hi i'm just about to buy a used 2009 prius w/ full package 50k mileage for $17k. but here's a dillema. the dealer says its clear title (not salvaged). he gave me full carfax report and told me it just had a right side fender bender. even said i can take it to any mechanics for checkup and everything is in good shape. problem is, this dealer specializes in salvages and so this one looks very suspicious to me. when i look at the report, it shows that the car got into an accident 6months prior in Kansas, then sold off to auction, and now they are selling it in Los Angeles. am I right to be cautious? or a bargain?
Take it to a reputable 3rd party mechanic and have them check the frame and quality of repair work. If that mechanic says everything is AOK, then does it matter? It is not branded salvaged. My guess is the previous owner didn't like it after the crash and traded it in. Dealers don't deal with broken cars, so they auction it. There was some yahoo on here last month who (of no fault of their own) got crashed into with their 2010. $5K in damage, not totaled. Insuranced covered it all. Then he goes around and trades it in for a VW. Whatever, but that is how this happens.
That would be the best thing to do. It's likely it was just cosmetic damage, but it never hurts to have it checked out by a mechanic just in case.
I don't quite understand. What's wrong with doing this? If it's your car, and after a wreck or accident you no longer feel happy with it, for any reason, what's wrong with trading it in? About a month after I bought my new Honda, someone rear ended me. Ultimately the damage was entirely cosmetic and superficial, so after the hassle of getting it all taken care of, I just decided to keep the vehicle. But I think that had the damage been more significant, and/or there had been frame damage, I think I would of seriously thought about trading it in and cutting my losses. I think as long as you aren't misrepresenting the vehicle to the dealership or the next purchaser then there is nothing wrong with deciding after an accident that perhaps you just want to reset, and get a new vehicle. I've known people that have sold a vehicle after an accident just because the memory of being in the accident in the vehicle bothered them so much.
