AWD with no badge?

In my opinion it sounds like the mechanic did a thorough inspection and if you keep it, try to get some money back by telling them the severity of the accident was not disclosed, and mentioning the wrong hatch is on the car, the wiper is messed up, the light is out etc. Undercarriage damage could have been the plastic covering was torn. It is pretty easy to detect metal work/alignment issues on an undercarriage and if your mechanic didn't spot anything it probably didn't have critical damage under there.
 
Keep it in mind, while many people are saying walk away, the bigger issue is that CarMax is charging you at least full retail price for a damaged car. That alone would really rub me the wrong way. It might be worth keeping, but not at full retail price. Whether it's in 3 years or 10 years, the next person is going to see the same thing and will ask the same questions of themselves, "why should I pay market price for a damaged car"

Some of us are sounding kind of harsh, but you asked for our thoughts on it. And very few people could see themselves paying full price for a damaged car. Also, most of us have had that item that we really really liked and we were willing to overlook its shortcomings, I can tell you that very few of us probably felt good about it later
 
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To clarify a couple of things (and give carmax credit where it's due, lol...if any is due), I did know there was an accident, just didn't know how bad or what parts were damaged. Also, this car was about $1000 cheaper than similar models in my area. As far as warranty, there is a 90 day warranty (I didn't purchase the extended plan as it has bad reviews online).
 
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Update: I mass emailed every collision center in Dublin, CA (where the car is from) and got a hit on where it was fixed. Appears to have been repaired at a collision center than has very good reviews. However since I am not the one who had the repairs done they will not release the records to me due to some kind of confidentiality reason.
 
Did you google the VIN? I found out a previous car I owned was totalled in an accident because a police report listed the VINs of the cars involved. Might be worth checking if you get a hit.

I did google the VIN, but did not find anything. Autochek, carfax, and one other title search all agree it's a clean title. No salvage, junk, rebuilt, or any other special titles.
 
Did you google the VIN? I found out a previous car I owned was totalled in an accident because a police report listed the VINs of the cars involved. Might be worth checking if you get a hit.

Yep. Not everything gets reported to CARFAX. I had a new Civic Si a couple of years ago that was vandalized months after I bought it. The damage noted in the police report never showed up on CARFAX, but the repairs did a few weeks after I traded it in.

I wonder at what point the seller will reveal that this "immaculate" 2018 Honda Ridgeline was totaled by Geico a year and a half ago.

Another recent example is this 7,000-mile 2019 Nissan Rogue purchased a few weeks ago that had a squeaky clean CARFAX. A week later, the guy's finacee back into a fence post and gouged a piece of trim. When the body shop removed the bumper for inspection, they found crumbled metal, rust, and a broken blind spot sensor from an old collision. Not surprisingly, the review shows up on the Yelper's profile, but not the seller's profile.

Car dealers are masters at laundering titles and hiding damage. Caveat emptor!
 
Yep. Not everything gets reported to CARFAX. I had a new Civic Si a couple of years ago that was vandalized months after I bought it. The damage noted in the police report never showed up on CARFAX, but the repairs did a few weeks after I traded it in.

I wonder at what point the seller will reveal that this "immaculate" 2018 Honda Ridgeline was totaled by Geico a year and a half ago.

Another recent example is this 7,000-mile 2019 Nissan Rogue purchased a few weeks ago that had a squeaky clean CARFAX. A week later, the guy's finacee back into a fence post and gouged a piece of trim. When the body shop removed the bumper for inspection, they found crumbled metal, rust, and a broken blind spot sensor from an old collision. Not surprisingly, the review shows up on the Yelper's profile, but not the seller's profile.

Car dealers are masters at laundering titles and hiding damage. Caveat emptor!

That's crazy! I had no idea that people would even buy cars for resale in that kind of condition.

My VIN does not come up on that site. When I google it, all I get are the vehicle's prior sales listings (it was sold as a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle by a Mazda dealer in 2017 before Carmax got it in 2020). I've searched high and low for pics with damage and found nothing so far. If you know of other places to search for shady VINs let me know. It's JM3KE4DY3F0541917 if you feel like playing detective the way I have been lol.
 
Yep. Not everything gets reported to CARFAX. I had a new Civic Si a couple of years ago that was vandalized months after I bought it. The damage noted in the police report never showed up on CARFAX, but the repairs did a few weeks after I traded it in.

I wonder at what point the seller will reveal that this "immaculate" 2018 Honda Ridgeline was totaled by Geico a year and a half ago.

Another recent example is this 7,000-mile 2019 Nissan Rogue purchased a few weeks ago that had a squeaky clean CARFAX. A week later, the guy's finacee back into a fence post and gouged a piece of trim. When the body shop removed the bumper for inspection, they found crumbled metal, rust, and a broken blind spot sensor from an old collision. Not surprisingly, the review shows up on the Yelper's profile, but not the seller's profile.

Car dealers are masters at laundering titles and hiding damage. Caveat emptor!

Dear lord this is like confirming all fears I've had about buying used. Put nothing past a salesman's pitch, so it would seem.

Also for OP - my old Mazda was salvaged in 2007 but repaired adequately. I tried to trade it in years later and was quoted $4k value. But once the salvage title was discovered that plummeted to absolute minimum $500 junk car credit. So hopefully you do run this CX-5 deep into its life span, as damage carries over to your next transaction. Not salvage level but as others have mentioned it for sure dampens the figure.
 
Salvage titles are bad, but like I said this car isn't salvage. I had my last car 13 years and 240k miles. I drove a salvage car for several years tho in college and it was actually a good car (despite looking absolutely horrible lol).
 
That's crazy! I had no idea that people would even buy cars for resale in that kind of condition.

There's a YouTube channel called Alex Rebuilds about a guy who buys, rebuilds. and resells wrecked vehicles - often expensive, high-performance or luxury models. He's is a one-man show and his skills and capabilities are impressive. I really enjoyed watching his 11-part series documenting the rebuild a 2016 Dodge Hellcat. Unfortunately, body shops and dealers don't match his level of work or full disclosure.
 
I think we're at the point where Jen has the info she needs. No need to beat anyone up. If you're comfortable with what you're getting and what you're paying then that's all that counts. We all wish you well with whatever you decide and you are now armed should you decide to either keep the car as is, take it back, or just tell them you want to return it unless they can give you an incentive to keep it. - As I've mentioned, I really lean towards that last option. Trust me, they don't want that car back.

Best of all to you as you move forward.
 
Is able to get some kind of re- certified title or something?

?
There's a YouTube channel called Alex Rebuilds about a guy who buys, rebuilds. and resells wrecked vehicles - often expensive, high-performance or luxury models. He's is a one-man show and his skills and capabilities are impressive. I really enjoyed watching his 11-part series documenting the rebuild a 2016 Dodge Hellcat. Unfortunately, body shops and dealers don't match his level of work or full disclosure.
 
Thanks everyone! Once I make my decision I will post it here. Wouldn't want to keep you all in suspense after all of your assistance! I have learned a lot from this thread and from this whole experience in-general.
 
You guys are all seeing a drive axle, but that is the FRONT wheel!

Jen's very first photo is clearly of a rear wheel.

I've included a pic of the underside of the back.

According to information provided to NHTSA by Mazda, it's AWD.

"Drive Type: 4WD/4-Wheel Drive/4x4"


1592508448881.png
 
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VIN people, VIN. I'd rather look through my windshield than get on the ground. Stop making this harder than it has to be.
To me, seeing is believing. I prefer just bending over at my waist and see the rear differential or the drive shaft going into the rear wheel. I immediately know if the vehicles is an AWD or not. I don’t want to write down a long VIN, and get on a computer or smart phone to decode it.

Besides, I’ve heard people have made fake VIN tag at the bottom of the windshield, although it should be very rare.
 
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