Hi there...I am looking at an 06, Blue ES with 25k on the clock. Younger girl moving doesn't need the car anymore and just bought in Feb from dealership in another state...so I'm assuming two owner. Test drove it today and seems up to par besides a couple of door dings and such. New looking tires, AC/Heat work, etc. She has it priced for $6k (or that was her best offer)...originally posted it at $6700. Book values range from 5500 or 5700 on Edmunds to 6700 on kbb/nada. However, she throws out the bone of "it was in a minor fender bender" after the test drive. It seems aligned correctly, didn't make any funny noises going into the driveway over a bump, etc. I wasn't looking at the paint too closely, because frankly, I want it for being cheap/low miles/reliable/economical to get to work. She just told me also that the repair bill was $5k, but wasn't a total loss by the insurance company. I have not run a carfax; just said 22 records. She said nothing else has been fixed on vehicle during her time of ownership.

My questions are....

Would you just take this to a mechanic and have him check the frame and such? What else specifically should I have him check?

How much should I be asking off the price of the car? Is it too old to really matter and the mileage make up for the damage? Should I ask for more off if she can't provide repair paperwork?

Should I snap purchase this if it seems up to par since it's a great value, or pressure for more? Needs to sell by end of month, so I'm kind of in a time crunch. Thanks for the help!

 

'06 es is a decent deal but not like so good as to just snap it up regardless. one search I found on cl popped up with one near my place 06 for 3500. perfectly fine with 102k miles. Honestly even over 100k it'll last you a long time if you just keep it maintained. If she is boasting a 5k repair bill then I would want proof. I dont take anybodys word for anything, nothing against people just who knows if they took someone else's word for it ya know what I'm saying? If it drives fine and you dont see anything physically wrong after a good look over and under I would probably skip the mechanic, maybe bring a friend for two sets of eyes, unless you have concerns then always go with the pro. I WOULD however get a carfax, its cheap enough to merit getting the report to see what those 22 records show. Records are for anything from change of ownership, address changes, and of course accidents and whatnot

 

Definitely look at a carfax and the insurance invoice for the claim. If it was fixed proppperly at a shop and its had its maintenance done it doesn't sound too bad. Depending on the condition of the paint and body you might have some hagle room down to 5 or 5.5k.

 

Google dealer autocheck inurl:vin

This way you can get a free autocheck and save some money over carfax bull****.

 

For me it would depend on how severe the fender bender was and if done professionally. I bought my 06 w/ 65k miles for 6k last year. Great car for cruising