should i buy a car that's been in an accident?
 

'03 Max with 25k miles. Have not seen it yet, but the owner told me that there was an accident and that the front light(s), bumper and radiator were replaced. He said that repair at the dealership cost about 2k. I am going to take it for a general/alignment inspection at the dealership, but save for that is that something that should make me forgo buying it (since the radiators are not usually changed in fender-benders)???
I also have an option to purchase a remaining extended warranty 6yrs/75k for $500


thanks

I would personally never buy a car that's been in an accident. Regardless of how good it's fix it'll never be the same...

No. No. No.

I agree with the others here Roman. Unless the car is discounted to the point where the price offsets the fact that it's been in an accident before. I have neighbors who drive around cars that were probably banged up and repaired. They drive the cars hard and they just don't last very long.

It's better to have certainty that the car will hold up than to be constantly wondering if the shop did their work right in my opinion. Then again, to what extent was the damage done? Unless you have pictures, it's really hard to say. 20, 30, 40mph impact? Also with newer cars, different components are supposed to absorb the impact to better protect the driver, with crumple zones, etc. Hard to say what might fail down the road that is linked directly to the accident. I'm not an expert, just sharing my thoughts... :)

if you do buy it.... take at least $1,000 off of the cars value for being in an accident.

I would never buy a car that has been in an accident... Unknown to my GF she bought a 95 Probe that had been in a front end accident and it had a ton of problems in the front end. We found out it had been in an accident when it was at a shop and they said "well when you had the front end rebuilt they wired it wrong", our reaction.... :wtf:

u dunno. get the accident details from the seller or carfax. i bought a 99 camry about 4 years ago, and the dealer did not tell me anything about an accident. when i went to the body shop to do some work on a different problem, he showed me where the driver side rear quarterpanel was attached. there is a very small joint/scar where they cut the quarter panel perpendicular to the rear glass. i guess the car was either rear ended, or hit slightly on the side in the back. never had problems with it at all, alignment was always great, and still drives like a champ with 130k miles on it. i think depending on the severity of the accident, if they take money off, and it seems like a good deal, go for it.

1. if you get it inspected, and warranteed, i don't see much of a problem. just make sure to use the accident as a negotiating tool.

2. there are a LOT of people who, "would NEVER buy a car that's been in an accident", who are driving cars that have been in accidents. they just don't know it.

Repair would've been over $2K for this accident if both front headlights were replaced plus the other stuff. I know for a fact dealer cost per OEM headlight is about $600 a piece. The fact he is under quoting you the original repair costs should raise a red flag.

If you get a good deal get it. I mean half the price of the car value something like that other than that dont. My 2k max cost me 1800 it was rear ended I took it to a shop had a rear quarte panel replace, tail light bumper cover and it was set to go (chasis was 100%)total price 3400 hundred. I bought it from an Insurance auction my cousin is a dealer he hook me up the only thing you got to worry is where you take it to get it fix. Where do you think that those local dealer get their cars to sell, they get them from dealer auctions, from state auctions and insurance auctions they just dont let you know and charge you full price.

atleast the guys is being honest and telling you about it
and 2k at the dealership is BS
2 headlights go for 1500$ lol now add radiator, and labor

That quote for repair costs does sound fishy. It seems every wrecked/salvaged car out there has only suffered $2k in minor damage. Just like every drunk driver has only had 2 beers. Yeah, right. I'd definitely want to see the before pictures and all documentation of work done, then make an offer accordingly. He probably won't take your offer because some sucker will just come along and take it for his asking price. And I could be wrong, but I think if it has been wrecked/salvaged, that voids any warranties including the factory one.

If you check out the car and everything looks fine and the dealership ok's the car than I say buy it. You may want to talk with the guy and get in writing if anything happens for a certain period you can back out of the deal and get your money back or he will pay for the repairs.

Just cover your back.

The car would have to be deemed a total loss by the insurance company to get a salvage title on it. Unless the accident is reported to the police, it will not show up on Carfax so you would only find out if the seller/dealer told you or you find evidence of it afterwards. At least the seller in this case revealed there was an accident even though he is playing down the repair costs.

oh, if it'w salvaged don't buy it at all. unless its less than $2500. If it's just an accident, and no fram damage, that act accordingly. Any kind of fram damage, even if they say it's fixed 100% will bring you headaches. Alignment will NEVER be right again, and tires will wear out 3 times faster because of this.

I dont agree with many comments here since I work for a shop that only buys hit cars and sells them. Yes there are shops that dont fix cars properly and that can lead to problems. We had some bad hits at times but never had any issues once fixed because it was done right. My max was a salvage title hit front and left back, fixed it and you wouldnt know that something was wrong with it. Got an allingment done and all is to specs. Before you decide to buy make sure you have a few experts look at it so they can tell you the extent of damage that was done. Good luck.

take it to a body shop so they can do measurements of the front, if it still within Nissan specification go for it.... but negotiate the price.....remember it was in an accident

You need to discount the car 2k for the accident. Make sure there is no orange peel, bubbling, etc. Did they replace parts of bondo everything up? How long ago was the accident? Many times a car looks good for the first 6 months and then the damage becomes apparent. My 01 Pathfinder has a Salvaged title. I paid 18,500 about 3 years ago and similar cars were going for around 23k. I probably could have even gotten it cheaper. I can't tell that any damage was done and the car runs great and rides great.

check the car facts before you buy

The Car Facts are not reliable. Went to a Toyota USED car certified last week and picked up a corolla (CLEAN RECORD) with my friend. Got home, the car was definelty in an accident but never reported. We opened the insde plastic panels and saw that a red corolla top was welded on a white corolla body. That much damage and not reported! So I wouldn't trust Carfax, go see the car yourself.

Carfax is just a guide at best. There are wrecked cars on Ebay all the time that boast clean title.

I can tell you that I hit a deer in my 02 and for the hood, headlight and paint it was $2500 so I'm guessing the repairs were done mostly with aftermarket parts. My headlight alone was $750.

I will say that after my little deer run in the car was better than when I started because I had brand new fresh NON-Nissan paint on the front end. It was also a quality body shop I've been using forever (A Ford dealer)

I bought my car used from a Nissan dealer who told me the car wasn't involved in any accidents or "incidents". CarFax was clear (it's really only a guide, not much of a guarantee). I pulled one of the door panels and found sand from being blasted to re-paint. The door frame had a new skin welded to it and the plastic on the door panel was torn, indicating that it'd been removed to remove/replace the window mechanics. They took over $2k off the asking price just for that. As careful as you might be with a new car, be even more careful with a used car, especially if they're telling you something-it might not be everything. Get it checked out before you buy it.

Most Body Shops Give A Lifetime Warranty On Work? Find Out Where It Was Done An See.

Whoever said that it cost $2000 to fix the damages was lying.
Just the hood, fender, light, radiator, bumper cover ect. would cost about $2000.
You still gotta pay for labor cost.
As far as purchasing the vehicle, it's not a bad idea. Make sure the job was dore right and use the accident as leverage to negotiate the price.
Also, make sure the title is clean.

you guys are all just crazy. if the car was fixed right, there wouldnt be any problems later on with it.

you guys are all just crazy. if the car was fixed right, there wouldnt be any problems later on with it.

I guess the question is: how do you know if it was fixed right? You really don't.....hence you take a risk...

Well my car was fixed, and it only took me like $1000+ to fix it. It runs perfect. So it 's ok to buy a car which was fixed from the wreck.

there are body shop that do crappy work and there are body shop that do excellent work. the body shop that do the excelent work usually charge more and they usually fix cars for the dealerships.

Here!!!
 

HEy guys, guys check out my page. It's below my signature. I bought my car crashed for $4500, with 49,000 miles on the car. No shop was needed and no parts were ordered from the dealer. Fixed the car for $1000+ and the car was running. No problems with it right now after a year. I'm more then peased with it :thumbsup:

People that say they would never buy a car that's been in an accident, don't know about cars.

If the repairs TRUELY only cost $2,000, then were was VERY minimal damage done. $2k is nothing. Then again, why not just ask for the repair receipt from the guy. Surely he has it right? Or ask what shop did the repair and ask them for the receipt.

what about this for you suckers who bought busted cars. carfax buy back!

http://www.womanmotorist.com/index.p...820/event=view

I have owned cars that have been salvaged and repaired, inspected and sold. I never had any problems with the cars. Each car that I bought with a salvage title, I usually saved big time on them. Also with paying less for the cars, they also came with low miles on them. Even my Maxima, in 2002 I paid $12k for a 2000 Fully loaded (heated seats, pwr driver and passenger sent, sunroof, leather, 17" wheels, and 32k miles). And in 2002 the 2000 Maxima fully loaded was selling for WAY more than $12k.

I have to agree... I too don't mind vehicles with salvage history.. a car, is the WORK investment you can possibly make.. why waste money on a car, if you'll keep if for an average of 5 yrs? Buy a max worth 20k for 14k because of an accident, in the long run, you'll save 6k just because it was hit. obviosuly you don't want a repaired frame, or welded new front/ rear... You want a easy fixer-upper which is usually the case at dealer auctions. you need to know what to look for.

i bought an 03 max this jan with 32k miles on it SE w/ titanium package no leather for $13k its at least $20k here at dealer. MY title is also clean, so i'll have no problem selling it for 12-13 2, 3 yrs from now.. the difference is that i'll lost 1, 2 thousand, where another one who bought from dealer will lose 5-8 thousand.. you do the math! You invest in a house, not a car! if its a good deal, GRAB IT! :flame:

All depends on your financial situation. If you want a car but cannot afford the same car with good condition, then you can think about it. General speaking, buying a car with accident record is almost always not a good idea.

But you may put your life on risk if you involve an accident in a car with frame damage. Repaired frame cannot hold up severe impact. It's not worth risking your life to exchance any amount of savings IMHO.

I wouldn't buy it, I would continue shopping around. Are there any special features? Have you checked Carmax.com? They offer certified used vehicle with warranties and more. Plus they'll ship the car from any of their dealerships from around the country at low to no cost. Good luck!

Well, in terms of repairs that sounds about right $2000 for bumper, light and radiator at a dealer. When I got hit by a truck tire, I had a light replaced and bumper and hood painted at a dealer (keep in mind I have pearl paint - costs more than regular), and 3M clear bra put on for about $1200.. So add the radiator and whatever for another $800...

Carfax will not tell you everything nor the title.. When I bought the car, dealer told me there were no accidents and Carfaxs showed none either (this was a lease return) and when I had this work done, dealership told me that the rear bumper was repainted (probably after rear-end accident) and owner did it on the side... They checked the body and frame and all was perfect so I don't really care that much for it... As far as it goes for me, if the repair does not involve straigthening of the frame and if it was done right - I would consider it and of course negotiate the price accordingly... But we all have our preferences :-)

Not unless the price is right

I buy cars, where the farme are not damaged. Also, a car with a salvage title doesn't mean it's been badly damaged. Salvage title means that insursance took the car from the owner to a auction even if the accident was minor.

Like many others have mentioned, take to to a trustworthy garage/mechanic and see what they tell you. Have them check the frame, signs of welding in the body, axles, alignment, etc. Better spend that little money on the inspection and save yourself thousands of dollars if it turns out to be a lemon. Like many say, dealers don't know sometimes about the accident history (or conveniently forgot)...when I bought my 2K3 SE, the dealer didn't know it had extended warranty, or that it i was Titanium edition....they just wanted to sell the car.

Get it checked out and see for yourself.