Would You Buy a Wrecked Lexus LS?
TriC isn’t ready to rule it out right away. But they are proponents of being extra cautious.
“Carfax utilizes police crash report language which varies from state to state. How would a responding officer know whether there is structural damage or not unless it is plainly evident? ‘Driveshaft serviced’ is a strange entry. But it’s hard to see how it could be related to the crash if there was, in fact, no structural damage.
While I disagree that any Carfax accident entry should automatically disqualify a Lexus LS (these aren’t collector vehicles after all), in this case I would urge you to proceed with caution and perhaps have a frame shop inspect the vehicle if it is otherwise what you want at a good price.”
Jabberwock agrees, and passes along a similar personal story to prove that point.
“In terms of the accident – if the car looks right cosmetically and structurally, and if it was driven for a long time after the accident, it very likely was correctly repaired and should not be disqualified as a purchase candidate as long as it is not priced like a mint condition no accident car. An accident report on Carfax is way more concerning on a newer car with low miles being sold and listed as in perfect condition. Especially if owner dumped it soon after the accident and repair.
Last year, when my car was 11 years old, someone hit us going about 3 mph. Extremely minor read end accident. But we chose to have a police report filed to be safe (always call the police for any accident). So my car may have a rear end accident listed on Carfax. But a buyer would be absolutely nuts to avoid buying my car because of the Carfax. . The damage was 100% limited to a 2-inch paint scrape and a 1/2-inch high. No depth minor crease of the plastic on the rear bumper cover. I repaired it to 95% invisible with a hot air gun and a little touch up paint. I took pictures of it before and after, so if I ever sell my car I can show the prospective buyer the extent of the accident damage.”
It’s quite obvious from this thread that we’ve yet to reach a consensus on buying cars with accident damage. So we want to hear what you think! Head over here and help the OP make a smart decision with his potential Lexus LS purchase!
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