I need some CarFax help!

[Overlanding99]

So, I have yet another question for the community and hopefully I put this in the right thread category. I have a '99 3rd gen., and I was in an accident a few years ago where a F-250 in front of me went from 45-0 in a blink of an eye, since it was a one lane road in the woods and had small slopes for a ditch on each side, I bailed to the right to miss him and not go into oncoming traffic. My 4runner did grip the slippery morning grass quite well to bring it down to about 5 mph right before hitting a few skinny, yet tough trees. My stock bumper, radiator, grill, and about an inch to two inches of the hood were crushed, not severely, but beyond repair. I went to my insurance (Allstate at the time) and got a shop name were I could get it fixed (would've done it all myself but it was finals week). I got it fixed good as new, and that was that. Now to my dilemma. Anyone who is on this forum or owns an ARB bumper/installed one, knows for 3rd gens. you need to do some cutting to the stock bumper supports/mounts,etc. When I made the cuts a few months ago, I noticed the supports were crushed, probably from the accident because there was no other damage anywhere I or a family friend who is a State Farm adjuster/appraiser, could find. so I cut off the damaged parts and installed the ARB front bumper. Fast forward to this Wednesday, I went to get an oil change at the Yota Stealership, and my buddy that works there gave me a complimentary CarFax and it said there was structural/frame damage, which made my 4runner worthless. And about an hour ago a guy who lives down the street, who I've driven to work once or twice, offered me good money for it. Then he texted me telling me that he ran the CarFax and saw what it said. I have to talk to him tomorrow but I don't know how to explain to him that the part that was damaged, and what CarFax was calling structurally damaged was cut off and replaced by the mounting brackets for the ARB bumper, and the fact that the vehicle is SAFE to drive. What do I do, how do I explain this? Any advice will help!

 

[hank101]

Two possibilities come to mind. Try to find a body shop that straightens frames and have them check it and provide you with a report that you can show to the potential buyer. You could get pictures from a similar model 4R that is not damaged, has the mounts intact, and use those to explain what you did to your mounts. You may have to reduce your price as a good faith measure. Your title should not show a salvage title and should still be "clear" which is another arguing point. Your dealer buddy seems to have overstated the issue. It's certainly far from worthless.

 

[Overlanding99]

Two possibilities come to mind. Try to find a body shop that straightens frames and have them check it and provide you with a report that you can show to the potential buyer. You could get pictures from a similar model 4R that is not damaged, has the mounts intact, and use those to explain what you did to your mounts. You may have to reduce your price as a good faith measure. Your title should not show a salvage title and should still be "clear" which is another arguing point. Your dealer buddy seems to have overstated the issue. It's certainly far from worthless.

I might try that first idea of your's. And I forgot that the title is still clean, I should use that in the argument. Thanks for the help.