Here's my take on Op's original question. While Diamond White is absolutely correct from the perspective that if the car has been properly repaired and everything has been done to the at least original factory level standards, if not better in some cases by some of the excellent private body and paint shops that exist out there, the reality is that we live in an era of "It's either got a perfectly clean CARFAX sheet or you're going to take a hit come trade-in time". That means even if you've just had a really minor fender bender with no structural or electronic damage, your resale value is still going to suffer. That's just the way it is. Yes, the car may run perfectly after repair and everything works flawlessly, but with the resale market being what it is, anything less than a perfectly clean CARFAX report means a lower resale value.

For the damage you describe on the car you're interested in, you should NOT expect to be offered anywhere near top dollar when you go to trade it in down the road. This is much more than a minor ding or dent that had to be worked out. Even if everything on the car was repaired perfectly after the accident. That's just the car market as it now exists. Any vehicle repair history of this sort on a CARFAX report means lower resale value going forward. Just as you're concerned about the potential loss of resale value now, any future buyer will be just as concerned down the road and expect to get a substantial discount.

If you like the car and it has a good warranty on it, then buy it for the enjoyment you'll get from it. By the way, you can use the accident report to try and the dealer to either lower the price a bit or extend the warranty period or throw in some maintenance. Just understand going into this, that the car isn't going to have great resale value you.

 

Like a previous poster said, orange peel comes with new water based ECO friendly paints. The factory can, and does, apply a very even coat of paint on all panels - something no aftermarket paint shop can do.

If cost is no object (like the specialty restorers and builders) then they can spend a lot of time wet sanding the finish to create a finish that may look better than factory - but - will it have the same rust resistance and longevity of factory paint?

I had a GMC Yukon that had a horrible case of orange peel and GMC ended up paying to have it fixed. It ended up being one of the nicest looking Yukons around and when I sold it I had to prove that it had not been repainted.

I bought a '78 Ford Granada new in '81 from Military Sales in Germany. The warranty started in 81 and when all the chrome started pitting and the paint started to peel a year later, Ford agreed to repaint the car and swap out the chrome. When I sold it in '82 I got $500 more than I paid for it new and the new owner said "wow! that looks great for a 5 year old car."