New Member C5 Corvette What to do?
#1
New Member C5 Corvette What to do?
I looked at a 2003 Corvette coupe 6 spd today with just under 20,000 miles. Car was in perfect condition. Could not find a single scratch or anything. The only issue is the carfax report. It is a one owner car but shows it was in a minor accident in 2004. The owner mentioned this to me when I asked if the car had been in an accident, but assured me the car has never been in an accident. He is in the process of getting this fixed with carfax and has a report from the state police showing it has never been in an accident.
From the searching I have done I have not seen anyone who has been successful at getting carfax to update/fix anything. I really like the car but am worried about cars value in the future if I ever decided to sell it. He said the lowest he would take is $21,000. Looking for opinions on what you would do and if anyone has had success updating a carfax report? If carfax doesn't remove the accident will the resale value be affected greatly if I have a report from the state police showing no accidents?
From the searching I have done I have not seen anyone who has been successful at getting carfax to update/fix anything. I really like the car but am worried about cars value in the future if I ever decided to sell it. He said the lowest he would take is $21,000. Looking for opinions on what you would do and if anyone has had success updating a carfax report? If carfax doesn't remove the accident will the resale value be affected greatly if I have a report from the state police showing no accidents?
#2
Administrator
Member Since: Mar 2001
Location: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
Posts: 342,920
Received 19,291 Likes
on
13,965 Posts
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-
'20-'21-'22-'23-'24
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
I think if I had documentation that the car was never in an accident and a check by a trusted mechanic/body shop shows no evidence, I would not have a problem with the car.
The following users liked this post:
doublenut9 (04-17-2016)
#4
Pro
I was told mine was a one car owner...it was not...Car Fax was Clean...but when it went in to the detail shop He pointed out several area's where it had been painted..front bumper, driver door,,,passenger door..and right rear panel...several area's...when I called the dealership and the Owner he said only the front bumper had been painted...Car Fax showed nothing...bad part is they only show what was reported...
#5
Melting Slicks
Just my thoughts on this. Low mileage isn't everything. If at all possible, unless you are intimately knowledgeable about C5s, get it to a good independent shop or tech that really knows these cars for a thorough bumper to bumper check. On the reported accident there are many law enforcement agencies that make out accident reports, not just the state police. If in fact the car was involved in an accident, and you were being misled (lied to) I would be at that point on high alert and very suspicious. What about service/maintenance records? A long, long time ago a very knowledgeable buyer told me "always approach the possible purchase of a car or house like it has a fatal illness, make it prove to you otherwise, your job is to find that illness". If you don't find it you can move forward with some confidence if all else is as it should be. Any questions, post them on this forum, there are some incredibly well informed nice folks here that will give freely of their time and knowledge to help you out. Got a little long winded, sorry 'bout that! Good luck on your vette hunt and best wishes!
#7
Team Owner
Member Since: Mar 2001
Location: small town in S.E Pa. PA
Posts: 21,325
Received 3,812 Likes
on
1,925 Posts
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
You haven't even bought the car yet, and you are already thinking about selling it.
#9
Thanks for all the recommendations. I will definately have the car inspected. He had very detailed records and receipts of service performed since it was new. He only used mobil one and ac delco or fram oil filters. Car still had the original tires and they had a good amount of tread left. I was not already thinking about selling it but if something did come up where I would have to sell I don't want the carfax to greatly affect the value if it doesn't get updated.
#10
Melting Slicks
I have an 03 that I had the hood and head light covers repainted. My wife scraped the snoot on the rear bumper of another car in a parking lot.
Since I had some rock chips on the hood I just went ahead an basically had the whole front repainted. Was it in an accident, yes sorta. . but it really wasn't and was not reported. And now the front is pristine.
Would someone buying my car get concerned the front was a repaint? Probably. I guess I would too until I found out the facts either thru the owner or by a qualified body shop inspection to determine it was only cosmetic. Get someone to take a close look and then you don't have to worry.
Since I had some rock chips on the hood I just went ahead an basically had the whole front repainted. Was it in an accident, yes sorta. . but it really wasn't and was not reported. And now the front is pristine.
Would someone buying my car get concerned the front was a repaint? Probably. I guess I would too until I found out the facts either thru the owner or by a qualified body shop inspection to determine it was only cosmetic. Get someone to take a close look and then you don't have to worry.