Advice on accidents...

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C

cltmedic

10 Year
Joined
Feb 19, 2015
Threads
20
Messages
96
Hey guys...

I've finally narrowed down my 100 search to 2 vehicles. However, Carfax says both have been in accidents.

One accident says "moderate damage. Airbag not deployed" the other just notes it with no further info.

Both LCs are in beautiful condition. 1 I am close to in VA, the other is in TX.

Thoughts?
 
It's not really the accident that should be concerning, it's how well the vehicle was repaired. I find its best to inspect it visually, drive it, make sure all the body panels are hung as they should be, open and close all the doors and listen for variations, inspect seams, and maybe take it by a body shop and pay them a few dollars to look it over.
 
Don't rely on CARFAX. Many a clean CARFAX had accident history. Agree with TXLX100's comments above. There's no replacement for scheduling a PPI and seeing the car with your own eyes. There are vin tags on all the panels on these trucks so if a vin tag is missing, you'll know that panel was replaced.
 
At the very least, an accident flag is reason to look much more carefully and a reason to negotiate hard. You might consider also checking www.nicb.org for salvage info and the other major VIN service Autocheck. And, don't buy one with an accident history without seeing the title first to make absolutely sure it's not a salvage title. Beautiful condition can just be lipstick on a pig.
 
Sandroad said:
At the very least, an accident flag is reason to look much more carefully and a reason to negotiate hard. You might consider also checking www.nicb.org for salvage info and the other major VIN service Autocheck. And, don't buy one with an accident history without seeing the title first to make absolutely sure it's not a salvage title. Beautiful condition can just be lipstick on a pig.
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^^^^THIS^^^^

Also, when negotiating, look at the doors inside the jams. You will notice a vin sticker on each one. When you lift the hood, each front fender will have a vin sticker. If there is no sticker, they bought a new replacement part. If the vins done match, they bought parts from a salvage yard. Trump up these findings while negotiating them down on their $$$$$
 
All the above advice is key. When I picked up my 03 CarFax said it had an accident a rollover no less. I looked over the entire car, seams good no missing vins on panels, no replaced windows, no repaint that I could tell. No salvaged title etc... A good friend on mine owns a used car lot and he said it could be a simple as a the car sliding into a ditch on the side of the road and CARFAX can classify that as a rollover. The point being, as the other replies noted, is that CARFAX can show things that are not there and sometimes doesn't show things that are there. Use it as a guide and the best advice... get a PPI. Even though I feel pretty good about my ability to spot most things I had a PPI done that confirmed my findings and I have been happy with my purchase.. I did use the CARFAX to negotiate the price down as suggested above.. Good Luck!
 
How many miles ago were the accidents? Personally, if they were thousands and thousands of miles ago with the same owner, chances are the repairs were adequate (or the accident minor), or people would've dumped the rig. I've had two cruisers with accidents on CARFAX. No biggie. My current '04 has replacement hood and fender. I negotiated appropriately on the price, and still had to repaint the hood and get a new front bumper. Still got a killer deal. Accidents happen. :meh: I'm not into paying for, and keeping, a original, classic, OEM, showroom condition Cruiser. That's just not "my" usage model. I use the crap out of it, and it gets scratched, dented, pinstriped, etc., etc. so as long as the repairs were done correctly, and I'm not eating the total price depreciation (buy it right), then I wouldn't worry about an accident on the CARFAX. If you're gonna turn around and flip it in 6 months, then yeah, maybe more of a concern.
 
Lots of good advise given. A couple more thoughts...

The CARFAX also will not necessarily show all accidents. I bought my FZJ and it was accident free according to the CARFAX. This truck was in AZ and I had the local Toyota dealership do a PPI; all good. Go to look at it first hand and the hood and fenders had been repainted, but very good work. The PPI never once mentioned the evidence of any paint or body work. The truck was otherwise in very good shape, so the deal was done. Once home I had new tires put and had it aligned. Castor on the left side was pretty far out of spec and, it being a solid axle truck, it couldn't easily be adjusted. Really would have liked to have known that ahead of time. You live, you learn..

Now, on any vehicle I look at, as part of the PPI, I have an alignment done as the last step, if all else looks good. It's a cheap way to gain more info of what you are getting into in terms of potentially hidden damage.

Best of luck.
 
word to the wise: Carfax sucks.

My buddy's car was involved in a four car accident. His vehicle wasn't damaged, aside from a 2" scratch on the rear bumper. His car now has a "dirty" Carfax...

Get a PPI done.
 
Thing about Car Fax is, it doesn't always indicate the extent of the damage. I've seen cars that needed painted due to having been keyed, or minor fender benders show up with an "accident" on the car fax. In a private sale, this is no biggie. It's pretty easy to tell if a vehicle has been properly repaired or not. The trouble comes at trade in. A vehicle with a "bad fax" regardless of the reason, can fetch a much lower price, either from a retail buyer, or at a wholesale auction.

If the vehicle is something you plan to keep for a while, and resale value isn't a huge concern, then I would ignore the car fax as long as it looks like the vehicle has been repaired and taken care of. And of course, a lot of people choose to not report accidents to their insurance company to avoid increased rates, so they go to a private shop, who can repair it without reporting the damage.

Short story is, a bad car fax doesn't necessarily mean a bad car, and a clean car fax doesn't always mean the vehicle is accident free. It's a resource, but nothing is a substitute for a keen eye and common sense. And of course, buying a vehicle is always a gamble. Good luck.
 
TXLX100 said:
It's not really the accident that should be concerning, it's how well the vehicle was repaired. I find its best to inspect it visually, drive it, make sure all the body panels are hung as they should be, open and close all the doors and listen for variations, inspect seams, and maybe take it by a body shop and pay them a few dollars to look it over.
Click to expand...
This is very true. Thanks! I just hate to spend $300 a pop for airfare tickets over the US trying to track down a decent LC.
 
Sandroad said:
At the very least, an accident flag is reason to look much more carefully and a reason to negotiate hard. You might consider also checking www.nicb.org for salvage info and the other major VIN service Autocheck. And, don't buy one with an accident history without seeing the title first to make absolutely sure it's not a salvage title. Beautiful condition can just be lipstick on a pig.
Click to expand...
I did not known about NICB. Thanks!
 
re_guderian said:
How many miles ago were the accidents? Personally, if they were thousands and thousands of miles ago with the same owner, chances are the repairs were adequate (or the accident minor), or people would've dumped the rig. I've had two cruisers with accidents on CARFAX. No biggie. My current '04 has replacement hood and fender. I negotiated appropriately on the price, and still had to repaint the hood and get a new front bumper. Still got a killer deal. Accidents happen. :meh: I'm not into paying for, and keeping, a original, classic, OEM, showroom condition Cruiser. That's just not "my" usage model. I use the crap out of it, and it gets scratched, dented, pinstriped, etc., etc. so as long as the repairs were done correctly, and I'm not eating the total price depreciation (buy it right), then I wouldn't worry about an accident on the CARFAX. If you're gonna turn around and flip it in 6 months, then yeah, maybe more of a concern.
Click to expand...

Yea that's kind of where I am coming from as well. However it will be my daily driver so I 'm trying to limit issues.
 
super90 said:
Lots of good advise given. A couple more thoughts...

The CARFAX also will not necessarily show all accidents. I bought my FZJ and it was accident free according to the CARFAX. This truck was in AZ and I had the local Toyota dealership do a PPI; all good. Go to look at it first hand and the hood and fenders had been repainted, but very good work. The PPI never once mentioned the evidence of any paint or body work. The truck was otherwise in very good shape, so the deal was done. Once home I had new tires put and had it aligned. Castor on the left side was pretty far out of spec and, it being a solid axle truck, it couldn't easily be adjusted. Really would have liked to have known that ahead of time. You live, you learn..

Now, on any vehicle I look at, as part of the PPI, I have an alignment done as the last step, if all else looks good. It's a cheap way to gain more info of what you are getting into in terms of potentially hidden damage.

Best of luck.
Click to expand...

Great advice. Thanks!
 
nitsuj said:
Thing about Car Fax is, it doesn't always indicate the extent of the damage. I've seen cars that needed painted due to having been keyed, or minor fender benders show up with an "accident" on the car fax. In a private sale, this is no biggie. It's pretty easy to tell if a vehicle has been properly repaired or not. The trouble comes at trade in. A vehicle with a "bad fax" regardless of the reason, can fetch a much lower price, either from a retail buyer, or at a wholesale auction.

If the vehicle is something you plan to keep for a while, and resale value isn't a huge concern, then I would ignore the car fax as long as it looks like the vehicle has been repaired and taken care of. And of course, a lot of people choose to not report accidents to their insurance company to avoid increased rates, so they go to a private shop, who can repair it without reporting the damage.

Short story is, a bad car fax doesn't necessarily mean a bad car, and a clean car fax doesn't always mean the vehicle is accident free. It's a resource, but nothing is a substitute for a keen eye and common sense. And of course, buying a vehicle is always a gamble. Good luck.
Click to expand...

I'm learning that quickly! Thanks.
 
cltmedic said:
This is very true. Thanks! I just hate to spend $300 a pop for airfare tickets over the US trying to track down a decent LC.
Click to expand...

Use the site members to help you with good leads. Or just buy one out of the classifieds. Sometimes it takes a while to find a good one. I don't have a problem giving an hour or so to check a vehicle out.
 
TXLX100 said:
Use the site members to help you with good leads. Or just buy one out of the classifieds. Sometimes it takes a while to find a good one. I don't have a problem giving an hour or so to check a vehicle out.
Click to expand...
In that case....are you near Houston? :hmm:
 
I recommend taking it to the local body shop and have them look at it. My grandfather and uncle were/are in the body, frame, fender business and can spot repais that some dealers wouldn't notice. I would buy a vehicle with quality repairs, but would avoid anything that caused significant damage to the pillars and/or front end. Anything up high could give you big problems down the road with water intrusion and heavy front end damage spells mechanical trouble. Also look for uneven tire wear, that is a telltale sign of frame damage that was not fixed properly.
 
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