I've been looking online for used minis and found a 2012 on cars.com that could be a possibility but there is a free carfax report with an accident listed. Nothing is written besides accident reported. It happened early in the cars life between 3000 and 7000 miles. There are currently 39,000 miles on it and it appears that it was serviced up to 35000 miles at a mini dealer.

It is being sold for cheaper than other minis, no doubt because of the accident in it's history and I realize that if I wanted to sell it in the future it would probably make it difficult to sell.

It appears that a thermostat was replaced three times which I'm a little curious about. It appears that the water pump was changed at 33,000 miles.

Wondering what your thoughts are on buying a mini with an accident in its history?

 

Find out how serious the accident was, if it wasn't too bad and was repaired properly. If the price was real good Id consider it.

 

I would not do it.

 

It depends... I slid on ice into another car at about 3 mph, and it cost $4500 to fix... (Seriously) Basically, bumper cover, a headlight and fixing the hood, plus paint. (Fixed with Mini parts) I'd have no problem buying it.

But, depends on the accident.

 

This car is being sold at a dealer so I suspect they either have no idea about how bad the accident was or aren't going to be forthcoming about it. Is there a way to get an accident report by the vin number of the car even if you weren't involved?

 

Yes, there is. The dealership can provide that for you. My MINI I recently purchased was actually in almost the same situation. Got into an accident six months after they purchased it new, repair cost about $3,000. It has a branded title but they only replaced the bumper and passenger side panel. The discount I received was worth it to me. Plus the dealership I purchased it from specializes in branded titles and they're well known in my area for selling quality vehicles even after repair. I also bought an extended bumper to bumper warranty for extra peace of mind because MINI + accident history.

As everyone has said, it depends on the accident and you have to ask yourself whether you plan on keeping it long term or for only a few years. If your answer is only a few years, I would suggest you not do it.

 

Unfortunately we get conditioned into thinking that an accident is a total, or a near total, from a structural standpoint. As has been pointed out there are many many non serious accidents that occur. Don't read into anything. The fact that the dealer is offering a free Carfax tells me that they aren't concerned about it either.

I would be more concerned with the seemingly troublesome cooling system issues. Did the PO just give up and trade it in? Is the selling dealt a Mini guy or just "Honest John's Used Cars".

 

I decided against it, that particular dealership is known for buying crap cars at sketchy auctions.

 

If that's their reputation, definitely stay away. You'd want to purchase a "damaged" MINI from a reputable dealership who can back up their cars if there are extensive issues.