Hi ClubLexus!
Im new to ClubLexus and I'm currently in the market for an older model used luxury vehicle. (2008-2011 between 80k-100k). I'm not extremely familiar with Lexus but I stumbled upon this forum a couple months ago and now I'm on a mission to get an LS460. I've owned Toyotas and have grown to love their reliability.

. Throughout my recent search I've discovered ways to research maintenance records and history. I recently found a 2010 LS that had an accident but was repaired. The damage was done to the front and drivers side area of the vehicle. Would it be worth my while to look into this vehicle or should I avoid any thing that's been in any sort of accident? My worry is that there's unforeseen engine damage that will forever cause problems since the front of the vehicle was repaired.

All thoughts and suggestions welcomed.

thanks!

 

I personally wouldn't be scared of a vehicle with an accident on 2 assumptions
- you're going to keep the car for a LONG time (i.e. you won't care too much about resale value)
- the repair is inspected (take it to a body shop) properly

Most (caveat...MOST) body shops are halfway decent nowadays so if I can get a good deal on a vehicle with an accident history that doesn't impact the mechanical condition of the vehicle, I'd go for it.

 

If the damage was minor, I would consider it. Bring to a body shop and have them go through the car. If they raise any red flags, then just walk away. If major damage, then I would not consider.

Almost every car I have looked at had both bumpers sprayed. As long as the work done was of high quality, then it does not bother me. I live in MA, so most cars have road rash and a few paint chips.

 

We purchased a salvage titled '08 LS460 6 months ago and so far so good. The repair was done by a family member, and I know exactly what what was done to the car. Wife has already racked up almost 10k miles and besides replacing the battery, the car has been flawless.

 

If you plan on keeping the car..... YES
If the damage was only sheet metal...... YES
Dealer serviced car with maintenance records.... YES
Paint looks good with no imperfections......... YES
Everything electrically/electronically works...... YES
Known common "failure issues" have been corrected........YES

You can always have a "pre buy inspection" done where they put the car on a lift and check it inside and out then give you a unbiased report.

 

I agree with the others. I wouldn't hesitate one bit. My car had 12k dollars damage from a previous accident when I bought it. Sounds like a lot of money, but the headlamp assembly alone is thousands. I've had the car for 3 years and no issues whatsoever.

 

As others said, if your going to keep the car long term, then I would not be afraid to look at it. Check out a carfax to see if it shows any clue on the damage to the car. Bring it to a 3rd party auto body place to have it checked out. See if the dealer has a recorded of what EXACTLY was done. If it was frame damage, I would walk away, but, if it was just body panels, I would not worry about it too much, as long as it was fixed good enough with your tastes.

Just understand if your buying a car with a salvage title, when it comes time for trade in or re-sale, even if in flawless shape, expect to see 40% less than blue-book value unless your selling it yourself. Most new car dealers wont even touch a salvage, unless they plan on just dumping it in auction (and they wont give you much for it)

 

I own a 460 that was in a previous accident and I have had zero issues with it and honestly you can't tell it's been in an accident. But it has been in an accident and the carfax says it loud and clear, because of that I know I will have trouble selling the vehicle, so keeping it long term is a must.

I tried to sell my car a year year after I purchased it because my commute had changed, that was a waste of time because of the carfax. Everyone that was interested ran away as soon as they saw it had been in an accident...didn't matter if it was small...didn't matter that the car was babied and well maintained...all they cared about was that carfax. Buying and selling cars is totally different now because if carfax - you could have a well maintained cared for vehicle with one little accident, vs a car that's been abused, but never in an accident...and the later will sell well before the other.

 

That is kind of dumb to refuse a car just because it may have been in a fender bender or even moderate accident. Shops know how to fix cars these days to where they are basically brand new. As long as the repair was done right and the car drives well I see no reason to avoid a used Lexus with a accident unless it was frame damage/salvage/really serious. It is not a Ferrari or rare Porsche that will appreciate in value, it is a common daily driver sedan. I bought my GS430 with a previous accident and had no issues with it for 10 years, I had no problems selling it because the insurance company totaled it after a not very serious accident but I had many offers when it was not for sale because I kept it so nice.

As for the OP I would not worry about the accident, just get it looked at and look for any issues.

 

What's dumb, people not buying a car that's been in a previous accident, or me mentioning it because you don't believe it's true?

I myself bought the car knowing it had been in a previous accident, so I tend to agree that it's not going to affect the performance of the vehicle as long as it wasn't a major accident.

Ove ver tried to sell my car twice, I probably had 10 different people seriously interested in the vehicle...until it got to the accident part. That's when it ended...on all of them. Crickets after that. No responses from texts, no nothing. Didn't matter that it is a nice car, didn't matter that took care of it and answers all their questions, that was the end.

It may may not be a rare car, but why would someone buy it if it's been in an accident when there are ten others they can purchase that hasn't? Because it's not a rare car there's plenty to choose from. Now if I dropped the price $5,000 compared to those cars?? Then yeah I could sell it, but you need to know that going in. And I ran into the same stuff when I tried to trade it in, they pulled the carfax and offered me pennies on the dollar because of the accident...they said it'd probably have to go to auction. And the car is beautiful.

 

Exactly. Nothing wrong with buying a car that has been in an accident, as long as the accident was not major and that the car was properly fixed.

Trading in the car or trying to sell that car is a different story. Will be more difficult compared to a car that has no documented accidents. Will definitely take a hit on price when you want to get rid of it. If purchasing a car that has an accident flag on car fax, then that price should already be adjusted accordingly, as nobody in their right mind will pay the same as a car that was never in an accident.

 

I have a Dodge Charger SRT that was involved in 3 separate deer hits (3-4 years ago) and the hood along with both side doors and fenders have been replaced and if you never read the Carfax report you would never know it was involved in an accident...... Runs and looks great!
A good body shop can work magic on cars nowadays especially with laser alignment racks. When I was in the market for an LS, I saw a few CPO's that had body work done that was NOT shown on a Carfax report. I think most people remember the days when after a car was in an accident you had problems with the car "crabbing" on the road and paint not matching along with peeling so the car was pretty much worthless after being repaired.
I say check out ANY "used" car and buy it even if it was in an accident....... And take advantage of the savings.
BTW! You can pamper your brand new Lexus and all it takes is for someone to back into your car causing MINOR fender damage and you now own a car that was involved in an accident according to a Carfax report.

 

Resell value goes down and you should get it checked out because if it has any issues with a damaged frame , ill walk away and plus many insurance companies wont put full coverage on salvaged cars ..so the next time your in a crash its moslty on you

 

Its always depends on knowing exactly what may have occured and doing calculations on the deal you are actually getitng because it will effect resale later on. There are a number of sellers who ebay who specialize in reselling some of these cars that get repairs and they make them look good and specifiy what happened. I was bidding on a M6 last year I was about $100 away from winning, decided to let that one go, it had front end damage, but it was a amazingly spec'd car. Back in January I still had the itch and ran across a GS350 by a seller that was involved in a flood from West Virgina last year. I ended up blindly buying the car and taking a chance, I got it for almost half of what they go for. When I got the car it came off a trailer and was so filfthy, I picked it up at night, entered the car and had a smell from it. The car ended up cleaning very nice, inside looked like brand new. There was still a lingering smell from water, I cleaned it a number of times but eventually had to take it to a pro detailing shop where they stripped interior carpet and cleaned, cost me about $400. Mechanically the car is fine, it was a big risk however I had alot of room to play in the price I paid. I really like the car and it feels like a new car to me but at a fraction. It has a salvage title so if I ever sell it it may be harder. I guess the moral of the story is it can be worth it but understand all of the risks.

 

Every time I look for a car I look for one that has a clean Carfax history. With that said, there's no guarantee the car wasn't in an accident that wasn't reported to Carfax. I tend to focus more on the service history. As others have stated, get a pre-purchase inspection to give you some peace of mind.