Hey Guys,

I'm on the fence about a used 2012 countryman all4 with 18k miles. It has all the options that my wife and I are looking for and is within the price range we are looking for.

However, we noticed in the carfax the following:

Accident reported
Involving rear impact
With another motor vehicle
Rear area primarily damaged
Vehicle towed

I asked the dealer how bad it was since it was towed and they stated that it wasn't bad that the damage was to the bumper and the muffler had fallen off which is why it was towed. However, it was from a previous owner so they don't have any documentation on it to prove it.

How finicky is the countryman? Would hits from the back never make the car the same?

It's hard to find a countryman with the specs we are looking for in our price range, so I'm just a little hesitant to let this one go.

Thoughts?

 

First off, keep in mind that pretty much any damage can be repaired. The problem is who did it and did they do it right. If the dealer has nothing to hide he will not object to your taking the car to a respected body shop and paying them $100.00 to inspect the car and it's repairs. Their answer will be worth the money because you will know whether you can buy it and not worry about it or whether the wise thing to do is walk away.

 

I would not necessarily walk away from it. A simple rear end collision can be cosmetic and run $2,500 or more to repair. Bumper covers and parts.

A good body shop can tell you if there is any frame damage and I doubt it.

Here is a question????

Can you pull your own car fax? Or is that what you did? Anyway to tell what the REAL value is due to damage? I have a car that I inherited and I was hit pretty bad and repaired but trade-in is in the toilet. Just don't over pay!

Normally you get diminished value if hit due to book value decreasing because of an accident. A good negotiating point for you.

But how to find the fair value of a hit Mini is beyond me. Maybe others can help?

 

One other thing to remember...that Carfax accident is going to follow you to when it comes time to sell. Regardless of how bad it was, whoever you sell it to will either run or considerably lowball you because of it.

I found out that a car I bought NEW had apparently been in an accident 3 weeks before I took delivery. I never knew until I tried to sell it 6 years later. It could have been a minor ding that they wanted to claim so it didn't come out of pocket...but all the dealer saw that was going to buy it was ACCIDENT ACCIDENT ACCIDENT and dropped their quote because of it.

 

Thanks for the help and suggestions.

I will have the car inspected at good body shop nearby, then go from there.

 

also, keep in mind that with this being an All4, there are drivetrain components at the rear end of the car. I would certainly want to check to ensure the full-time AWD system performs properly..

 

This! The wife and I purchased a vehicle, which we thought was accident free, from carmax. 5 years later we go back to carmax to get the same car appraised to sell. They informed us the car had been in a prior accident and proceeded to lowball us on the appraisal.

 

This is a concern we haven't faced yet - the ALL4 is _very_ sturdy, although there are specific bits that are vulnerable. We lost the right front quarter to an Odyssey early on, and more recently were picked on by a Dakota in the side. Everything's been repaired and we're motoring on with confidence. So, speaking from our experience, it's a pretty tough car.

The suggestion to get it checked out is a good idea - so you can feel more confident about what you're getting into. There's not much in the back to break, though. You could find you'll be just fine with the car, but you should check it out so you get the best possible informed start. The hit in value may come two ways - lower price to you at the start, and lower perceived value later on.

We're not worried about that with our choice. We do wish the bashing would stop, though

<update - Huh! Look at that! Fenton's CarFax is clean! Interesting!>

 

One thing you should consider is that future buyers will see that CarFax and lowball you as someone suggested.

When you make you offer to the dealer if you do, consider that and offer a lesser price to the dealer than it books at to offset what you very well may lose down the road.

You can rest assured they paid a lower valued price based on that accident, you should too.