I am about to buy a used silverstone/black s2000 for $17,500. (VIN# JHMAP11451T006706) The car is a 2001 model with about 28,000 miles on it. It seems to be a pretty good deal as most of the other 2001 models I have seen are selling in the range of $19,000 to $22,000. (I live in the bay area.) However, the car might have been in an accident before. Here is what I have found so far.

- I have run both Autocheck and CarFax on the car. The car has a clean title with no accidents reported. (If anyone has autocheck or carfax, can you run a report again and double check my findings?) The previous owner seems to have gotten the car from a dealer. However, he is a 2nd owner. The first owner seems to have bought the car in Colorado.

- The reason why the owner is selling the car is because he got another new sport car.

- I have a mechanic inspect the car. He found that the car front bumper and left fender have been replaced before. (There are no VIN sticker on them, and gap between fender and door is wider on the left than on the right) He also found that the back bumper has been repainted. The owner doesn't seem to know anything about the front repair. As for the back bumper, he repainted it because it has scratches from parking bumps. Other minor issues are worn-out front tires and warped rotors

Although both carfax and autocheck didn't come up with any record of accidents and damages to the car, the car seems to have been in repair before. In any case, given the guy is selling for 17,500, is it still a reasonable buy?

Any advice would be appreciated as I am planning to close the transaction soon.

 

I am in the market as well.

i thinkl its a good deal as long as the accident which wasn't reported was only cosmetical and required no insurance or police to be involved.

do you have any warranty on this after purchase?

Dark

 

Jump on that! My MY00 with 45k was $18500 certified. The one you are looking at is a year newer, has only 28k miles, and is $1000 cheaper. Jump on it! (as long as the carfax is clean)

John

 

If the damage was only cosmetic and was repaired to your liking then it is a good deal.

 

What dealer are you using?

 

thanks! I will be getting the car from a private seller. The previous bought the car from a dealer. He said the warranty just expired not too long ago.

 

I see. I'm also in the area, and while I don't plan on buying anything just yet, I'm keeping my eye on the market.

 

Been said, but I concur. Have the mechanic check for frame damage (I'm assuming he did once he noticed the replaced panels). It doesn't take much to need to replace a fender and/or bumper. If the hood hasn't been replaced as well, then there's a decent chance that the damage was just cosmetic (anything that hit hard enough for serious damage probably would have require a hood replacement too). If you're happy with the repair work, sounds like a good deal.

On the other hand, if you want to gamble based on the fact that the previous owner wasn't aware of the previous damage, you might be able to use that to leverage him down a little more.

 

Thanks for all your comments!!! I just got the loan approved this weekend and will close the deal this week. Can't wait to take the car back home!!!