Jackrabbit

Sorry guys if my "buying an X" posts are driving you crazy.
But seems everyday something new comes up.

I went to look at a used '08 GSR today at a stealership. They have it priced right at what all the other '08s around here are going for.

It was pretty obvious the previous owner smoked in it daily. How much do you think that should factor in to the price?

In my experience, you can never quite get the smell out.

xBLK21LEVO9x

You can get the smell out using OZONE. Its amazing stuff. My step brother just picked up a user 99 jeep cherokee and it literally smelt like an asstray. He used about 3 of the mini bottles of the OZONE stuff and the smell is completely gone. I told him to spray it in the car every morning, midday, night he did it for 1 week. Smell is gone.

To answer your question, it depends on how bad it is. Ive seen ppl drop the price by $5000. But it all the depends, the stealership might not even care that its a smokers car and just wait for someone to pick it up at the price they have it at, Start with a high price off and if they say no work your way down.

Boltz.

iTrader: (42)

As a detailer I can tell you that you can definitely get rid of the smoker smell. Shouldn't factor into the price very much, a few hundred tops. That is unless there is other damage than smell. smoke damage, burns,etc

dbotkin5

iTrader: (4)

To me it definitely detracts from the value, but whether or not the dealer will reduce the price is another story. I'd say it depends on A.) how long they've had the car/how eager they are to move it and B.) if you're willing to walk away from the deal

Exyia

iTrader: (6)

pretty much this

there's no formal value, it's just a matter of supply/demand

"I'm not buying at that price with a dent on the bumper" - either price is reduced, dent is fixed at their expense, or they just let you go and sell it to someone else because it's a popular, easily sold car. same applies to the smoker smell in your case

it's different with used because the supply is much more limited - as in just one car. For instance, I had a customer come in for a E36 M3, bone-stock, with only 70k miles. The only problem was a small tear in the driver seat leather. One stubborn customer demanded a huge discount because of that tear. I think he forgot the fact that it was a BONE-STOCK E36 M3 with 70k miles. It sold the next day to someone else at the full price. I don't think I'll ever see another M3 in such pristine condition

so try your best to discount it, but if they don't, there are legitimate reasons why. Either go with the posted advice to get rid of it, or keep looking. best of luck!

HudsonFalcon

iTrader: (9)

I wouldn't expect them to discount the car down much, if it all, unless there's burns in the seats or other smoker related dmage. At most I'd expect maybe a free detail but that's about it.

slowboi_x

iTrader: (1)

You can get the smell out but it takes a little work to do it right. I had a car recently that I wasnt daily driving so i had the time. I pulled out the entire interior, headliner, carpet, seats, door cards, everything except the dash. I borowed a steam cleaner and shampoo'er and cleaned the entire interior. Let me tell you the water was BLACK. It takes some effort to do but it really works. So convert that into dollars in your head and make an offer.

Fittest

Why don't you ask them to try to get rid of the smell on their own? That way you could possibly get a service for free AND you get the ugly smell of cigarette residue out. Buying a car with smoke residue can sure make you feel crappy. The first time a passenger gets in and says "Do you smoke?" can be a self-esteem destroyer on the spot.

camoevox

iTrader: (2)

as long as there is no burns in the headliner and seats i would say $500 tops thats enough to purchase a few professional details.

blonde

iTrader: (12)

like was said, i doubt you will be able to take off too much. i used to smoke in my old cars and before i traded them in, i would get the detailed and the smell was gone. i have sat in cars that were horrible and even that would only take a few hundreds to get done.

Jackrabbit

Cool. Thanks everyone.

Bones_OZ

I dont see how it can stay in a car for so long. I smoke everyday when driving my car and if I go one day with out smoking in it smells netural, I have non-smoker friends that say my car smells good. Hell, my ex would of killed me if she knew I smoked. I use to use OzOne like youve heard and it does wonders when I got nasty mud in my old truck.

Fittest

If the previous owner smoked with the windows up all the time (even to a smoker, that's kinda disgusting), that's how the smell typically resonates for a while.

My last opinion on the subject is that if the dealership didn't even bother trying to get that smell out, I'm not sure how great their service and pre-inspection is.

Jackrabbit

I have an older car that I gutted, completely. Removed all the seats barpet and everything.
And I still catch a faint smell of smoke once in awhile.

Maybe I'm sensitive to it, since I smoked for 13 years and have been quit for over 10. *shrug*

Johnr352

iTrader: (18)

If you are sensitive to it I suspect no amount of cleaning will get you there. You'll always know and be predisposed to the smell. I would pass.