemed good on the surface.

[stanb999]

Originally Posted by MrPG

Another thing I just thought of, he might be trying to "launder" the title. Since states have different title codes for e.g. rebuildable, salvage, theft recovery, off-lease, etc. he may be trying to sell it in one state to avoid the title disclosure that having the title in another state would require.

If the car looks like a good deal, I suggest carfax.com is probably worth it.

My mother bought a car without checking CarFax and after I ran the VIN it turned out it was off-lease to two different people, was a smoker's car, etc. It had been bought at auction and was sold by a local Mennonite used car dealer, so it seemed good on the surface.

See you gotta be real careful with a title in PA. They have 3 types of titles.
clean
R title means it was totaled by an insurance co.
W title means it was purchased by a junk yard.

You can buy a car that was totally destroyed but rebuilt. With a "clean" title if it was never totaled by an insurance co.

I've seen people by lots of R title cars and trucks. It's perfectly ok. You just gotta know ahead of time. I know a guy that sells rebuilt 4X4 trucks for really good prices. Like a 2005 3/4 extended cab dodge deisel for 12 grand. They replace everything broke and redo the whole thing. It looks new. Just make sure your insurance Co. knows what you paid for it and you're good.

But once an R or W title always an R or W title.

[foxtrapper]

Yea, NY is a lot more lax on rust damage than PA. Dealt with them both.

[Tad]

He is a new york dealer selling the car, He sent it to a garage to have it NYS inspected before he will sell it. It might be a mute point the jeep, idea might get scraped the doc confirmed yesterday the wife is haveing twins now in search for a van! Two babies all their things and the black lab would be cozzey for 200 miles to the in-laws!Thank you all for your input.
Tad

[hisenthlay]

Wow, a very timely question for me--I'm so glad I saw this. I'm truck shopping now too, and I didn't know all this about the rust holes and PA inspection.

I thought the reason not to buy R titled vehicles is that you can't really know for sure that the rebuilders put the thing together right, and that it might not be safe or ever quite right again as it was when it was built to specs at the factory. My big concern is safety, and I don't want my truck popping apart or my airbags not opening in an accident because I was trying to get a deal on a truck. Any thoughts on this?

[arabian knight]

Heck I heard about that years ago.. If they tried something like that here in WI. OVER Half the cars and trucks or
ORE would not be on the road. I can drive with Fenders All rusted out. Doors just barely hanging on. You know the type. My one pick up I have to use a turn buckle on the tali gate so it don't come flying off~! I have driving so many rusted cars and trucks One truck was so bad the floor boards I could watch the yellow line on the road lol. So glad I live in WI. that is for sure. No lots of those Eastern States are that way NEVER could see anything in it that just because it may have a see through rust hole in it it was not safe to drive That is just pure NUTS

[tiffnzacsmom]

I have a rebuilt have had it for nearly 4 years got it when my brother died and he had it for about five or six, they can be good just take purchase with the thought that it is what it is. Inspections are tricky, I think the western half of the state is harder to pass in than the eastern half I know for even little things I've been tempted to register it at my sister in law's since she lives across the line in Ohio.