This is just my opinion, but being in an a minor accident is not a problem as long as the car drives straight. You have to drive the car on a flat road without camber and check that the car drives in a straight line. If it always needs steering input to drive straight (pulls always to one side) walk away, because 9 out of 10 times you will never get it to drive straight. A seller might tell you its just an alignment issue. But if its so easy to fix - why didn't they do it?
Other things to check are;
paint condition - different shades or finishes may indicate a repair.
panel condition - ripples or dimples may indicate a repair.
alignment of doors / panels and boot lid. - if things don't line up this may indicate a repair.
lift the bonnet and check where the struts are and check where the radiator is mounted - if there is bad paint or ripples anywhere in the metal this might indicate a repaired collision in the front.
So what you have to do is take a good long look along both sides of the car, checking for alignment of panels / lumps or bumps in the paint finish, in the boot (trunk), and under the bonnet. You have to look critically at the car, like you are scrutinizing every last detail. Open and close every door, and check they all feel the same when you open and close them.
If you suspect a panel has been dented and repaired with filler if you take a small magnet, you can put it against the suspect panel (with a piece of thin fabric between the panel and the magnet) if the magnet easily falls off, then the metal has been repaired with filler.
People rely on the shyness and politeness of others to get away with stuff. Look the seller in the eyes and ask if the car has been in an accident. Check their response. If you get a bad feeling that they are lying. Then always go with your gut.
But also remember that collision damage is not the only thing to check when buying a used car. Check the service history and look at the receipts. A car serviced every 6 months with receipts is going to be better than a car with no service history and no receipts. A caring owner is likely to tell you how much they spent on, and cared for the car.
A dodgy dealer will make all sorts of excuses and stories why there are no receipts.
Remember, there are lots of these cars around, a cheap one is likely (but not always) to be poorly maintained.
Look around for another if you are not satisfied with the condition of the car. Nothing is on fire. You don't have to rush to buy the first car you see.
This is just my opinion, but being in an a minor accident is not a problem as long as the car drives straight. You have to drive the car on a flat road without camber and check that the car drives in a straight line. If it always needs steering input to drive straight (pulls always to one side) walk away, because 9 out of 10 times you will never get it to drive straight. A seller might tell you its just an alignment issue. But if its so easy to fix - why didn't they do it?
Other things to check are;
paint condition - different shades or finishes may indicate a repair.
panel condition - ripples or dimples may indicate a repair.
alignment of doors / panels and boot lid. - if things don't line up this may indicate a repair.
lift the bonnet and check where the struts are and check where the radiator is mounted - if there is bad paint or ripples anywhere in the metal this might indicate a repaired collision in the front.
So what you have to do is take a good long look along both sides of the car, checking for alignment of panels / lumps or bumps in the paint finish, in the boot (trunk), and under the bonnet. You have to look critically at the car, like you are scrutinizing every last detail. Open and close every door, and check they all feel the same when you open and close them.
If you suspect a panel has been dented and repaired with filler if you take a small magnet, you can put it against the suspect panel (with a piece of thin fabric between the panel and the magnet) if the magnet easily falls off, then the metal has been repaired with filler.
People rely on the shyness and politeness of others to get away with stuff. Look the seller in the eyes and ask if the car has been in an accident. Check their response. If you get a bad feeling that they are lying. Then always go with your gut.
But also remember that collision damage is not the only thing to check when buying a used car. Check the service history and look at the receipts. A car serviced every 6 months with receipts is going to be better than a car with no service history and no receipts. A caring owner is likely to tell you how much they spent on, and cared for the car.
A dodgy dealer will make all sorts of excuses and stories why there are no receipts.
Remember, there are lots of these cars around, a cheap one is likely (but not always) to be poorly maintained.
Look around for another if you are not satisfied with the condition of the car. Nothing is on fire. You don't have to rush to buy the first car you see.
If you don't mind me asking, what is your expertise. Obviously you're very knowledgeable so I'm just curious.
Orange Peel in the paint (ripples etc), haziness in paint, odd matching colors. Tap with a knuckle over any spots you suspect and the note will change... usually tap tap tap thunk tap tap... where you here the thunk is usually bondo. I also look down the body lines and look for bows and dips... check panel gaps for symmetry...
All the above advice was great also! Its tough anymore... these body guys are good!
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1. Get the car up on a lift.
2. Get a good flashlight
3. Looks for any wrinkles / bends in the frame or undercarriage.
The body of the vehicle is design to absorb a lot of the energy generated in a collision. It doesn't take much speed to cause visible damage in this regard. Body guys these days can fix just about everything, but unless they cut out the frame and weld a new piece in, you will be able to notice the damage.
If you don't mind me asking, what is your expertise. Obviously you're very knowledgeable so I'm just curious.
What the guys above said is also very good advice.
Many years ago I worked for a panel beater. I also worked in car sales. I don't consider myself an expert. But I have seen my share of repaired vehicles. I have driven repaired vehicles that drive perfectly fine, and also vehicles with bad repairs that don't drive straight.
Another indicator of a repair is rattling interior door trim, or a badly rattling dash. These are signs that the interior parts have been removed an reinstalled badly.
Another thing you can do if you are not confident of identifying a repair is to get an independent professional inspection of the car. This should cost you somewhere around $200.
From my experience the easiest things to spot are the door and panel alignments, if the gaps are not even then there has been an accident! Also pop the hood and look at the core support and shock towers. As long as it drives straight, all the gaps are even and there is no evidence of bent up brackets then u should be good!
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Wow very informative thread. I think its the useful thing which we all need when we have to buy a used car and if you don't know the this basic tips to check the car then I don't think you can find the right car. I like this thread. Thanks guys for sharing.
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