Would you buy a car from a smoker who didn't smoke in car?

[tny915]

DH has found a very attractive deal on a used MDX, but has just found out the current owner is a smoker. Owner has children, so he never smokes in the car. DH's father was a smoker, so we know how sometimes smoke can just become a part of the person. As a child, DH developed asthma from the second-hand smoke that still affects him today, so smoking's a sensitive issue for him.

So WWYD? Would detailing and a thorough professional cleaning get rid of any residual smells, or would you rule out this car entirely?

[barbarhow]

Can you tell? Does the car reek of it? If not, I wouldn't hesitate if its otherwise a good deal.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03, a Red Sox fan
and Anna 5/12/05, my little Yankee fan!

[amp]

I would have to sit in it to see if it smelled, to me, like smoke. If it did, no way. If not, sure, I'd consider it.

[mamahill]

Ugh - even detailing it wouldn't necessarily help. We bought our Maxima used from a Nissan dealer and it didn't smell at all when we bought it. A couple weeks later we were hit with a heat wave and the smell just crept out. It was awful. We went through a couple bottles of febreeze, dousing the thing every night and I could still smell it on hot days. Now, 5 years later, the smell isn't there, but every now and then, I wonder.

In short, no. I wouldn't buy a car from someone who smoked. That stuff lingers and, imo, is nasty.

[Momof3Labs]

Nope. No way. Especially with your DH's history of asthma.

[Melanie]

No.