$6000 accident damage. is that very significant?

[ThatGuy19]

I looked at a 2006 mazda 3 hatch and it had a $6000 accident claim on the back left side. Is $6000 a llot of damage, should i be concerned? The car seems in good shape and has low km.

[cwp_sedan]

Yep! That's more than just bumper replacement and paint. I would definitely be concerned.

[MSMitch]

If it was a Bentley - I'd say the car was detailed for 6 grand! But not a Mazda 3...
What is the car listed at? Probably half the cost of the car in repairs.

IMO - RUN!!!!!!

[ThatGuy19]

cars listed at around 10 and i said i'd pay 9 if my mechanic says its ok. He bought if off a mazda dealership 2 years ago and it now has about 60,000km. He said he did nothing to the car but the car has a CAI installed... I guess I should call him back and say Ive changed my mind and I don't want it?
thanks for the advice/help guys

[stevenma188]

Agreed that you should probably walk away from this one.

[bluemazda3]

definetly walk away... never know whats messed up..

[PearlM3]

RUN........RUN with all you have, get away from that. Any car that has more than half of it's value in repairs, IS NOT a car you want to drive!!

[dsichewski]

walk away very quickly!

[ThatGuy19]

Thanks guys, I'll give him a call tmrw and tell him I've changed my mind. And the search starts over...

[sol_searchin]

6000$ could be a quarter panel and bumper replacement, it's actually not THAT much work. if the cost is say 10 000+ then you should be afraid.

[sol_searchin]

Just to put it in context, I had a rear door replaced and repainted (my son riding his bike into my door!!!) and the overall cost was around the 3000ish mark.

[ThatGuy19]

Should i run a carfax or carproof on the car to see if I can get more information? Carfax is much cheaper but i've heard that carproof is better for canadian cars, what do you guys think?

[sol_searchin]

Pulling a carproof will only show the cost of the damage and roughly were it was impacted nothing more in detail, I would for sure pull a report. Can you maybe post a link to the car or give more detail (km etc) you have to weigh the accident into the price obviously, I would say 6000$ damage deserve's a 1-2k price drop compared to one without.

[ThatGuy19]

Basically I'm looking at 2 cars and trying to decide between the 2:
Car 1: 2006 Mazda 3 hatchback GS, Dark Grey, 55000km, MT -$9400 (comes with winter and summer tires)
-Second owner, bought it in january 2009 from dufferin mazda with that accident already on it and with a CAI already installed
-This car had the accident on it, estimated cost to fix = $6000 repairs, (i'm pretty sure on the invoice he gave me it said estimate)
- drove pretty well, nothing noticeably wrong, oil was changed regularly.
-selling b/c he bought the car for his daughter and she no longer needs it because she has moved out

Car 2: 2006 Mazda 3 hatchback GS, black, 63000km, MT -$9000 (comes only with winter tires)
-Second owner, bought it a year ago from a private sale
-some scratches, small dent from where the rear license plate goes, inside looks in really good shape
-didnt have plates on it so i couldnt drive it (but would get him to take it to a big parking lot nearby for me to drive it), engine sounded good, but he hasn't changed the oil in a while, there was a good amount of oil, just it was pretty dark
-selling it b/c he wants a bigger car, he says the hatchback is too small

[ThatGuy19]

Soryy forgot to include the links and i can edit yetso:
Car 1:http://www.autotrader.ca/a/MAZDA/3/TORONTO/Ontario/24_10648739_/
Car 2:http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2006-Mazda-Mazda3-GS-Hatchback-W0QQAdIdZ241383819

[sol_searchin]

Tough choice, here is how i would break it down

car 1 - pro's - clean, drove well, maintainance history, colour :), 2 set's of tire's /// con's - CAI, accident (have to factor that in)
car 2 - pro's - clean, no accident's, haven't test drove /// con's - no maintainaince? none plated (why?), scratch's/dent's, colour lol

Tough choice, pull a carproof, drive both, pick the one you like, BRING IT IN TO GET INSPECTED - pay the price do not be cheap* this one is important. Then go from there.

[ThatGuy19]

well i just spent some money on a carproof for car 1
-had 4 estimates for the collison - all around $5800
-worst of all the car is from Quebec
-So this car is out of the picture...

[-cj-]

I had passenger door shell replaced, minor dent on pass rear door and passenger side of car repainted to match and it was over $3000. It was done at the dealer... It doesn't take much to get to $6000 worth of damage.

[PearlM3]

IMHO, I would stay away from both, the first one was in a pretty good accident, and the second has no maintenance records. At these prices you could most likely get one from a dealership, and be confident in the quality of the car. Low mileage is not everything, the car might only have 63000 km on it, but if it has not been maintained then it might as well have 300000 km.

[sol_searchin]

VERY VERY TRUE, most don't actually thing about that.



IMHO, I would stay away from both, the first one was in a pretty good accident, and the second has no maintenance records. At these prices you could most likely get one from a dealership, and be confident in the quality of the car. Low mileage is not everything, the car might only have 63000 km on it, but if it has not been maintained then it might as well have 300000 km.

[sol_searchin]

I had 1 door shell replaced and painted and it was 3000 at the mazda dealer. It added up quick when they had to replace the molding, skin, supposedly the window regulator and the window all this from a bike hitting the door (brother not son*)

[Elusivellama]

The second car would be the better bet, but it's hard to tell the condition of the engine if you're not a mechanic and you're just going on look, feel and sound. Having dark motor oil doesn't necessarily mean that the engine is bad, it could just mean that the oil really did its job and cleaned all the crap out of it. I'd maybe bring it to a mechanic and ask him to inspect the car if you're still thinking about it, have him check the engine, brakes, suspension, steering components, underside, etc. And carproof it. Who knows, this car could only need an oil change and you'd be ready to go.

[loganm3]

I had a protege5 that had $6000 in damage, it was rear ended and front ended. All the seams came apart in the back so when I drove in the rain my back tire would float because water got in. It was repaired professionally and looked just like new afterwards, but it was never right again. I returned it (lease) and never looked back.

RUN from any car that's been in an accident

[ThatGuy19]

i was still thinking about getting Car 2: the black one, but once I carproofed it surely enough it had a rear end accident. So now I'm back on the hunt for a car

[Jrponline]

Accidents are bad, but if you have a quality body shop you can restore it to 99%. But cars generally at not the same after an accident, even minor ones.

If you play your cards right and have your mechanic look at the car, you can low ball the price a bit to get a favorable deal. Otherwise, I would walk away.

[n00bMeiSter]

Walk away from car#1 and don't ever look back at it.
Keep #2 on the back burner for consideration, but keep looking, you can probably find something better.

[mazdabetty]

Accidents are bad, but if you have a quality body shop you can restore it to 99%. But cars generally at not the same after an accident, even minor ones.

If you play your cards right and have your mechanic look at the car, you can low ball the price a bit to get a favorable deal. Otherwise, I would walk away.

+1.

I had close to $8000 damages on my car this year and I don't notice any difference at all. Had the whole front end replaced, and it runs perfectly! It was so expensive because it was all new parts (in better shape than my original ones lol) plus some nice upgrades through insurance... And the majority of that cost was labour. You're buying a used car. You always run the risk that this used car will have been in an accident at some point, whether it was reported or not.

Don't let the advice on an internet forum sway your decision too much, if YOU like it, then buy it!!!!!!!! Take it to a mechanic, get it fully inspected, and go score a great deal on it!!! If you want perfection, buy a new car. But obviously that's not what you're after. So good luck and have fun test driving! :)

[TokyoKiller]

Our 2007 Mazda 3 Sedan was rear ended earlier this year on the Gardiner and the bumper fell off and the quarter panel was bent. The cost was about $5000 in repairs, it drives no differently than before.

[Rapster]

Yeh, to be honest $6000 in repairs isn't alot. My current car, 07 Mazda3 Hatch, 70000 km's, mostly all options with leather has a rebuild title and I haven't had any major problems at all. Alot of the cost depends on who and how it was fixed. If all OEM new parts were used rather than used/rebuilt parts the cost of repair is going to be higher.
The best thing to do when looking at a used car with a major accident or a rebuild title is try and get pictures of the damage, get ALL the info you can. Stuff like where the work was done, WHAT was done, list of parts used, etc. Easiest way to tell if it was a shotty rebuild/repair is just look at it, biggest signs are door/headlight/taillight seams not being consistant, crappy looking paintwork etc. If they didn't take the time to make the exterior look back to stock chances are they didn't do a good job on the substructure.

Think about it, a car is just like anything else and CAN be repaired if an insurance company deems it possible, and it can be done correctly almost back to stock if the shop did it correctly. YOU just have to do your homework about the extent of damage and what was done (even more important HOW and what quality) to get the car back to original condition. Get second opinions from your mechanic for the engine/drivetrain stuff, and then take it to a body shop to see what they think about the previously damaged area. I took my car to a trusted body shop before I bought it, showed the pictures of the damage and right away he said he would have no issue buying the car because of how the impact was wouldn't have had a huge affect on substructure/alignment.
If you're serious about getting the car and want a better piece of mind get them to check the wheel alignment and put it on a frame rack to take measurements (I had a quote of $300+ just to toss it on the frame rack). If everything's in spec, the body/paint work and substructure look to be repaired correctly then I would have no problem buying it. They make cars now-a-days to be able to be taken apart and repaired more easily than the older days when they were meant to withstand a crash, now they have crumple-zones and easily replaced sections.

Just my $0.02

[Nick]

you already made your choice but i'll put it out there anyways.

my first collision(not at fault, ahem just to make it clear =] ) was estimated at $6000. passenger front collision included the headlight, hood, grill, bumper and fender. numerous bolts, clips and brackets, and don't forget paint and labour were added into the mix. i went through insurance with this one so i'm sure the private shop added a few more man hours on this. the frame was good, only a tiny knick on the re-bar. and voila there you have it $6000

[GTA Fine Cars Inc.]

Yes / No

There's a few variables to consider.

- Where the car was hit
- Was there any structural or Frame Damage ?

For instance, if the quarter panel and bumper was just replaced and you had a body shop verify that there was no exisiting damage especially to the Frame/Structure of the vehicle it may not be such a big deal.

However, if there's any doubt .. just walk away .. you'll always find another one.

The most important thing to consider is if the repair was done well and if there is any current existing damage or if the repair was done poorly.

[notoriousb]

honestly, if it was fixed by insurance, then what's your problem? What if they replaced your suspension with brand new parts, brand new rim etc. Especially if it was hit from behind. Thats the best type of damage lol.

[stevenma188]

^Someone likes it from behind

:gone