General purchasing question (used car with accident)

Tiny
AARON FINBLOOM
  • MEMBER
  • 2010 TOYOTA MATRIX
  • 2.4L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 45,000 MILES
Hello. I'm considering buying the car listed above uses. But it has an accident on record. The accident happened in 2011, and the only thing the Carfax says about it is "accident reported. Estimated damages less than $1,500.00." The dealer does not have the service/repair records of the vehicle. Here is my question: Do you think it's safe to get this car, as long as I take it to a reliable mechanic and they do a good inspection on the car? Or, is it possible that given the unknown service records and minor accident that there could be a problem that a mechanic would not be able to detect?
Wednesday, July 29th, 2020 AT 12:22 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
DANNY L
  • MECHANIC
  • 5,648 POSTS
Hello, I'm Danny.

Sounds like an accident with less than $1,500.00 is pretty minor. That could have been just cosmetic or body damage. Something I would suggest would be to take it to an independent party-shop and have them check the car out. One thing I would definitely stay away from is any vehicle that's been in an accident and has a salvage title. Those are a headache to stay away from. Hope this helps and thanks for using 2CarPros.
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Wednesday, July 29th, 2020 AT 12:53 PM
Tiny
AARON FINBLOOM
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Thanks Danny! Super helpful!
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Sunday, August 2nd, 2020 AT 6:48 AM
Tiny
DANNY L
  • MECHANIC
  • 5,648 POSTS
You're welcome!
Hope everything works out for you on the car purchase. Please feel free to use our site in the future for any automotive related questions. Thanks again for using 2CarPros.

Danny-
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Sunday, August 2nd, 2020 AT 7:26 PM

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