giddyupp

Looking for your valued opinions

I have been looking at an 87S4 with 64K. Paint and body look really good. Engine bay is immaculate, Interior is clean, no cracks in the dash or pod. Guards Red / Black. Asking price is $15K - Seems like a pretty good price

I love the car - bar 1 issue. Car fax reports an Accident back in 2001. Reports "Passenger Side impact of a stationery object" - Not sure how you can hit a stationery object on the side of the vehicle.

Passenger side checks out fine as far as I can tell. Only way you can tell, the door has been painted is you can see where the vin# label had been taped off. Looks like everything else, rubber, trim etc. was removed to paint. There is no overspray anywhere I can see.

The big question is how much do you guys think this effects the value ?
Or is this a non issue? I have seen many, many cars with clean Carfax reports that have had all kinds of horrible repairs and paint jobs.

What Say You ?

Speedtoys

I think they're overvalued.

I sold a Z06 that -i- put into major repair, twice..both drink drivers hitting it.


Sold it with a clean carfax 2yrs later.

hacker-pschorr

Clean CarFax means very little.

Anything negative is just that, a negative you can never get rid of. It would be better if you had before images to show the extend of the damage.

The number of cars I've seen rolled into a ball sold at auction with clean title and clean carfax really makes me wonder how that seemingly minor repair ended up on there.

Does it hurt the value?
Let me ask you this, if you found an identical car tomorrow with a clean carfax and zero signs of any repair for the same price, which one would you buy?

OTR18WHEELER

If the repair was done correctly, inside and out, It's the best that could be done. I used to rebuild totaled Rabbits, Jettas, Golfs, Sciroccos, and Audis, (mid '80s - early '90s), also worked at a GM dealership bodyshop. A repair like that would not bother me as long as it was done right.

James Bailey

It is part of "diminished value".... and so significant that wholesale auctions now state the status of the carfax...
True that many incidents do not get reported but when it is clearly stated it makes it a "story car" Yea it was wrecked but just a little All the advertising by Carfax has worked in the minds of many potential buyers.

wpgshark

What are the odds that a 25+ year car has not had something. Some were reported, many have not been. It's a valuation tool, but one of many and it doesn't insure a clean car.

A perfectly maintained, perfect color, low mileage car, with the right options with a clean carfax is going to go for more than one with a record on a car fax, how much is debatable. Of those characteristics I think the carfax would add, or subtract the least value.

It also depends on what is on the car fax, hit stationary object right side is likely turning too sharply and hitting something, properly repaired not an issue, stolen and recovered more of an issue in my mind, unless the car has done 10k miles since.

Now a rebuilt or salvage title, no matter how well rebuilt, would be more of a value concern.

If everything else is what you want and you can't find the same thing with a clean carfax for the same money then go for it.

Good luck

James Bailey

It is a bit like learning your fiancé has an STD..... might not be a deal killer but has to make you think !

Wisconsin Joe

"Clean CarFax" is a joke.

The "Surfrider Mason" GT has a "clean carfax", yet was totalled out and had an entire front end replacement.

There's a thread over in the Cayenne forum about a sleazy salesman at a Porsche dealer in PA that "sort of forgot to mention" that there was significant rock damage in the hood of a car (many, many tiny chips deep into the paint). When discussing repair, the sales creature clearly stated that they could do it, but have it not appear on the carfax.

In this particular case, you know a repair has been done. You can see it was done well.

Short of a super low mileage, "ultra mint condition" car, this shouldn't affect the value much, IMO.

giddyupp

Well thanks for all the opinions. Not really sure I feel any better or worse about this. Guess I just need to either pull the trigger or move on. Actually, I kinda like the 79 OB just appeared on eBay - seems like a good price too.