I was sold a wrecked car....HELP!

[zstampe]

Alright, some of you guys remember me around here and I consider this place home still and always will. Last December I traded my 4runner in for something more efficient. I ended up with a very clean 08 Honda Accord, supposedly a 1 owner car with zero wrecks. Fast forward to last Thursday and I decided to see about trading for something a little more exciting because I'm bored already. I go to a different dealer this time and they appraised my Accord. They come back and tell me it's a 3 owner car and has been wrecked in the front drivers fender area. WHAT THE ****.

They want to give me 3 grand less on trade than what it should be worth. Obviously I'm not a moron so I won't be doing that. Soooooo I'm looking for advice/options/a shoulder to cry on etc. What would you do? How should I proceed from here? I have not contacted the original dealer yet. They have a car I'm interested in that I'm going to look at today. I'll play dumb and let them appraise my Accord and if they say it's been wrecked I will show them the e mails I saved from a year ago saying the car was 1 owner with no wrecks.

Before anyone asks: when I bought the car they gave me an autocheck (basically a carfax) and everything looked fine.

Thanks for the help.

 

[KidVermicious]

Hey, welcome back. Get another 4Runner, butthead.

Caveat Emptor. I think unless Autocheck or the original dealer gave you a guarantee that the car was as they represented it, you're screwed. If you don't have a guarantee, and I bet you don't, then I think your second plan is sound. If they say nothing about a previous wreck and want to give you market value for an unwrecked car, take it and run. If they come back and tell you three owners/reported in a wreck/anything different than what they said when they first sold it to you, don't say a damned thing. Get it in writing and then consult a lawyer or two - most legal firms will give you a free consultation, and after getting legal advice you'll have a much better idea where you stand and what your rights are.

Is it possible that the different dealer is telling you wrong, either by accident or? Have you run the CarFax yourself? Checked DMV records?

 

[zstampe]

Hey, welcome back. Get another 4Runner, butthead.

Caveat Emptor. I think unless Autocheck or the original dealer gave you a guarantee that the car was as they represented it, you're screwed. If you don't have a guarantee, and I bet you don't, then I think your second plan is sound. If they say nothing about a previous wreck and want to give you market value for an unwrecked car, take it and run. If they come back and tell you three owners/reported in a wreck/anything different than what they said when they first sold it to you, don't say a damned thing. Get it in writing and then consult a lawyer or two - most legal firms will give you a free consultation, and after getting legal advice you'll have a much better idea where you stand and what your rights are.

Is it possible that the different dealer is telling you wrong, either by accident or? Have you run the CarFax yourself? Checked DMV records?

Lol an FJ or 4Runner will be an option down the road. I'm just driving a TON these days.

Suing isn't an option for me even if it was an option legally. Not worth my time really. I'm hoping that they do the right thing as a business and give me fair market value. That's all I'm asking for. I don't expect them to buy my car back or anything like that. The dealer I bought it from is a small chain of 3 dealers and they typically have a lot of nice cars. Worst case scenario is I keep the accord, it is a great car.

Back to the multiple owner thing, it was due to the car being leased, after the lease was up the lessee bought the car. In the title switches it shows multiple owners so that's not a big deal. As far as the wreck goes it was very minor and as far as I can tell oem parts were used and the only affected area was the drivers fender, again not a huge deal since it was minor.

 

[grey_ghost]

If the accord runs great, those things are like gold in the used car market. I know its a hassle but you can always sell it for a better price on something like Craigslist, you just have to be ready to transition to the replacement vehicle as soon as the Accord sells...

 

[zstampe]

It would sell readily and if I sell it myself it should sell for what I bought it for a year ago. Or fairly close to it. I am pre approved loan wise so if I sell the accord I will buy something that day. The smart thing to do is just keep the Accord anyway.

 

[CXS]

The dealer/salesperson is doing his job of going low on a trade-in. "wrecked" vs repaired? What was the damage? Structural or cosmetic? I don't think you have enough info to make a judgement or argument until you know the details. That being said sorry this happened but lots of cars are successfully repaired and as good as new, that's why body shops exist. Why CarFax type businesses are taken as fact is beyond me. You can repair a car w/o insurance and it never shows up as having had an accident. I've seen cars that obviously were damaged (even totaled) come with a clean report.

 

[zstampe]

The dealer/salesperson is doing his job of going low on a trade-in. "wrecked" vs repaired? What was the damage? Structural or cosmetic? I don't think you have enough info to make a judgement or argument until you know the details. That being said sorry this happened but lots of cars are successfully repaired and as good as new, that's why body shops exist. Why CarFax type businesses are taken as fact is beyond me. You can repair a car w/o insurance and it never shows up as having had an accident. I've seen cars that obviously were damaged (even totaled) come with a clean report.

Let me rephrase. The car was repaired and repaired well. The panel gaps are good, the paint matches perfectly and the parts look to be oem quality. The damage was cosmetic only.

 

[bofa]

Let me rephrase. The car was repaired and repaired well. The panel gaps are good, the paint matches perfectly and the parts look to be oem quality. The damage was cosmetic only.

Dealerships are all about margin. They see repairs as a weakness to offer you much less than the car is worth. Yes, other potential buyers may be concerned about a repaired car, but the dealer is going to tell them the same thing you just told us and probably negotiate a short warranty to smooth it over.

The way to get the best money for a vehicle, mint or damaged, is almost always going to be private sale. The only exceptions are rare/exotics or vehicles that are bought and shipped overseas where they'll get a premium (like 4Runners, Xterras, Land Rovers, etc)

 

[MtnT4R]

That sucks man. Referencing my signature again, as a rule, never trust carfax. In the future, I am going to have my insurance company run their own check on the VIN and go from there. I hope yours isnt frame damage, but if it is, pretty much your only option is to sell it to someone private sale who doesnt care about minor fender benders.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I just sent this thread to my buddy who is buying a Tacoma next week.

He needed some convincing that $40 for Carfax and another $40 for mechanical / auto-body inspection from a private shop was worth the cost.

 

[MtnT4R]

I just sent this thread to my buddy who is buying a Tacoma next week.

He needed some convincing that $40 for Carfax and another $40 for mechanical / auto-body inspection from a private shop was worth the cost.

also tell him that his insurance will most likely run their own check for free. They run off a separate database of insurance claims- not based on auto shops that voluntarily report to carfax.

 

[zstampe]

GENTLEMEN.......

I emerge victoriously!!!!!! The original dealer I bought the Honda from fixed me up. They bought my Accord back for clean market value for that car, which ended up being slightly less than when I bought it a year ago. Keep in mind I put 15k miles on the Accord as well. They also sold me a 2012 Toyota Camry SE for much cheaper than they should have. The Camry was checked out via CarFax and a friend who owns a body shop and its in perfect shape. It needs a nice coat of wax but anyone that has followed me on this forum knows that I will love giving this thing a nice wax. It's only got 17k miles on it as well. So I'm a Yota guy again. So far I love the Camry leaps and bounds more than the Accord. Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I'll post some pics after I take them of the new car in the daylight.

 

[bofa]

Congrats man - glad it all worked out for you.