Maverick1

I just wanted your opinions on buying a 911 from a dealer that was in a minor accident? The driver was actually an employee of the dealer.
Says front strut was replaced.
The car is priced low because of this.
Was told it was repaired back to like new condition.
Car has under 9k miles, and most importantly it has every single option I am interested in, even the color I want.
Car will be covered by the original warranty until sometime in 2016.
The salesman is getting me the complete accident report, so I will update this when I know all the facts.
I tend to keep my cars a long time.
What do you think?

pitt911

every thing has a price, if they price it much cheaper than a similar optioned car, probably by 4-5 thousands, it might be worth it, especially when you keep your cars for a long period of time. when you decide to sell it, it will fetch less money so keep that in mind.
couple of minor points
1. see if accident shows up on car fax, if not that is a plus
2.ask for extended test drive , make sure no vibrations , steering feel is good, and spend 250 dollars and get it inspected by another independent dealer.

Justin N

Ask for documentation of the accident. If it went through the insurance process there should be a full list of replaced parts and even some pictures.

PDX991

Is this the car in Rochester? There's a silver 991 on Autotrader that they have dropped the price $10k.

duxsi

When did the "minor" accident occur and find out if it's on Carfax yet (it can take a while).
Was there any bodywork. Take a paint meter with you.
If so, NO DEAL.

systemr

i bet thats the one, I was looking at it too but ended up buying basically the same car without SPASM and w/ full leather both ~120K MSRP. Cost a little more but I automatically ruled out this car after the carfax updated (4+ months after the accident) and they finally lowered the price which was kind of shady

Based on what I ended up paying, at the current advertised price you're saving about 4K b/c of the accident history.

Maverick1

Yes, it is the 991 Carrera S in Rochester.
The sales gent will be getting back to me tomorrow with all the accident details.
Said that the right front fender and wheel were replaced, and the Carfax said the strut was also replaced.

StudGarden

If it checks out and the price is right I'd go for it.

Keep in mind the used market is extremely harsh on any 911 that has ever had a grain of dust on it or has been driven more than 100 miles a year in a climate controlled museum. But if you plan on keeping it for a while and it's the one you want I'd get it anyway. I buy my cars for me not some future buyer anyway.

Jerry991

If the car is repaired by the dealer without an insurance claim and it doesn't hit Carfax then get an extra 5K off if you can. However, if the dealer dealt with his insurance company and it hits Carfax then the car will always get a big hit when it is sold. I would take at least $10K off the price if it has a negative Carfax no matter how well they fixed it and that is in addition to whatever discount you could get if it had not been in an accident. Just remember that when you go to sell the car you will be getting $10K less for it because of the negative Carfax.

jhbrennan

Unfortunately, looks like it already hit Carfax - see post #7.

drcollie

If you plan to keep it, go for it. Keep in mind trying to sell it later on will be almost as bad as trying to sell a salvage car - you will find its very difficult on high end machines. No one cares on a pickup truck, but anything semi-exotic most your buyers will take a pass on it as they have pure machines to choose from. Silly, I know - but that's the way it works.

MJBird993

Fender and a strut? I'll bet you a dollar that there was more damage than just that. That's just all that he can remember.

For the amount of money that you are spending, why take a chance? Go find a car that you like that has no questions, no history.

That said... if you can get a significant discount because of the accident, then it may be worth it to you, especially if the car is equipped the way you want it, and you like the colors. The older a car gets, the less significant any damage history becomes. So when you go to sell it in 10 years, you'll take a little hit on resale, but not nearly as much as the discount that you should get now.

That said, the advice about for another ppi is spot-on. Take it somewhere else and make sure that everything is as it should be.

FORENN

Agreed. And even if you lose that bet, the fact that there is even a question about the extent of the damage is unsettling. Who wants to wonder? I'd also quickly take a pass.

mtbscott

I'm with this. I totally believe crash damage can be fixed to like new or better than new condition by a quality body shop BUT most buyers later will be freaked out by any past history.
If the price is right and you're not worried about if or when you'll resell it, go for it.

PS: Although not in the market for one at the time, a local used dealer had a 997GT3 a couple of years ago priced $20K lower than any other similar cars around. It had been in a front end collision, everything was well documented and the work was impeccable....but that poor car sat for months before finding the right buyer who could appreciate the bargain he was getting.

duxsi

Not what I'd consider minor, so my suggestion would be to move on. There are tons of good deals out there and patience is your friend.

The frames of these cars are notoriously soft and there was an infamous post a while back called something like "So you think it was just a rear-end bump".
It was staggering to see how much damage occurred from a "minor" rear-end collision and what it took to repair the 991.

Checkout the classifieds on here and other boards, Carmax, Cars.com ebay, etc. Also, quite a few people selling their 911 to get into a GT3.

Post your wish list and see if one of us knows of your dream car.

Best of luck.

PS. If / when you eventually trade-in this car, you will be absolutely clobbered with the Carfax "accident", no matter how attractive the discount might seem today.