AWD with no badge?

Besides, I’ve heard people have made fake VIN tag at the bottom of the windshield, although it should be very rare.

Made fake VIN tag then sold car to CarMax, Okay, right.

I don’t want to write down a long VIN, and get on a computer or smart phone to decode it.

Again, I don't know why people want to do more work than necessary. I can count to 6, which means I can find the 6th character.

I know I'm not going to convince you, but let's look at this.... She bought a car from CarMax, not Jake and Leo's Used Cars, Bicycles and Small Motor Repair Shop. And in this case, people were telling her to get under the car and look for components? Really? Then she has to post photos if she's not sure what she's looking at. I gave her the exact info - just look at the 6th character. Besides, if the under side of the car indicates AWD, and the VIN doesn't, then she's got bigger problems than a missing AWD tag on her trunk.
 
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Made fake VIN tag then sold car to CarMax, Okay, right.



Again, I don't know why people want to do more work than necessary. I can count to 6, which means I can find the 6th character.

I know I'm not going to convince you, but let's look at this.... She bought a car from CarMax, not Jake and Leo's Used Cars, Bicycles and Small Motor Repair Shop. And in this case, people were telling her to get under the car and look for components? Really? Then she has to post photos if she's not sure what she's looking at. I gave her the exact info - just look at the 6th character. Besides, if the under side of the car indicates AWD, and the VIN doesn't, then she's got bigger problems than a missing AWD tag on her trunk.
I was talking about how to figure out the vehicle whether it’s AWD or not in general. In this case we knew the answer from the picture of her first post, no need for VIN. Besides, not many people are willing to give their full VIN out on the Intetnet.
 
Hi guys! Well, I've made my decision. Once again, thanks for all the advice and opinions. I feel like I will be way more knowledgeable when I buy my next car!

I got a 2nd opinion from another mechanic yesterday (this one also checked the alignment, as well as all the things the other mechanic checked). They didn't find anything wrong with the car, either (just the same brake light and rear windshield wiper out of adjustment).

I've decided to keep the car for the following reasons:

1) I believe I got a fair price, even with the carfax history, as (1) this car was slightly cheaper than other similarly equipped CX-5s in my area (maybe due to the carfax?), and (2) carmax gave me significantly more on my old vehicle than trade-in offers I've gotten from other dealers (I realize if I sold private party I could get more, but my car had 240k miles and a broken off driver's side rearview mirror so it would have been a tough sell and i didn't want to mess with it anyway).

2) It has the exact color and features that I want, which is somewhat hard to come by when buying used (I've been looking on and off for several months and have been to multiple dealers).

3) Two different mechanics, plus my brother-in-law (who has tons of experience with used cars) cannot find anything wrong with it or evidence of any major damage that has been repaired, other than the back bumper area (and yes I showed both mechanics the carfax showing the areas of suspected damage). The liftgate has been removed and re-attached (or replaced) at some point, but I am not sure if that's due to damage or the fact that, as I recently discovered, apparently this model had a recall on the liftgate. A body man at a local collision repair place also gave us a once-over and said all panels are tight and good and from a cosmetic standpoint he didn't visually see anything wrong.

Once again, I appreciate all of your experiences and knowledge!

If and when I have any issues with the vehicle I will let you know and will prepare myself for any "I-told-you-so's" lol.
 
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The liftgate has been removed and re-attached (or replaced) at some point, but I am not sure if that's due to damage or the fact that, as I recently discovered, apparently this model had a recall on the liftgate.

That recall only involved replacement of the lift struts due to the potential for corrosion - not the lift gate itself which does not get removed during the lift struct replacement procedure.

 
That recall only involved replacement of the lift struts due to the potential for corrosion - not the lift gate itself which does not get removed during the lift struct replacement procedure.

Yes, and I believe the whole liftgate got replaced due to the accident, very likely with a used liftgate from a red FWD CX-5 in the salvage yard. That’s why the “AWD” emblem and the barcode sticker wlong01 mentioned earlier both are missing .

To OP, we’re all happy for you to find a car you really like. And you’ll enjoy driving your CX-5 for sure!
 
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Good to know! It probably was damaged by whatever took out the back bumper. I thought the lift struts looked newish!
For the new pair of liftgate struts replaced by the recall, people here found the replacements actually are worse than originals. They’re getting weaker really fast, and may need another replacement earlier than usual.

But your look-new struts could be aftermarket units replaced along with the liftgate.
 
Yes, and I believe the whole liftgate got replaced, very likely with a used liftgate from a red FWD CX-5 in the salvage yard. That’s why the “AWD” emblem and the barcode sticker wlong01 mentioned earlier both are missing .

To OP, we’re all happy for you to find a car you really like. And you’ll enjoy driving your CX-5 for sure!

Do reputable body shops use salvage yard parts? The body shop where the repairs were apparently completed has excellent reviews of their work and is a nationwide company.
 
Salvage yard parts might be better than the Chinese knock off parts some shops use. After all they are OEM and probably the same age as the car being repaired.
 
Do reputable body shops use salvage yard parts? The body shop where the repairs were apparently completed has excellent reviews of their work and is a nationwide company.

Combinations of new OE, aftermarket, and recycled parts are used by body shops. There are many reasons for this including:
  • Customer is looking for a lower-cost repair
  • New OE and aftermarket parts unavailable at the time of the repair
  • Insurance company specifies the use of used parts
 
Do reputable body shops use salvage yard parts? The body shop where the repairs were apparently completed has excellent reviews of their work and is a nationwide company.
Yes, they’ll do it if you ask for it. In fact, I’ll get a same-color similar-aged lifrgate from a salvage yard if I‘m in the same situation. Like Mazdiod2 said, liftgate from salvage yard is better than many aftermarket body parts which requires painting, as long as the liftgate is original from factory,
 
You sound like someone who is thorough so I'd think you will be pleased with the decision given the digging you've done.. Even if something occurs down the road, you have done more due diligence at this point than most would

I say the decision is well thought out and good for you. Nobody knows what happens tomorrow, we just use the info we have today and move on.
 
You sound like someone who is thorough so I'd think you will be pleased with the decision given the digging you've done.. Even if something occurs down the road, you have done more due diligence at this point than most would

I say the decision is well thought out and good for you. Nobody knows what happens tomorrow, we just use the info we have today and move on.

100% agree. Enjoy your new wheels honestjenjen!
 
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