looking at an '07 "s" with only 22k miles on it. carfax shows an accident left rear. havent seen the car yet aside from pics. its about 1.5 hours form my house. on the phone i already have the guy at $14k. im certain i can get it for a little less. cloth int, no sunroof.

thoughts?

 

Depends on the details of the accident, and how well it was repaired. If it's only cosmetic, I'd certainly think about it. Good way to help you with cost negotiations.

 

according to the salesman, who is of course the salesman, he says he would be hard pressed to even be able to find the repair. in ct anything over 1000 must be reported and why its showing up on the carfax. seems like a very good deal. uncertain what to offer on it if when i get there it looks good

 

Too bad that doesn't always happen. Or too good, if you are the seller. When I sold my Jetta, it had been in two accidents. Both were over 1k in damage. Both went through insurance (same company and agent), and both were repaired professionally. Only one showed up on Carfax, and it was the more minor of the two. My fiancee bought a two year old Altima that had been repainted and has wind noise from a door that doesn't seal properly. Carfax was clear.

 

Too bad that doesn't always happen. Or too good, if you are the seller. When I sold my Jetta, it had been in two accidents. Both were over 1k in damage. Both went through insurance (same company and agent), and both were repaired professionally. Only one showed up on Carfax, and it was the more minor of the two. My fiancee bought a two year old Altima that had been repainted and has wind noise from a door that doesn't seal properly. Carfax was clear.

Edit: Both cars sold new in CT (we were second owners in each case), and always registered here.

 

I wouldn't rely on this necessarily. I do this for a living...I work in auto insurance claims, with a focus on auto damage. Carfax gets most of its' data from a large insurance company database. Most insurance companies upload all claims to this database, regardless of damage amount. But some don't.

As for whether or not to buy it, I'd have no problem with it. If you're not comfortable checking it out yourself, ask to have it brought to a body shop of your choice. They'll be able to check it out for you. If the car was repaired properly, I'd be fine with it.

 

going to see it on Wed. what do you guys think about the price of 14k for it?

 

I bought an 08 MCS, 49k last october for 15k, so your pricing is not bad. See if you can get the warranty work that was done on the car. Timing chain is a common problem for the early 2nd gen MINI, and there was a recall this year. Check this forum for details and costs (and what to listen for) if the timing chain needs replacement.
I would also check to see if the oil was changed at least every year, since the mileage was low.
Treat the MINI as any used car, check for dents, interior wear, etc. Make sure that you like the options and colors, then get excited. It is a business decision first, then you can enjoy your car. I truly love my MINI, but wish that the previous owner loved it as well. Lots of little dings, engine uses oil, etc.

Good Luck,
Mike

 

A minor crash with cosmetic damages can easily cost over $1000. I was rear ended with an impact speed at about 15-20 mph in my 07 Jetta and it cost something like $1500 to repaint the bumper and replace a few clips what were broken.

Ideally if you can get info on what was repaired/replaced, it might be worth the discount you get. Otherwise I'd stay away. My Jetta ended up getting weird intermittent issues with the rear lights and the fit on the bumper was weird even after having the bodyshop fix it twice.

 

dont do it unless yourn able to exploit a low ball price because if it was the other way around......

keep your other options open. Pix????

 

http://www.pikacar.com/newandusedcar...-NJ-07608.aspx

I know the water pump is on recall and not yet done. When they do it will they also do the timing belt? I mean it's only got 22k miles, so is it possible the timing belt needs doing?

 

Yes, I have bought cars where Carfax shows prior damage. But, if you don't know what to look for, take it to a mechanic. Preferably Mini where they can read the key FOB and see what work has been done. Also, let a mechanic take a look and take it to a body / frame shop that you trust. Let them take a careful look. If the seller won't let you do that, my vote is pass on it.

 

$1500? That's cheap. My car got backed into and it was $4500.

It was literally a dent in the left rear qtr, tail light, wheel arch, clips, and rear bumper cover.

You can not tell it was ever repaired. (OBTW, I'm a certified BASF/Glasurit repair tech...) No I didn't do the work, but I had the best bodyshop in Baltimore do it.

 

My '11 MCS was recently rear-ended and professionally repaired - I posted here about how fantastic the other driver's ins. co. and the body shop were. It was minor damage that required replacement of the rear bumper cover, the shock absorber and a couple of rear brackets and cost $1800. It is better than new as the repair was exceptionally high-quality and they actually fit the panels back together better than the factory originally did. There is no way to tell the car was repaired - all parts are OEM and the cover was sprayed off the car. I take extremely good care of the car with frequent oil changes I do myself and regular checks and cleanings. Car looks and runs like new with almost 30K on it.

So, do an in-person assessment or have a pro do it for you and you may find a great buy.

 

From experience from working at a dealer for 10 years NEVER buy a car that shows an accident on the Car Fax.

 

it would depend on the accident.

if there was any damage and replacement to suspension or engine parts, then i would not buy it no matter if it was authorize mini/bmw repair - cars are not the same 'feeling' driving them again. even when the car is still under warranty, some dealers would give the bs blame game on accident repairs so they couldn't repair your car under warranty - base on my experience with bmw.

minor accidents like bumpers replacements are okay.

for body panel replacement, i would be skeptical on how good the paint job last because most body shop give lifetime warranty on paint only to original owner.

good luck

 

Without pics of the damage that was done before it was repaired. No way. Everyone is chiming in and their examples include minimal damage and easy repairs. You have no way of knowing if that was the case with this car or if it was something much more substantial. You are rolling the dice that the information you are getting from the person who wants to sell the car to you is accurate. They may be honest as the day is long, but then again, they are trying to sell the car.

There are PLENTY of examples of used MINI's out there with no damage. If you are not 100% sure, keep shopping. Just my opinion. Good luck.

 

THe fact that it was towed from the accident leads me to believe the damage made it not drivable for some reason whether tire, suspension, body panel crushed, who knows

 

Maybe, but maybe not. I've seen cars towed for no good reason many, many times. But I'd suggest trying to find out as much as you can.

 

How do you know it was towed?

Have you seen it? 14K for a 07 with 22K miles seems pretty good.

Not sure about the accident part. Have someone look at it.

Cars looks clean (wear and tear wise)

Just because I typed in what I knew into Edmunds appraisal check.

Customized True Market Value® Prices

Trade-InPrivate PartyDealer RetailNational Base Price$10,684$12,006$13,302Optional Equipment$736$825$1,014Painted Alloy Wheels$0$0$0Hands-Free Multi-Function Remote w/Keyless Ignition$199$223$2746-Speed Shiftable Automatic Transmission$537$602$740Steering Wheel Transmission Controls$0$0$0Color Adjustment - Dark Blue$-49$-55$-61Regional Adjustment - for Zip Code 80031$-15$-17$-19Mileage Adjustment - 22,800 miles$1,351$1,351$1,351Condition Adjustment - Clean$0$0$0Total Trade-in$12,707, Private $14,110, Dealer Retail $15,587.


This was for Denver as I didn't know your zip. Hope it helps. Good luck

 

I know that in California and Washington if there is structural damage the car must be returned back to OEM engineering specs, if not a salvaged title must be issued.

Knowing this I would have not problem buying a repaired vehicle if the title was clean. Of course due diligence is required to make sure the information is authentic.

-Kevin

 

Tank, I know it was towed because it says so on the carfax report.

im having reluctance, just a gut feeling, maybe i am wrong. Also its rather limited in options, but, it does have such low miles. right now its the one in the accident, or this one http://twinriverautosales.com/2007_M...149188679.veh# which has every option we wanted and color combo but has 78k miles
or neither and just wait for something else to come onto the market.

 

Don't do it!

 

Expand your search and figure a one-way plane ticket into the price of the car. Often you can find a sweet deal far away that saves you enough money to more than pay for the price of the flight. You will have to do more work to purchase the car figuring out the details of an out of state purchase but you then get to have a great test drive home!