tomhart130

Hello all,

I currently have a (refundable) deposit on a 2016 ES 350 (w/nav, blindspot, road departure, panoramic roof, etc basically fully loaded.) Test drive went well, car looks great. However, this car has been in a accident.

From the Carfax "Accident reported, Involving front impact, Involving rear impact, Vehicle towed" Also, Carfax states this car was sold at auction. Dealer said car was rear-ended, which caused it to hit the car in front and was towed because the driver didn't want to drive it. If I don't buy the car dealer says the car is going back to auction because its been in inventory too long.

I will be paying about $30,500 (before taxes and fees) at a mileage of around 11k... which is an excellent deal easily 5k off any other similar 2016 ES 350s. My question is should I be worried at all? Car is L/Certified (6 years/unlimited mileage) and Carfax says no structural damage.

Is this deal too good to be true??

Thanks!



For more info:
http://lexusofgreenwich.com/details/...20805590?cid=0

lesz

I think that I'd be likely to take a pass on the car, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it won't be an excellent car, especially at that price.

If I did, however, consider buying the car, I'd want to find out more details about the repairs done following the accident. If the front and rear repairs involved only replacing the front and rear bumpers and, possibly, the grille, those repairs, if done properly, are no big deal, and they are not likely to affect the car down the road. On the other hand, if the body work extended into the quarter panels in the rear or into the fenders or hood in the front or if they included repairs to components like the radiator behind the bumper, I'd definitely take a pass on buying the car. With such more extensive repairs, there is just too much that could be a problem down the road.

Also, note that the silver linings metallic is one of the more difficult colors for which to get an excellent color match when paint work is needed. I'd suggest very carefully examining the paint work and doing so in good light and from various angles. With colors like the silver linings metallic, paint work can look good in some light, but, in other light, the refinished panels can look darker from one angle and lighter from the opposite angle.

Another point to consider is, while the price for that car is several thousand less than what it likely would be without the accident on its record, that accident is always going to be on the car's records. So, if you buy it and if you sell it in, say 3 or 4 years, you will, at the time of that sale, end up losing a good portion of the money that you would appear to be saving now because, with the accident on its records, the car will still be worth less, a few years down the road, than it would have been without that accident.

Consideration of all of the above is why I would likely not buy the car, but, if you are willing to roll the dice, the car could turn out to have great value.

Torii

some are picky about cars, some arent...I wouldnt pay 30k for an es, but whatever...to me a vehicle is as much a safety feature as performance/fun factor...I have known peeps to go auction hunting for crashed supercars...getting 100k off list...then a headlight goes out and they biatch about a 5k headlight...idk...be smart if that applies. a lexus es is a polished toyota

newyerker

unless you plan to drive the car for a long time, id skip cuz selling/trading the car is when you'll take the real hit.
but if you do plan on keeping it for a while, i say why not. that really is one heck of a price on a fully loaded ES, that is L certified.

but the fact that its been sitting in the lot for a long time and going back to auction?? that does sound a bit concerning.

BradTank

CarFax is a double edged sword, good to let consumers know what they are buying, but small things get reported and stigmatizes the car forever and negatively effects the value.

I was under the impression that Lexus wouldn't "certify" a car that had been in an accident, but I guess I was wrong about that. Might want to double check.

FWIW, I have a relative that owns a car dealership, and he says he basically won't touch a car that has any accident history on CarFax for his inventory. He says its just not worth the potential headaches. I was actually surprised to hear that, but a retailer just has more scrutiny and he feels it's more trouble than its worth.

I personally would want a bigger discount than what they are offering for this particular car. If they are firm on that price, I would pass. There's plenty of ES350s out there.

Poppa

I'm from the old school and tend to be safe rather than sorry. That is a very good price for the car, but I would be a bit leary of a vehicle that's had front and rear damage... Do you have a friend or know of someone that owns a reputable body shop in your area. If so maybe you could take it to them and let them take a look at it to evaluate the previous damage... Short of having someone I know and trust in the body shop business, I think I would stay clear....

Wandl

IF you plan to keep the car a while, I'd go for it, as it is a great price for a really low mileage vehicle coupled with the 6 years of unlimited miles warranty.

If you do sell/trade your vehicles every few years however, I'd hold out and pay the extra few $k to get an unblemished one....recently in San Antonio they were selling a 2016 LX570 for $75k with 4k miles because Carfax showed minor damage (someone's door hit the LX in a parking lot). Because of that minor (and repaired) damage, the LX was selling $10k cheaper than other clean units with similar miles...personally I wouldn't have let that hold me back from purchasing a vehicle but the moment there is any accident blemish on carfax, most buyers (and dealers accepting trades) automatically assume the worst with frame damage, airbag deployments and catastrophic doom.

Off-Lease Only is a dealership in Orlando, FL that sells vehicles all with carfax accidents and they have a growing business of selling vehicles at pretty steep discounts due to accidents, so this shows people are willing to save $$$ to get into a vehicle with previous accidents. So if you buy this ES, you certainly won't be the only one that knowingly values a great price on a good vehicle even with a historical blemish.

Gekko

personally, i would pass. but here is a great article on the subject -

https://www.autotrader.com/car-tips/...ccident-210714