[Dan_335i]

what if the person rear ended u but u did not go thru insurance just went to ur local repair shop to get it repaired, will it go on the carfax that u got rear ended and repaired?

[turbolag]

I feel so bad for the owner of the car after you. I've heard horror stories about people not trusting their car after finding out that there were damages incurred that were not on the carfax. It's essentially deceiving the world that nothing happened to your car.

Maybe you'll get nothing on the carfax, but the next owner will eventually find out your car was rear-ended.

[Dan_335i]

Originally Posted by turbolag

I feel so bad for the owner of the car after you. I've heard horror stories about people not trusting their car after finding out that there were damages incurred that were not on the carfax. It's essentially deceiving the world that nothing happened to your car.

Maybe you'll get nothing on the carfax, but the next owner will eventually find out your car was rear-ended.

no i did not get rear ended or any damage to my car other then some paint chips. i read a guys thread and it got me thinking

[Cyberdemon]

If it was reported to insurance but you choose not to pay for it, it should still (Eventually) show up on a car fax. If you file a police report, it should show up (eventually) on a car fax.

If you go out drinking one night, smack into a wall, then take the car straight to a shop and don't tell anyone, it will not end up on the car's title/record.

I use the word "Eventually" liberally above because often times by the time a car gets reported, gets repaired, it can be resold months before the accident hits the record of the car. I know this because I bought a Corvette that had been in an accident but was sold before it hit the carfax. As a result I bought a car with a "Clean" carfax and wound up reselling it with the accident on the title. If you read carfax's fine print, the car needs to have gone through a title change (Salvage or flood title) in order to qualify for their guarantee.

Long story short a carfax is one useful record, but if you are ever buying a used car, especially one with a reasonable value you should get it inspected. There are very telltale signs of accidents: Replaced screws on fenders, overspray on other parts of the car, different paint thicknesses, etc. Most of those can be spotted pretty easily.

It's also a reason it's better to buy a car that has some bumps and scratches than one that looks perfect. Chances are the scratched up car is all original, while with the perfect car you may never know without an inspection if it was meticulously maintained, or fresh from the body shop after a major wreck.

At the end of the day, you're more likely to find a dead fish under the seat before carfax tells you it was driven into a lake.

[drob23]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

If it was reported to insurance but you choose not to pay for it, it should still (Eventually) show up on a car fax. If you file a police report, it should show up (eventually) on a car fax.

If you go out drinking one night, smack into a wall, then take the car straight to a shop and don't tell anyone, it will not end up on the car's title/record.

I use the word "Eventually" liberally above because often times by the time a car gets reported, gets repaired, it can be resold months before the accident hits the record of the car. I know this because I bought a Corvette that had been in an accident but was sold before it hit the carfax. As a result I bought a car with a "Clean" carfax and wound up reselling it with the accident on the title. If you read carfax's fine print, the car needs to have gone through a title change (Salvage or flood title) in order to qualify for their guarantee.

Long story short a carfax is one useful record, but if you are ever buying a used car, especially one with a reasonable value you should get it inspected. There are very telltale signs of accidents: Replaced screws on fenders, overspray on other parts of the car, different paint thicknesses, etc. Most of those can be spotted pretty easily.

It's also a reason it's better to buy a car that has some bumps and scratches than one that looks perfect. Chances are the scratched up car is all original, while with the perfect car you may never know without an inspection if it was meticulously maintained, or fresh from the body shop after a major wreck.

At the end of the day, you're more likely to find a dead fish under the seat before carfax tells you it was driven into a lake.

+1 Carfax incident reports are sufficient but not necessary conditions for determining if a car has been in a crash. Any decent mechanic will be able to spot the respray, or you can bring a paint thickness meter like this to determine if a car was repainted. CPO is also an issue - don't think that just cause these cars are "certified" that they've never been in a wreck. Dealers can be shady...

[BavarianFanatic]

Carfax isn't the great resource it's been made out to be. Every state has different reporting requirements. There's really no better than a 50/50 chance. It's useful to confirm something HAS happened. But it's not reliable to confirm something HASN'T happened.

Case in point - if a brand new, untitled car is damaged prior to retail sale (initial title issued) the car can't be sold as new if the damage exceeds a certain dollar amount (varies by state). So, dealers repair the damage and sell them as preowned even though they have virtually no mileage. Since this all takes place before there's a title and the repairs are handled in-house, no record exists anywhere.

As with everything else in this world, due diligence on the part of the buyer is mandatory. It's quite easy to spot flaws that have been repaired. No commercial shop does perfect work.

[m2michael23]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

If it was reported to insurance but you choose not to pay for it, it should still (Eventually) show up on a car fax. If you file a police report, it should show up (eventually) on a car fax.

If you go out drinking one night, smack into a wall, then take the car straight to a shop and don't tell anyone, it will not end up on the car's title/record.

I use the word "Eventually" liberally above because often times by the time a car gets reported, gets repaired, it can be resold months before the accident hits the record of the car. I know this because I bought a Corvette that had been in an accident but was sold before it hit the carfax. As a result I bought a car with a "Clean" carfax and wound up reselling it with the accident on the title. If you read carfax's fine print, the car needs to have gone through a title change (Salvage or flood title) in order to qualify for their guarantee.

Long story short a carfax is one useful record, but if you are ever buying a used car, especially one with a reasonable value you should get it inspected. There are very telltale signs of accidents: Replaced screws on fenders, overspray on other parts of the car, different paint thicknesses, etc. Most of those can be spotted pretty easily.

It's also a reason it's better to buy a car that has some bumps and scratches than one that looks perfect. Chances are the scratched up car is all original, while with the perfect car you may never know without an inspection if it was meticulously maintained, or fresh from the body shop after a major wreck.

At the end of the day, you're more likely to find a dead fish under the seat before carfax tells you it was driven into a lake.

pretty much you cover everything here... CPO might be a good option if people purchase valuable used cars.

[Chris@codemybimmer]

Originally Posted by drob23

+1 Carfax incident reports are sufficient but not necessary conditions for determining if a car has been in a crash. Any decent mechanic will be able to spot the respray, or you can bring a paint thickness meter like this to determine if a car was repainted. CPO is also an issue - don't think that just cause these cars are "certified" that they've never been in a wreck. Dealers can be shady...

Totally agree on this point. My E90, which was a lease, was involved in an accident and repaired (nearly 20k in repairs) and after it was fixed i've started to notice some problems with it so i decided to end my lease early and pick up the F30 instead.

When i went to do my first check up on the F30 i saw my E90 at the used car section at the dealer (i remember the vin) and was going for $25k. Keep in mind its an 2010 328xi with premium pack ( i think brand new at the time was going for 40k?), that was it at 70 000 kms on the odo + a $20 000 accident and repair on it.
i thought it was ridiculous...

[Cyberdemon]

Frankly even CPO is generally a crock of s**t because CPO only means "yes you have a warranty" and the dealer signed off on a paper.

You're still subject to the workings of the dealer. My wife bought a CPO VW EOS a few years ago. In no short order here were the things that were IMMEDIATELY wrong - (Which shows the "100 point inspection" is only as good as the tech signing the paper)
-AC system was completely fried (required new compressor & condenser)
-Tail lights leaked
-Random "Whistling" noise through convertible top at highway speeds
-Car burned 1 quart of oil per 1000k.

Car was more than likely a lemon or buy back, or the previous owner just had enough and traded it in but it was "Certified". CPoS is more like it.

Some of the issues were covered under warranty but overall the CPO "Checks" had completely failed which meant the whole thing was mostly BS. When I called the dealer out they simply told us to never come back to the dealer if we weren't happy.

It's also a good reason to be suspect of cars that have low mileage or are only a model year or two old, IE too new to have come off lease.

[Dan_335i]

Originally Posted by Cyberdemon

Frankly even CPO is generally a crock of s**t because CPO only means "yes you have a warranty" and the dealer signed off on a paper.

You're still subject to the workings of the dealer. My wife bought a CPO VW EOS a few years ago. In no short order here were the things that were IMMEDIATELY wrong - (Which shows the "100 point inspection" is only as good as the tech signing the paper)
-AC system was completely fried (required new compressor & condenser)
-Tail lights leaked
-Random "Whistling" noise through convertible top at highway speeds
-Car burned 1 quart of oil per 1000k.

Car was more than likely a lemon or buy back, or the previous owner just had enough and traded it in but it was "Certified". CPoS is more like it.

Some of the issues were covered under warranty but overall the CPO "Checks" had completely failed which meant the whole thing was mostly BS. When I called the dealer out they simply told us to never come back to the dealer if we weren't happy.

It's also a good reason to be suspect of cars that have low mileage or are only a model year or two old, IE too new to have come off lease.

This dealer has 2012 335i sportline and it has about 7000km and its being sold as CPO. so ur saying the car probably had/has problems right?

[jjrandorin]

Originally Posted by Dan_335i

This dealer has 2012 335i sportline and it has about 7000km and its being sold as CPO. so ur saying the car probably had/has problems right?

It does not HAVE to have had problems. If you are in the market for this car, ask the dealer. Its possible it could have been their loaner car, for example. How you feel about that is up to you, as some people say never buy the dealers loaner car because it has been driven to death. Others say you can get a good deal on it, and it has probably beem maintained.

I think it depends on the type of loaner car myself. I purchased my dealers AH5 that was their loaner car for my wife. I dont feel there was much chance someone was really driving it hard. I do not think I would have wanted to buy my 335 in the same condition as there is a good chance it WOULD have been driven hard.

In any case, there should be a good, reasonable answer for the miles. Something that makes sense. If its "they just did not want it anymore", I would certainly walk away from that particular car.

[drob23]

Originally Posted by Dan_335i

This dealer has 2012 335i sportline and it has about 7000km and its being sold as CPO. so ur saying the car probably had/has problems right?

If you're gonna buy CPO'd car, or any used car for that matter - you should have an independent mechanic check it out and/or bring a paint meter to look for resprays. A CPO'd car will have a warranty attached to it, so if lemon issues or mechanical problems arise you can have them fix it. But an accident does irreversible damage to both the car and it's value should someone else discover it.

A good friend of mine bought an E46 CPO'd 330i, then found out 3 years later it had major welding due to an accident and had rust forming on the frame, about 6k worth of body work replacing some major body panels. He lawyered up but was only able to get the dealership to pay for half of it I think, he doesn't really like to talk about it...

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by jjrandorin

It does not HAVE to have had problems. If you are in the market for this car, ask the dealer. Its possible it could have been their loaner car, for example. How you feel about that is up to you, as some people say never buy the dealers loaner car because it has been driven to death. Others say you can get a good deal on it, and it has probably beem maintained.

I think it depends on the type of loaner car myself. I purchased my dealers AH5 that was their loaner car for my wife. I dont feel there was much chance someone was really driving it hard. I do not think I would have wanted to buy my 335 in the same condition as there is a good chance it WOULD have been driven hard.

In any case, there should be a good, reasonable answer for the miles. Something that makes sense. If its "they just did not want it anymore", I would certainly walk away from that particular car.

I would NEVER trust an answer from a dealer unless you were personally friends with them. I had a dealer tell me about a great deal on a 335i that was "Used" and not CPO that was "traded in because they needed something bigger for their kids and has a clear carfax". After he walked away from his desk I saw a copy of their lot list - turns out the car had an accident on the title which most likely had just been fixed by the dealer and they wanted to move it fast.

I specifically asked him why the Tow hook covers were missing...he said "they pulled them off so they wouldn't get lost". I promptly walked away.

Also - when it comes to loaner cars, I drive the piss out of my loaner cars, if for no reason other than testing out a new car. "Hey how fast can this take a corner?"

[vern]

Don't forget if Carfax gets a accident report then " diminished value " comes into the picture. Cheers
vern