I need some advice, I am looking into buying a different color vette and I found one but it was involved in a minor accident. I looked at the carfax and it says that the vehicle was side swiped and that it had minor damage to the right front side and rear side of the car. The vehicle is at a dealership but I haven't spoken to them but I wanted to get some feedback first before I contacted them, I know that it's my decision but has anyone had any experience with a vette that was in a minor accident and repaired or should I just stay away from a vehicle like this, any feedback would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

 

As long as you don’t ever plan on selling it I wouldn’t worry about it if it was repaired well.

 

 

IMO, the decision as to whether to buy that car or not would depend on just how much information about the accident you can find out and document. If it was a minor accident and copies of documents can be obtained, I would be less concerned. If no documentation is available, or the extent of the damage was more than just a minor amount, I think I would continue looking.

 

Too many other clean Vettes out there, I would pass on this one.

 

I was sideswiped in my C6. 5 grand in essentially body work and a rear wheel hub. Rode just fine right up to when I traded it in.

 

with the others. From my experioence I always "find" the repair no matter how well the body shop repaired it. For example, on a re-painted panel you can see through the paint when the sun is out so at certain angles so I could see where the sanding was done or I'd find overspray or the color would be slightly "off". If it's a daily driver it probably doesn't matter as long as the car looks good from a few feet back. But you don't know enough about the accident or repair work. Was it simply re-painted or were panels replaced? Structural damage? I guess you could ask to take it for an inspection to get a second opinion. But now we are adding more work into the equation when the purchase of a vehicle should be as stress-free as possible.
I'd inquire just to settle my curiousity but then I'd "keep looking" for one with a clean history. Good luck in your search.

 

If you do decide to buy that car, buy it at a discount. When you go to sell it, expect the same

 

I bought a 14 with 2 accidents and saved about 3-4 thousand less than others. Year and a half later I had 2 offers from 2 dealers for $32k, 5 thousand less than I paid for it. Most dealers are incapable of selling one for less money.

 

The Cost of the Repair might give you better insight to the damages. If you can get actual pictures of the damage would be even better.

As others have mentioned, compare it to Accident free Cars of the same Year and Options and make sure you are paying less. I have traded in Cars that had minor accident damages and gave the Dealership Pictures of the damages as proof of how minor it was.

 

Not sure how most “sell” on here, PVT owner vs. trade. I have had 2 corvettes that I have sold out of the (5) I have purchased that had damage due to a traffic accident (not my fault). Both of those were sold as trade ins with the “target” price for the sale of mine separately negotiated from the deal. Each time I let them know about any repairs...always got top dollar. For a private sale I can see where it might have a bargaining impact but the reality is car gets broken .... car gets fixed by dealer ... car good or better than it was before.
These are not Ferrari’s ....

 

As long as they don't try to get top dollar. Usually dealers have a higher margin than private party. Might be tough to purchase for a "realistic" price. You should see the train wreck ZR1 for sale at a dealer in SoCal. Paint doesn't match sticker, interior either. Me personally, I would pass. There are an abundance of cream puff corvettes out there. Buy one of those instead.

 

When did it become the "rule" to pass on any car involved in an accident?

FWIW, I've been buying/selling cars for my own use since I was 16 years old (54 years ago) when I 1st got my DL and had enough $ to buy a car (usually a junker at that point in time) and, until CarFax and the Net came around, no one was ever much bothered about buying an accident involved vehicle and seldom (if ever) did a PPI.

Of course, if the paint was off and there were obvious body work repairs done (if not disclosed), we'd take a more careful look for any obvious structural or other damage but, if the car ran well and tracked straight, that wouldn't put me or anyone else off from buying the car.

We would just (as is still done now) use the disclosure (or possibility) of any accidents/body work as a negotiating point to lower the price of the car.

OBTW, the 2017 Stingray 3LT 7MT Convertible w/MRC & PPC exhaust w/29k miles on it that I bought at the end of Aug 2020 had a reported "accident" which resulted in a minor ding in the rear panel (reportedly the wife backed into something) on the CarFax which was never repaired.

It will cost about $2.5k (per my shop's estimate) to repair the ding but I hardly even notice it anymore and the car only cost me $38.9k which I thought was a good price for a car that is currently being offered for around $5-6k more these days.

 

For Corvette guys, approximately 1953.

 

I have been rear-ended in not one, but two Vettes. Both were repaired and even improved (new exhausts). And neither ever exhibited any after effects (except to the value of the cars). The few grand you save up front you will have to yield if/when you sell it. Next move is yours.....

 

My point wasn't that the car is unsellable, because anything will sell for the right price. What I was saying, in not so many words, is that there is a much smaller audience for vettes that have been in accidents, just like high miles cars--and those cars take a significant hit (get it?) on resale, more so than your average Camry-Malibu-whatever shitbox. To say most vette buyers are picky is an understatement.

And anecdotal evidence is just that.

 

Well, I already broke that "rule" and have no regrets about it because the reported "accident" was so minor.

 

Depends on your budget . If you need to afford the C7 because of limited funds I say go for it! If it is not a money issue pass!

 

 

Yup... Getting fixated on a wrecked/DIMINISHED VALUE/SALABILITY is:

RUN...AWAY!!!!!...