I am considering a 2011 Prius 3 with 19k miles on it. The car is in nearly new condition but it was in an accident 6 months ago. It was parked when someone ran into it denting the very left side of the bumper (see photo). There was no police report and the insurance covered the repairs (so the car is not considered salvage). The accident/repairs do not appear on Carfax yet either. The repairs were done at the dealer/Toyota-Certified-collision center and cost around $6,500. The rear bumper and Left Quarter Outer panel were replaced with certified Toyota parts. Additionally, the body shop said inspection of the car did not show any damage to the uni-body. Would this be considered a major repair and how much will resell value be diminished 3-4 years down the road? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
"major repair" is going to be a bit subjective since it wasn't totalled, but my vote is Absitively. Sucks to be the seller, but go find another Pri, they are out there.
That sounds like enough damage to total the car. I've seen cars with less damage then that at the salvage auto auctions.
Lets get real here. Obviously someone disclosed the damage since car-fax etc knew nothing of the incident. Without prior knowledge is the repair detectable? I have seen vehicles totaled that should not have been and I have seen cars repaired that should have been scrapped. What you are describing is not much more than a fender-bender and a body shop that charges $$$$ for their repairs. Are you looking for a car to "drive into the ground" or keep for over 6-7 years? If so then you don't care about its slightly blemished past as it won't affect future resale value. If you keep a car 2-3 years and then trade it as a well-cared-for used car on a later model....you don't want this car. Bottom line is how good a deal you can get on it right now if you are the type that uses a car for transportation rather than "marrying" it. Bill
You can look at this two ways; 1) yes it will affect the resale value - but doesn't that mean you should get a great deal on it? And if you hang on to it for 5-7 years, what will it matter then? 2) Or if you're worried you won't be able to unload it when it's time to sell/trade in, move on to another one.
I would consider a qtr panel repair to be major. No, $6500 will not total a car, but this is a sizable repair. It will definitely affect the resale value at this point in the vehicle's life. iPhone ?
That damage is on the rear, opposite from the side with the battery. I don't think there is anything important there; that does not seem bad to me at all.
Thank you everyone one for all your responses. I am still deliberating but will have to decide very soon. This damage is the before photo. Unfortunately, I don't have an "after" photo. In its repaired state, the car looks almost like a new car.
i don't see much there, do they have the repair breakdown? i would like to know where the $6500. is? my daughter got hit by a deer, windshield, hood, right front fender, front passenger door, yada yadda yadda, and that was only five grande.
Thanks again everyone for your feedback. bisco, most of the cost is labor. The parts total came to 1.3k (mostly the bumper, lamp assembly and left quarter outer panel), paint and disposal was 800, and the rest was labor.
Thanks everyone for all your feedback. I ended up taking advantage of the recent Memorial Day weekend sales and went with a new 2013 Prius.