Would you buy used? Have you bought used?

LittlePeanut · May 8, 2010

We are looking at buying a used 2007-2009 Ody. It seems to make the most sense financially but how can you know the history of the vehicle? Most used car dealerships are providing the carfax/carproof reports but is that enough? When we ask if it's been in a "collision" most will answer "no" even though the carfax report shows otherwise because according to them, it's not a collision/accident if another vehicle was not involved or the damage is below $1k-2k. I find this odd and not sure how I feel about it all.

Would you buy used KNOWING it had been in a collision?

Is there a way to find the accident report from the police to verify the extent of the collision?

celtic1885 · May 8, 2010

I have bought used many times. As a matter of fact I bought a used 05 Ody last year, made sure it was Certified (means warranty till 100k), also because mine is a Touring edition I bought the "Ad-wrap" that covers all the electrical etc till 100K (everything not covered by the reg warranty) This was important to me since the Touring has a ton of electrical components.

As for know the extent of the damage if any, I took mine to my mechanic. He specializes in foreign autos, does all of the work for my brother's cars, both personal and business. My mechanic works with the dealerships all the time and they respect his work.

I'd ask for a print out of the carfax, take it to a mechanic that you know and trust. Not sure that the police department would give out the accident reports. Maybe your insurance company has a way of finding out the amount of damage caused by the accident? Although - my daughter had an accident in my Expedition. Cost of repairs was almost 2K.......all that had damage was the running board and it was a gouge. yet it still cost that much to fix.........knowing that the accident was over $2k doesn't necessarily mean a lot :twocents: Especially with Hondas/Toyotas/foreign cars.

ETA: sorry missed your question. I would feel very uncomfortable buying if I KNEW it had been in a collision, unless my mechanic okayed the car. they can tell if and how bad any damage to the car was.

Maedze · May 8, 2010

Absolutely. It's actually more fiscally sensible to buy a car a year old than to buy one brand new. You save thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars that way.

LittlePeanut · May 8, 2010

Maedze said:
Absolutely. It's actually more fiscally sensible to buy a car a year old than to buy one brand new. You save thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars that way.

For sure but what if it was in an accident with $1-2k in damage reported?

sgw · May 8, 2010

I don't know about where you live, but around here the dealer has to give you the name & number of the previous owner, and I would think the name might be on the carfax. If so call the previous owner, they would have no reason to lie to you. My husband has done this before.

LittlePeanut · May 8, 2010

That would be useful. I'll see how mich I can find out.

Maedze · May 8, 2010

LittlePeanut said:
For sure but what if it was in an accident with $1-2k in damage reported?

You can get 1-2K of damage in a fender bender that causes no structural damage at all. Really nothing that bothers me.

safeinthecar · May 8, 2010

I did $1600 worth of damage to a neighbor's car once while rolling in neutral. It was a 2 inch dent. Problem was, it was a dent on a crease, so it couldn't be pulled out. The whole fender had to be replaced and the paint blended.

Wiggles · May 8, 2010

I'd take the car to an independent mechanic for a once-over (test the electrical, look for damage to the frame/brakes/etc), but I wouldn't be uncomfortable buying a used car that had been in a collision. It wouldn't worry me in the slightest, to be honest. I might consider having the seatbelts replaced, depending on what information I could find out about said collision.

canadiangie · May 8, 2010

We only buy used; would never buy new unless we won the lotto or something. Add to that, I refuse to pay GST (our federal tax in Canada) on a used vehicle (because someone else already paid it once, it's double dipping on the part of the feds to seek GST again, IMO) so unless a dealership is going to eat that cost by lowering the sticker price we opt to buy privately -- and that's when you're really flying by the seat of your pants, LOL

. In fact, for our next vehicle (in the next 6mos or so) I'm guessing it will be another private sale.

You can get a lot done with a 'car fax' report, and an inspection at a good dealership/mechanic.

autumnlily · May 8, 2010

I have sold two cars on craigslist and purchased two cars from craigslist.

I HIGHLY recommend purchasing a personal 1 mo subscription to Carfax (unlimited checks)... it really helped us weed out the bad cars.

Last year, we purchased a 2007 8-passenger Sienna LE with 42,000 miles. Paid $16,900. Going rate at dealer ship was 19,500 to 22,000 without certified warranties. The family had to pick up and move to Europe due to the father's job and they had purchased it new and couldn't bear to lose the money if they returned it to the dealer.

Buying used really is worth considering.:twocents:

LittlePeanut · May 9, 2010

canadiangie said:
We only buy used; would never buy new unless we won the lotto or something. Add to that, I refuse to pay GST (our federal tax in Canada) on a used vehicle (because someone else already paid it once, it's double dipping on the part of the feds to seek GST again, IMO) so unless a dealership is going to eat that cost by lowering the sticker price we opt to buy privately -- and that's when you're really flying by the seat of your pants, LOL . In fact, for our next vehicle (in the next 6mos or so) I'm guessing it will be another private sale.

You can get a lot done with a 'car fax' report, and an inspection at a good dealership/mechanic.

I need to look into this further but I'm pretty sure that with HST in NS that we have to pay 13% regardless of type of sale

I just get this feeling I'm being screwed over by used car dealers, yk? Maybe a private sale would be better for us.

canadiangie · May 10, 2010

LittlePeanut said:
I need to look into this further but I'm pretty sure that with HST in NS that we have to pay 13% regardless of type of sale

I just get this feeling I'm being screwed over by used car dealers, yk? Maybe a private sale would be better for us.

Yeah, I'm not sure because we don't have HST here... yet. We just pay the 6% GST on everything. No provincial tax... hence no way to have a Harmonized tax...

Stacy · May 10, 2010

Carfax is a must on a used car; however, it only shows reported accidents. You could still end up with a wrecked car. The dealership may not be aware of that, either (unless they looked it over really well).

Beware of cars that have been repainted. Check the VIN all around the car (engine bay, door jams, trunk). Look at hood and trunk, make sure they line up and the gap is the same on both sides. Make sure that the SRS light comes on and then goes off when you start the car. If it stays on there is a problem, if it dosen't come on at all there is a problem.

Above all else, have it checked out by a mechanic/repair shop first.
Always always always.

Stacy · May 10, 2010

LOL I never answered the OP's original question. My DH's '07 Mazda 3 has been in THREE seperate accidents. His car was rear-ended, rear-ended someone else, and been backed into. On a Carfax that probably looks awful, but they were all really minor accidents that just required new bumpers and dent removal. DD's Roundabout was in the car on the last one but there is no way it would have been damaged. I *think* Carfax lists the severity of accident damage on the report. A minor accident on a Carfax would make me pause, but if everything else about the car is kosher I would probably still buy it.

npauli · May 11, 2010

I've never bought new. I even bought my truck on ebay from across the country sight unseen.

I would buy a vehicle that had $1-2k of repairs from an accident. As many have posted, that can't be a very severe accident. I hit a deer at fairly low speeds a while back and the dealer charged just over $1k to just replace the grill and AC condenser. No sheet metal was even scratched. I think the deer was even ok.

$5k of repairs, and I would be more concerned.

Would you buy used? Have you bought used?

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