LexRuger

Either that or I'm extremely nit-picky.

Lexusxoxo

I had a high end car that I bought that I didn't know was in a accident until I went through front brakes every 2500 miles.. When I went to a dealer that wasn't the dealer I bought it from that's when I found out the front had been hit.
I lost 10k on that car when I sold it. I owned it less than 6 months.
By the way I'm not hard on brakes believe it or not my 2007 Prius has 182k on it with original brakes!

LexRuger

Sorry to hear that. Isn't it a law for the dealer to disclose any prior accidents to a buyer?

lesz

Regardless of what the laws are, compliance with those laws is still somewhat spotty.

A number of years ago, I had a Toyota pickup that suffered about $9000 worth of damage after a semi skidded into it on icy pavement. In the state where I had the repair work done to the vehicle, state law requires body shops to report any repairs done to a vehicle when damage exceeds $4000. Yet, when I sold that pickup about 3 years later, it still had a clean accident history. Whether vehicle histories show records of accidents depends on whether the body shops are consistent in complying with the laws. Also, laws vary from one state to another with regard to whether body shops do the reporting, whether insurance companies do the reporting, and how much damage calls for such reporting.

Also, when I was shopping for the 2006 ES that I previously owned, I found a used ES at a Lexus dealer. My examination of the vehicle showed clear evidence of repainting on over half of the vehicle's panels. Yet, not only did the CarFax report show no accident history, but the dealer was selling the car as a certified pre-owned vehicle.

The reality is that, if a CarFax shows an accident on its report, you know that the vehicle has been in an accident, but, if the CarFax report shows no accidents, all that you know for sure is that the vehicle may not have been in any accidents.

Lexusxoxo

I went back to the dealer and called BS on them but they said they had no knowledge of the car ever being in a accident. They couldn't give a damn that they were losing a customer that a few months before wrote them a check for $58k for a used car..
Needless to say that was my last used car purchase!

SW17LS

Prius is entirely different from a brake standpoint. The regenerative brakes keep use off of the main service brakes. Essentially...one may never need brakes on a Toyota hybrid.

williakz

Not sure I understand the difference of opinion here. Would ANY of you pay the same amount for a vehicle you knew had suffered almost $10k damage as you would one without any evidence of a similar occurence? Of course you wouldn't. Therefore, the question is not whether there is a diminished market value associated with a vehicle, but rather centers on the exact amount of the diminishment and who, if anyone, can collect on it. Whether the vehicle is drivable or not is immaterial. The damage has been done and can NEVER be corrected, only compensated.

SW17LS

Absolutely not. I'm not arguing the diminished value...the diminished value is very real. My point is that from an enjoyment perspective, the car can be repaired to where it will be every bit as enjoyable as it would have been before the accident occurred in this day and age.

My point is that the OP should have hope that his new car can be repaired and returned to him in the same condition it was in before. I wouldn't just resign myself to the idea that I would have to trade it immediately and get killed on the value until I saw the end result.

LexRuger

Still have never bought used. The new Corvette is tempting and would be a great deal in the pre-owned market but stories like yours reaffirm that buying used is risky.

Lexusxoxo

I realize that but I was just using it as a example that Im not hard on brakes

Poppa

First off, very sorry to hear about your accident.. I know that's a kick in the *** with only 115 miles on it... as for the damage, this sounds very similar to what happened to my Avalon a couple of years ago... I accidentally rear ended a car at a stop light... low speed, light had turned green and I gave it a little gas but the lady in front of me didn't... and just like your car, my ac was screwed up, the front end was damaged, drivers side fender had to be replaced, hood was ruined... looked like I hit something doing 35 mph... was told by the body shop that they're designed to crinkle up as a safety measure... as for your car never being the same.. Not sure I would necessarily agree with that...as far as the body work and paint, my Avalon was restored perfectly... Never could tell the car had been in a wreck... but I did have continuing issues with the a/c working properly... would work for a couple weeks, then blow just hot air... in and out of the Toyota shop several times... new lines, dryer, even ended up replacing the compressor two times... after the second compressor it worked fine but I traded it in on my Lexus this past winter so don't know how the a/c is holding up... as for the body damage, just make sure you have it a shop that you trust... in my case the shop I used is owned by a personal friend of mine of over 20 years.. Absolutely amazing work and wouldn't even consider letting anyone else work on my car. Good luck with you repairs..

Poppa

lexyluv

....Good luck with you repairs..

Poppa[/QUOTE]

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I really appreciate it.

gemigniani

The thing that will never be the same is the paint. The body shop will NOT likely use genuine Lexus bumpers, hood, fenders, etc. So the paint of the aftermarket body parts will likely chip badly from normal road debris like small bits of pebbles. That's what I learned the hard way - and I had a white Toyota at the time that really made the chips standout.

SW17LS

On a car that new if you insist on OEM genuine parts they will use oem genuine parts.

Why would the fact that the parts underneath are aftermarket change the way the paint chips? If its painted properly if anything it will be more resistant to chipping than the very chip prone OEM paint.

gemigniani

Both the application methods and the paint itself that body shops use are going to be different than what the Lexus factory uses. "Different" = inferior in most cases. In fact, back in the 1990's one body shop owner told me that they cannot match the chip resistance of factory applied paint.