Car was in an Accident. Should I buy it?

[ravi189]

Hi. I'm planning on buying a MadzdaSpeed that is a really good deal (price wise). Problem is, it's been in an accident.

I have a copy of the police report. The report says the majority of the damage was to area "4" which is the passenger side fender, and the report says that the driver tried to leave the scene of accident, which makes me think that car was still running.

Please note that the Carfax says the airbag DID deploy. Here's the info I have.

The car has under 7K miles. According to the Carfax, the owner barely drove the car after the accident.

Of course I'll have some one look at it, but what do you think?

Thanks.

 

[Sport6]

Buying a car that was in a T-bone accident is never a good idea in my book. Body might look good after its fixed but there could be "frame" damage causing the thing to never be alligned to specs.

Also if it was nailed at the wheel it could have damaged the tranny or atleast the lsd part of it.

Its definitely a gamble. But would probably only buy it if it was super cheap (3000 for the entire car.) and put it in an another 3.

 

[prmspen]

Not worth the risk, IMHO.

 

[gonerogue]

Short answer: If you have to ask whether it's worth the risk, you shouldn't buy it.

If you want to resell or trade in this case in the future, you will have issues because a dealer or independent buyer will see what you see now, that this car was in an accident. As the others have said, it is not worth the risk in your situation.

 

[tuOdekcalB]

I bought a car that was in a fender bender and was fixed under warranty but I regretted it later. its NEVER worth buying a car with a accident on file. When going to sell, people will **** u because of it. and like trade in is like half the price.

 

[evilmonkeyMSP]

I wont even consider a car thats been in an accident, no matter how "minor" one thinks it was...I'd pass.

 

[hazeXban]

Area 4 means that the wheel could have pushed the driveshaft into the trans, and all sorts of other nasty suspension/frame related things.

Don't touch it.

 

[BillTheCat]

I have to agree that if it looks like the wheel was impacted from the side, I would stay away. Transmission, suspension and "frame" damage are all possible, and can be very hard to spot unless you're willing to have a seriously talented mechanic take HOURS to inspect the car- and that'll cost you several hundred dollars just to find out. If it is a SWEET deal (under $6k, maybe), then maybe find that mechanic. Otherwise, skip it and don't lose any sleep over it, as you can rest easy knowing someone else will get the headache.

 

[///M Compact]

I'd pass; there are enough MS3s out there that you can afford to be picky.

 

[MikeHTally]

I agree -- let that one go.

 

[jbracefan1977]

+1, dont buy it. just keep looking. good luck.

 

[squidmotion]

don't buy it... not a performance machine, anyway. today's car's aren't made to be drivable after a good ping.. a 5-10mph bumper tap or fender bash is one thing, but major crumple zone damage or a hit on any of the drivetrain or wheels is not acceptable. more so on a car with the capabilities for speed this thing has.

i wouldn't want to make my bi-weekly run west, (lot's of solid trees just off the road) or put mrs. or baby squidmo in something i couldn't trust any longer... and unless i rebuilt one from the ground up (like an old muscle car or something, where every part is available), i wouldn't trust it.

ever see what happens to a cracked control arm mount (from a previous accident, not replaced) on a camaro? not a pretty site. and a good thing it had that roll bar installed.

IMO any car that is tagged pretty hard, will never drive the same, and you will always be fixing residual things, no matter how quality the rebuild job...

 

[Saskatchewan17]

Hrm... No, don't buy it. It could have bad frame damage... Once you get a car into an accident that could cause frame damage, it could never drive right again.

 

[ravi189]

WOW....
Thank you all for the replies. It appears as though we are in a unanimous decision.

I'll pass.

Thanks again.

 

[StealthWyvern]

Just curious but how did you mange to get a copy of the police report?

 

[pointysticks]

how much money are we talking about? just curious

 

[MikeHTally]

Might be good as a "parts car". $3K maybe? Only if you have the spare cash, though.