CPO with accident history
 

While looking through CPO’s while I impatiently wait for the right one to show up, I saw one that Porsche is selling as a CPO and while looking at the Carfax , I see a reported rear end accident. I’ve always tended to stay away from used vehicles with an accident history because it is usually difficult to find out exactly what occurred and even worse is come trade in or resale I would take a big hit. So my question(s) are. Has anyone ever heard of Porsche selling a CPO with an accident in its history (besides this one I guess)? Would you be comfortable buying it? Why would they sell it? Doesn’t this lessen the rest of the criteria that actually goes into a CPO or is only maintenance history only considered?

Yes. I passed up a great deal on one because of the fact that I won’t keep this till the wheels fall off and know that someone else would leverage a considerable amount off because of the accident.

I’d pass - that will always come back to bite you later.

So my question(s) are. Has anyone ever heard of Porsche selling a CPO with an accident in its history (besides this one I guess)? Would you be comfortable buying it? Why would they sell it? Doesn’t this lessen the rest of the criteria that actually goes into a CPO or is only maintenance history only considered?
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Under the CPO policy, any damage has to be minor or not structural and must have been repaired to Porsche standards, whatever that means.

I would be comfortable buying it most likely if I had an explanation on the damage, for my use. The problem is when you try to sell it with no CPO and accident history.

Usually the CPO programs will state how much paintwork/accident damage is allowed to still be certified. BMW could have no more than 2 panels painted, etc.

If you can't get specific info on what the accident was and how it was fixed, why bother? Maybe it was a bumper scrape and needed paint - or maybe it was a bad rear-ender and needed a lot more.

Unless you are getting a way under market deal, it wouldn't be worth it because you will get scalped when you sell or trade later. The dealer is probably saying it is no big deal at all when they are the seller, but will bend you over because of if when you trade.

I've seen the service manual pages for how all the panels are glued and welded... I'm not at all certain I'd knowingly buy one that'd been in an accident. Way too many places where everything would have to have been reassembled/fastened/aligned properly to avoid problems later.

Sure, if all you're looking for is a cheap SUV (which still requires fantastically expensive replacement parts) then... ok... I guess...

Let me be clear. This is not a car I am considering buying. My original post was more of a question around why would Porsche be selling a car with an accident in its history at all. I just guess I assumed that the standards Porsche has for its CPO program would include no accidents of any kind. I’ve reviewed what goes into CPO certification and then comparing other 958’s that are not CPO, that there are plenty that seem like they are nearly CPO worthy but something in the service history must have DQ’d it and then to see this particular car makes me wonder about the rating system used or was this just an anomaly or maybe this dealer plays it a little looser. Anyway, it gives me more knowledge as I continue my search.

I don’t think that Porsche dealer would sell a CPO that has enough damage to seriously affect the car. The issue is resale. Porsche isn’t concerned with your ability to resale the car, they just care that you get a quality purchase.

If a dealer doesn’t CPO a car, there’s something more seriously wrong with it. Either it’s due for $10k of maintenance, or it isn’t up to CPO standards. They’ll do whatever it takes to make the most $$$.

I don't know what gets considered "enough of an accident" to be a CPO issue. Could it have been something relatively benign like a gouged rear bumper skin? Or a dented rear lift gate (like from a rake falling on it or something)?

Heres how I see it: The majority of us can easily afford to fix a lot of accidents out of pocket so as to keep the incident off the records. If I see a legit accident recorded, I’m assuming it was for a considerable amount of money.

Valid point but frankly, even a fairly gentle rear end smack will easily result in a $4,000+ repair on these car's. That actually happened to us in a previous 955. We initially agreed to work with the guy who rear ended our car because he wanted to avoid going through his insurance coverage knowing the responsibility for the accident would solely rest on his shoulders given the circumstances and witnesses. But then he found out how large the bill was going to be and quickly changed his mind. As for the damage, it was trivial even below the plastics. The repair cost, not so trivial given the cost of Porsche factory replacement parts and quality labor.

We owned the car for several years after the repairs and the issue never came up again, even when we went to sell it. If you plan on keeping the car until it's 8-10 years old, the impact of a single small accident is trivial, if anything at all. That's because these cars aren't exactly collectors items. They'll all end up settling in that $14,000-$18,000 sweet spot in not time (like the 955's). If you plan on holding onto the car for that long and then try to trade it in (even with no accidents), you're pretty much going to get screwed by a dealer anyway. My hunch is selling it private party with CPO history proves to any future buyer that the accident wasn't a serious incident to disqualify the car's eligibility for certification and more or less levels the resale value playing field.

I bought a 958 base CPO that had 1 accident in the history - the amount of damage listed was ~$3000 to the front right. The advisor indicated this was bumper damage and that it had been replaced. The owner had driven it for 2 more years without any other reported issues and I've had it for almost another 2 now. I have no idea why the previous owner didn't settle out of pocket. The only issues I've faced are common ones on the 958 - the ac line block and the dreaded transfer case issue that was fixed under CPO too - so all in all am happy with it. In my view, its good to check out what the damage is and then take a judgement call...one could then use that reasoning in negotiating the sticker price..

Yes, it will likely affect resale value - especially of a brand new vehicle or it may take longer to find a buyer. But for a CPO, especially if you were to keep it for a few years, the vehicle is going to depreciate anyway.. Compared to a private sale with no reported collision history (who knows what service/maintenance demons are lurking underneath) to a CPO with one, I'd go with the CPO but that is just me...

Guys not a big deal. To CPO the car there is a limit, but CPO does not mean 'no accident' history.

For example, my wife, tapped someone (ie rear ended a honda). Repair bill for the CD? 6k. Guess what that entailed: front bumper cover, some trim, skid plate, clear bra. ZERO metal damage, zero under body repair/parts. 100% cosmetic.

So, you gotta see what it is get the details.

Me personally, for a daily driver like this, who GAF if it has some cosmetic repairs. These things are rock depreciators anyway. they aren't rare sports cars. But, I would avoid a car that had metal damage or paintwork on the metal.