myLexus007

We saw a '13 CPO ES300h at below average price (but not a steal). My question is, should we consider buying it? Carfax stated the accident was on the front right, so I'm not sure if the engine was hit at all.

It's a Lexus CPO so it must passed all their "standards" right? I'm just afraid when the CPO is out and we want to sell the vehicle, the carfax accident will go with the car forever and it will be a hard sell.

Should we consider it? If so, how much can we knock down on the price since it has an accident?

Thanks!

mspearl95

I sure wouldn't!

NickTee

Nope, look for another. Why bother with the risk?

dchar

Don't do it! You'll have a harder time selling it later on, and lose several thousand dollars.

NickTee

To put it more in perspective: when trading it in, many high-end dealerships will not want the car and will auction it away. Therefore you cannot use it as a bargaining tool or get more out of it. If you're selling it private party, many of your target audience will see an accident and move on to the next one without so much as a second glance or thought. Accidents on records do you no favors, even if you can get the price slightly lower.

myLexus007

Thanks all! Looks like the answer was loud and clear. I'll stay away from it.

I was surprised Lexus did a CPO on an accident car. Makes me wonder how "selective" these CPO are, or just a way to make money.

NickTee

Depends on the dealerships, but it seems like quite a few are far less selective than you would hope from a high-quality dealership.

SLH

It really depends on what the accident was. A collision repair that was only a bumper-cover, is one thing. A collision repair that required replacement of the whole right-side of the body, is something else entirely.

bionictony

depending on the price, i would buy it if it was a "steal". don't rely on resale value later on. are the original vin number stickers still on the fender, hood, or bumper/bumper beam? if not then those parts were replaced. how long ago was it "repaired"? if you are trying to buy it and not proficient in inspecting it, hire a mechanic/bodyshop person. you can try to pull the wheel splash shield to look at the structure to see if a new part was re-welded and properly painted. if it was me, i would pull the bumper and shields to inspect the metal structure and framing.

NickTee

That's right, don't rely on the importance of resale or trade-in value. Very good advice.

BrownPride

It really depends on the dealership. Some dealerships will not touch it while others will try to polish a turd.

NdYAG

The accident could have been just a scrape on the bumper. Basically Carfax just indicates there was a claim filed through the insurance. If it was a minor accident I do not see a problem with the car being sold as CPO.

If you do not have the expertise or data to evaluate expanse of the damage - walk away.

If you have the data and/or can evaluate how bad was the accident - then proceed based on the price. Does not have to be a steal - but definitely the price should reflect the fact.

And if you plan to resell the car in a few years - consider also that the resale value would be affected.

Nelexus88

Lexus and most other car manufacturers stopped putting VIN labels on body panels 4-5 years ago. Just to verify, I could not see any VIN stickers on my '14 ES350 body panels except the B pillar: however, one could easily look at the hood for the correct emissions sticker (matching year, model) which might tell you if the hood is still original. A close look at the right corner of the engine bay might show evidence of parts being changed (paint damage, etc).

kamslexus

It all depends on the accident, if it's major one then stay away, if it's just fender bender then you don't have to worry about it, collision jobs have improved a lot, and if the guy has a data to prove that it was a small accident then it's not a big deal. Yes if it's a major accident then stay away from it.