kevinkevinson

Hello!

I am looking at a CPO C63 that has been in an accident. It is a CPO (CPO warranty + it can only be CPOd if it never had any structural damage) but. I'd very much like MBWorld's opinion on this vehicle:

$8000 damage (front bumper and maybe lights have been replaced) -- I'm not sure if that's considered expensive considering bumpers these days have sensors and all that stuff.
Damage was done at 7,000km (really new) and the previous owner drove it for another 50,000km before trading it in (traded in the car after 3 years)
All services were serviced at a third-party shop chain (it looks like it has a 4.6 rating on Google Maps with over 150 reviews, all negative reviews were about poor customer service over poor workmanship)
Same thing with accident repair, repair was completed at an collision center chain with over 4.5 rating with over 100 reviews.

For this sort of damage, what should I be looking for while driving or visually inspecting the car?

Should I just stay away?

Would appreciate the feedback

offagain

CPO programs can differ from manufacturer to manufacturer and I am not fully aware of the intricate details of the Mercedes one (I should, since I just bought one with a CPO!) but I have to say that its likely to be OK. If there were any issues, it should be covered anyway and they wouldnt want to risk putting out a car that isn't good enough quality in the first place. Given the number of miles driven since, I would suggest most of the issues / problems would have been aired out by now anyway. Any poor work or non-working components are likely to be fixed and sorted so unlikely to be an issue.

As long as its priced accordingly, the dealer has declared it in detail (not you discovering it later) and its a good price, I dont think there should be a problem. CPO should de-risk it nicely. Of course, get it cleared by the dealer and get them to explain what is covered.

ItalianJoe1

Doubt you will notice anything wrong if it was repaired properly. Check for panel fit and alignment all around but if it's in good shape and a good deal, drive it and enjoy it. As you said, $8k is nothing on one of these cars, and could easily be a very minor accident.

benzbell

Agreed - they are not going to CPO junk. You are fine.

SilversledVH

As others have said, a car that passes CPO criteria is a good indication it is a sound car. Plus the extra warranty will hedge against any latent issues. If the previous owner drove it that long after repair, any issues from the accident would probably be sorted out by now.

If it is the car you want based on color, features, etc., I would look at it as an opportunity to negotiate a good price based on diminished value due to the accident being on record.

dchl21

only if its a REALLY good price

KJ

The problem with $8K in damage is that you're going to eat most of that on re-sale.

On top of that, finding a buyer is going to be much harder. Expect to hear a lot of this:

Buyer: "Hey, I'm really interested in the car, can I come see it today?"
You: "Sure!"
Buyer: "Has it been in an accident?"
You: "Yes, $8K in damage"
Buyer: *silent*
You: "Are you still coming to see the car?"
Buyer: *silent*

I can tell you this from personal experience. My M3 got rear-ended, no structural damage. Similar cost to repair. Was so hard to sell after. Went through that above scenario countless times and ended up selling it way below market value. But only because I found the right buyer who took the time to look at the repair and realize that it was just inflated costs. Otherwise, wholesale trade-in value I was offered was offensive, like half of market value.

Alexpark911

I had a dealer replaced the front bumper and painted because it was cracked on top where it screws on to the body. It costs me almost 3500 just for that. I'm sure it would cost close to 8K if they had to replace those lights too.

C63SVERT

goatfarmer1970

I am afraid of a "wrecked" car just like anybody else, but many cars these days are "banged" at low speed in a parking lot...and the cars are usually so much better designed and the repairs are so much better than they used to be...it is probably no problem. I bet this car is probably totally fine, but I personally don't want to tell a "story" when selling the car....it just feels unpleasant no matter how honest or legit the story is...even if you are being super up-front...just makes you feel kinda sleazy and weird. Anyway, it is probably stupid that the high-end car world is this way, but it is. IMO, if you want this car, there should be an exit "illiquidity discount" factored in to the price up front. Just my $0.02, but selling a car is a big enough hassle, no need to add the hassle of "explaining" something about the title or body and paint. Having said that, if you are gonna keep it and drive it, then F*%k it, buy it cheaper and drive it. Good luck!

goatfarmer1970

As a follow-up, I have only bought one "story" car in my life. It was a 2001 Audi 6-sp Allroad with every option. If my memory serves me well, it probably should have cost like $40,000, but it was offered for like $32,000 because it was a California "lemon law" buyback. Well, the salesman told me that he buyer "lived in the hills and couldn't deal with the clutch and manual" which may have been part of it (and I am convinced that manual transmissions played a huge roll in the American / 60 Minutes scandal). Anyway, even thought their was no paper work, it was a 1-year-old car so I hcecked the car out super vigorously, all the time saying to myself that these things are built to pretty tight specs, and it is just unlikely that a car would be so out of spec. Long story short, I bought the car for $30K that day, then drove it to my dealer in Oregon and asked them to print the service history and run the codes. They said there were like 18 complaints in the system for defective steering wheel controls. Then, because it was still under warranty, they took it apart for free...and lo and behold there was an entire wiring harness that was shrink-wrapped (and not connected), so they unwrapped it, hooked it up, and we need had a problem for years. Nevertheless, I was glad I payed less upfront, because at resale it is still a hassle.

right_mr

most important point from where i am standing is :
a. Has had an accident, what exactly was the damage? Any pictures etc to help illustrate just how minor it was? + a full report. (if this is witheld, consider walking away
b. Man, that's a loooot of mileage on the car.
c. what will the remaining warranty period be (including any extended warranty thrown in).

Given the mileage and damage - what price are they looking for vs the original ticket? Could be a good deal if had for the right price, especially with the facelift now in the hands of some customers... could be the bargain of the century...

happyeds

Keep looking. Unfortunately the record tells me all I need to know. As the first owner I think they realized trade in or resale took a very big hit with the accident so they pocketed the money and cut corners going to a third party for fixes. The owner was compensated ($$$) by their insurance co. for diminished value and that should be reflected in the sales price. The car had $8 k worth of damage so it is very hard to value for a resale. I'm totally confused it can be CPO'ed by an authorized MB dealership.

Brettboat

Sucks you don't have a copy of the invoice. I'd rack it and look for welding, recent paint, etc. You can get a rough idea how involved the repair was (structural or non structural). Any signs of a structural repair, I'd steer clear.

C3504matic

I work at a Mercedes Benz Collision Facility .$8000 is nothing , one LED headlamp on a 63 is over $4000 easy without installation . $8000 is minimal on any newer Mercedes . Most of our car that come in are $20,000+ and some exceeding $100,000 + . We just finished a GT that only hit a curb with the rf wheel damaging the suspension which impacted the frame rail putting a dent in it smaller than the size of a nerf football .The cost to repair was $106,000 by the time it was finished . On Gt's the entire ft structure is aluminum and you are not allowed to repair it nor do they sell any part of the front structure no matter how small so you have to replace the entire front frame assy ....massive undertaking .

kevinkevinson

KJ

Here's the details for mine.

BMW M3 ($12,000 in rear-end damage)
$35,000 Market Value
$15,000 Dealer Trade-In Offer
$26,500 Private Sale

Of the $12,000 damage, $2,000 was for the BMW Individual AMP, $2,000 for the rental car etc. The problem was, most people were like "Has it been in an accident?" and if the reply was "Yes", instantly, they went silent. If they bothered to ask "How much was the damage?" and I told them "$12K", they instantly went silent. No one gave a crap about the cost break-down or the "story". They just weren't interested.

When the time came to buy my C63S, I was lucky to have found an enthusiast that understood that "$12K" for a BMW repair (that included rental car/amp and all these other inflated costs etc.) was nothing. Honestly, couldn't have sold the car to a better person. Nice guy and a fellow enthusiast. That being said, finding that perfect buyer is WAY harder when you have a huge repair bill on the Carfax. It's just the stigma that comes with it.

So will you save money up-front? Yes.
Will you lose most of it when you sell? Yes
Will selling the car later be much harder? Yes

If you plan to keep the car a REALLY long time, the delta between Market Value and sale price will continually shrink. Until it starts becoming a collector's item and then the gap will start growing again.

dlefty