Used Vehicle that have been an accident, beware

In the past I have inspected several like new cars and they all looked like they were well-maintained and never have been in an accident, the inspection proved otherwise. One must be aware that some used-car dealers will buy cars from auto auction, and some of those vehicles have been wrecked and repaired. These cars may never get reported to the police department and therefore do not show up in the Car Fax or Car Check reports.

With the purchase the customer also purchased an extended warranty. He started to have some electrical issue as well as suspension noises soon after. The dealership told the customer the $2,800.00 warranty he/she purchased did not cover the repairs because the repair was related to an accident that occurred before the vehicle was purchased. The customer was told the vehicle has never been in an accident.

I was asked to do an inspection on it and found several area showing damages that had been repaired indicating the vehicle has been in a major accident.

The vehicle which was purchased for $26,000, the person who purchased the car was given a Car Check report and showed to not have been in any accidents and based on that the car was purchased.

The customer wanted to trade the vehicle in and when the dealership inspected the vehicle the y found past accident damage, the dealership turn down the trade in. According to a new Car Fax report given to the customer during a trade in it appeared the vehicle had been in an accident. I later realized the original Car Check report had been cut and pasted together without the section showing the accident part. Someone sold a vehicle under fraud conditions when they made the true Car Check appear to be something it was not.

Used-car dealers’ salesmen know how to talk to car buyers. An inspection from a Trained Technician should always be done on newer used vehicle when the sale seems to be too good to be true.

A salesman may tell the potential buyer, “Look, I like you and want to help you. Although I am not supposed to do this, but I will drop the price a few more hundred dollars to help you.” This is a hook most people fall into. This $26,000 car should have been sold for $13,000, but like I said he was given a discount because the salesman said he likes him. Remember sales person does not know you any better than you know him or her. Sales persons are trained to make you feel like a true friend when in fact all they want is to sell you the vehicle and get that commission; then it’s good-bye and don’t bother me with any car repairs or complaints you have. The truth was the salesman may not have known about the accident damage but it seemed he robbed the customer. The customer had to file a lawsuit that may drag on for months or possible more before he recovers any money at all.

Upon inspection I removed some trim panels and took photos of the places where the rocker panels were and could see it had been hit and improperly repaired. This vehicle’s actual cash value was around $13,000, about half of what the customer paid for it and far less than the value of a good vehicle that was not wrecked. Not to count the loss of the $2,800.00 warranty that would not be honored by any dealership, the customer loses all the way around. The Lemon Law firms I work with may file what is called a “Fraud” case to help you recover the loss if this happens to you. You need to have all your paper work in order when you file.

I have inspected over 3,500 vehicles and have only had to go to trial on 53 cases. The attorney law firms I work with are the best in the business. A wrecked vehicle is also an unsafe vehicle if it was not properly repaired.

If this vehicle that had another side impact at the same side which was improperly repaired, the people on that side of the vehicle will likely die or get severely hurt. When a side center post or rocker panel is replaced, there are specific places that need to be worked on in order to make the vehicle worthy to be on the road again. When a dealership sells a vehicle that has been in an accident, a statement of fact (disclosure) has to be given to the customer so he or she will know about accident.

My recommendation is: have a professional vehicle inspector inspect the vehicle, to see if the damaged areas have been properly repaired or not. If he or she decides to buy the vehicle the chance of getting it insured is unlikely anyway. A vehicle with frame damage has a value drop of at least 50% no matter who repaired the vehicle and the resale of that same vehicle is unlikely, unless it is to a junk yard. My advice is: don’t buy any vehicle that has had a major accident. Get a report from Car Fax and Car Check as well, because one may not show the vehicle was in an accident and it is likely the other will.

If you need a good Lemon Law attorney or a good Personal Injury attorney go to my web site and you will find several attorneys over 3500 of my customers have used all with great success.

Thank you for visiting and tell a friend, GOD bless you.