Hebbis

I've got a 2004 Corvette coupe right now and I've been looking to upgrade to a Grand Sport. I found a 2011 Grand Sport on Craigslist for a good price and after doing some research and looking at the AutoCheck report, I found out that the car was in a minor accident. Apparently it was in a low speed rear collision (according to the owner) in 2012 although the report doesn't tell me any more details about it. The current owner did not have the car when it was involved in the accident. Also, there's only 1 titled owner, but the seller of the car has had it since February because he has a dealers license so it was never retitled. I'm not sure if that matters or not. I haven't checked out the car yet, but I'm wondering if I should stay away from it. I'm not against having a car that's been in a minor accident, but I know if I ever sell the car it will be harder to sell. I'm just looking for opinions because the car is a good price and definitely has the options that I'd like. I'm open to all advice. Thanks.

This is the car: http://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/5378957978.html

KnightmareCS

Pass it. Dropping that much coin on a car with an incident on the AutoCheck/Carfax is not worth it if you plan on eventually selling. Even if you plan to keep, there are legit cars out there for the same price/condition...

Warship2k15

Too close to the price of one with no collision on record.I would pass also.

RicardoFors68

Based solely on your statement of being harder to sell, I agree with the others and pass on it.

blittle

Your call of course......but I would not do it, too many unknowns.....a DD "utility" car, maybe. A Corvette .... no.

Moman01

I would pass if you ever try to sell it the accident will always show up.
Also shows 1 owner sounds like the (dealer) is doing what they call jumping the title to avoid sales tax which is shady

1968swbbigblock

http://marketplace.forumsee.com/a/m/...sport-3lt.html
http://www.lionseek.com/cars/brand/o...port-3lt-in-ny

Looks like this Vette was for sale on this forum 1 year ago.
Might want to dig through the old adds - it might be owner 1 that can shed some light on the history.
I am Leary that is was $43,500 and year ago now 3,000 miles later its $8,000 less

dryadsdad

Hardly. It may not have, and likely did NOT sell for $43,500 then so the seller is only being realistic.

OP - IMO, this isn't a poisoned deal but the asking is a bit high. If the seller has some flex and the car is otherwise in superb condition, AND you like the color / options / mods (if any), then it may make sense.

mxw128

I'd agree with dryadsdad, it's all about the price. At that price, I'd say no. But you should be able to use that piece of info, along with the time of year (winter isn't the best time to sell a corvette) to negotiate down. If the repair was done correctly, don't know how much I'd worry about it. If you can get somebody who is knowledgeable about corvette body work to take a look, it might provide you with some insight.

I'm coming at this from the point of view that you plan on driving and enjoying the vehicle, and not really looking to put in the garage, polish it and try to sell it a few years from now. So if you can get it for a great price, and it's otherwise in good shape, then I might consider it.

As others have said, do some shopping around and see what a "clean report" 2011 is going for. I bought a 2010 6 speed, 3LT GS last summer for ~$37k with the same mileage, certified pre-owned, clean record etc. Came with some odds and ends too like a Speed Lingerie nose cover, weather tech mats (which aren't cheap adds) and I thought that was a good deal. Good luck with your search!! Enjoy whatever you get, they are certainly a blast (I'm on my 4th )

B-Vette

Personally, I wouldn't get too hung up on buying the Craigslist vette. Regardless of that particular cars history there are lots of other ones to choose from as stated.

TheJimer

Hebbis, I hate to sound like a broken record, but I have to agree with the majority of the previous posters and say that I too would take a pass on this Craigslist Corvette!

It sounds like a dealer has been driving the car for a better part of a year while he was trying to sell it. It seems to me that the market has spoken on this car and is saying loud & clear that they don’t want a damage history car even with price decreases and regardless what kind of B.S the dealer is spinning about a slow speed collision! A professional car dealer has had a difficult time unloading this car, imagine how hard it will be for you to sell this car.

About a decade or so ago, owners of “none fault” accident vehicles (like rear ended) have been successfully filing claims against the “at fault” drivers Insurance Companies for “Diminished Value”. Courts have now recognized that due to reporting services like CarFax, owners of an accident history vehicles see the value of their vehicle drastically diminished. The only reason I point this out is to illustrate that the majority of the car buying market does not want a car with an accident history car, unless the car sells and a considerable discount and that’s where the Diminished Value becomes a factor.

One last point; IMO, there is no reason to jump on this particular Vette, based upon my experience with 13 previous Corvette’s, there are tons of low mileage/one owner/non-accident Corvette’s that owners sell each and every year because the owners realized that a Sports Car just no longer fits into their lifestyle and are willing to take a big hit to unload the car.

Good luck in your search, the right car is out there, just be patient!

Jim

Don-Vette

Pass, too expensive for an accident car.

airmed2

These are dream / niche cars. Don't settle for anything but the best. You'll regret it.

brian90505

I'd pass. Photos look like they were taken in a body shop. Seller probably flips damaged cars for profit. I'd be concerned that the quality of work is not as good as if a real owner had the work done.

Hebbis

Is there any price for this car that would make it worth buying? Also, how much would this car be worth if it didn't have the accident history? I'm still in college so the only reason why I'd still be interested in this car instead of one with a clean history is the price difference. I plan on keeping this car for a while, so I shouldn't have to worry about lowered resale values for several years. I appreciate all of the input so far too.

Steve Haefner

Pass on it man, not worth a single bit, unless you own a fabrication shop / auto collision repair business .

Rapid Fred

IThat's the correct logic. I love driving these things so I'm a big "buy cheap, sell cheap" guy. I bought, VERY CHEAPLY, a 2001 Z06 with a "reconstructed" title a few years back. The Forum consensus was "run, don't walk." I did my homework and ignored the consensus. I put 12K awesome miles on it with the usual maintenance cost, and even had an idiot ruin a couple panels on it in a parking lot. With full, honest disclosure, 17 months later I sold it for $1K less than I paid for it. I won't bother you with my other "buy cheap, sell cheap" stories. Bottom line is, I've been in Vettes now for about 11 years, "invested" maybe $40K total in Vettes less resales, and could sell my current Vette for about $27K. Do the arithmetic -- about $100/month "car payments" to drive 10 year-old Vettes...

You can do the same thing. Just do your homework. Get a proper inspection, shoot for another couple grand discount, and enjoy the heck out of it

phileaglesfan

Priced too high for an accident vehicle. The titling crap seems like an issue also.

Also a slow speed rear end collision can cause damage if the car in the front didn't move. Even a 5-10mph hit is a big hit when you hit something that doesn't move much.

buckmeister2

That would be a good price on a similar GS with NO problems, but not on this one. If you could get it for $30K, not a dollar more, you would be covering most of the projected loss you will experience when you sell it.

Vet Interested