I'm looking (online) at a "perfect" spec s213. It's as if I would have built it myself, colors options etc. I've been looking at wagons for over a year and this one came up. My quandary is that it's been in multiple accidents, air bags deployed on one of them. It's fixed and everything looks good on carfax as far as maintenece. It's in another state so I can't check it myself or have a local mechanic look it over. Oh, and the price is great!

These are hard to find with the specs I want and would love to hear opinions!

Just because a car has been in an accident doesn't mean you should stay away. Even airbags being deployed is not necessarily an issue. They'd need to replace the airbags/modules and seatbelts/tensioners etc, and you're back to where you were before the accident (as far as that aspect is concerned). As long as it had the inspections done to put it back on the road (which it should have in order to pass safety or a structural integrity check if it was a write-off), then you should be OK. There is a possibility of issues that could be hidden behind panels or body work, so it's a bit of a matter of trust, or doing a good inspection to make sure the parts that were hit don't have shoddy repairs.

I'd say if the last driver had it for a while and drove it themselves, there's a better chance of it being OK than if it's just a quick flip for cash. I as well as people I know have had multiple accident repair cars that have been totally fine/safe after being put back on the road. The Benz I have now is actually a clean title accident car that I'm fixing up. Hope that helps.

you have to go see car first before signing your name on anything.
Have it checked out too...

IS Frame/body etc Straight?
IS it aligned properly r crab down the road?
what all parts were replaces?

Too many what ifs

Hard pass. Keep looking.

Air bag deploy = major accident. Even repaired, it will never be as good and straight as the day it came off the factory floor. To add to that, multiple accidents? Unless the car is 50% off blue book value, I would keep looking if I were you.

Absolutely NO!

It will have no resale value.

Price can't be low enough - you will be trapped in it with no ability to sell or trade it in the future. Wagons don't grow on trees, but I would pass on this one.

With multiple accidents and airbag deployment I’d give it a pass. It may have a salvage title in which case if you ever try to sell it it will be close to worthless. Some insurance companies won’t even insure a car like that. Even if it was a first class repair there’s always a chance that rust will form or a weld could break lose. I bought a E350 convertible that had been sideswiped but the dealer showed me the documentation and the repair receipt AND it was done at a Mercedes authorized collision center.

the car you’re looking at it a horse of a different color. With multiple accidents and airbag deployed like I said I’d pass

I will preface this by stating that things could be different for someone who wants to buy a Mercedes, but in general a rebuilt title car isn't worthless and doesn't have next to no resale value. Yes you won't be able to get as much as a clean title car, but especially in this car market, cars can normally still get a decent price if they're fixed properly.

My brother has had experience with doing this multiple times over the years buying salvage cars, fixing them at professional body shops, driving them for a couple years and selling them (with some higher end cars like Audi and Acura among others). He wouldn't do it if it wasn't safe or if there wasn't any resale value.

In order to get a salvage car back on the road, it needs to pass a structural integrity check. That won't happen if the frame is crooked or it won't drive straight. Welding is also not needed most of the time. I don't know how rust would form from a car having broken parts/panels replaced either.

I'm saying this all from experience (mine and my brother's). I'm not trying to start any arguments and in the end it's up to you, but some of what's being said here seems like FUD to me.

One last thing I'd say is to try to get some pictures of the accident to get an idea of what needed to be fixed for when you do your inspections.

I second the poster that said... go check it out in-person/authorized MB shop assessment and hope it checks out great and all repairs were performed at accredited shops. A car with multiple accidents is a red flag regardless of how well it fits your needs/wants... on paper.

Good luck.

The real issue with salvage title cars, aside from the iffy repair quality is that Mercedes won't warranty or support such a car. Banks won't give you a loan either.

Just remember that it will always be a bargain. You won't get close to the same trade in or retail number as a car with 0 accidents. Also, it is hard to see the quality of the repair. I've seen some awful body shop jobs.

That's true. You're better off getting one where the warranty has just expired (or is about to expire) so that's not an issue, and you're comparing it to other cars that don't have a warranty either. There's also no expectation of a warranty when selling the car.
If you care about warranty at all then a rebuilt title car is not the way to go. However, if it's still a clean title (I've seen many accident cars that are), then it should still be covered under warranty.

Why buy someone else's troubles? I only buy new vehicles with less than 20 miles on the odometer.

No way

I wouldn't want to own European car without a warranty. Unless it's really really cheap to buy.

Thanks all. Decided to pass at this time. If it were near by, might have been another story. Just have to keep looking!

Multiple accidents? Nope, I’m all set. Is there a chance they were very minor and there’s nothing wrong with the car? Ofcourse, but the issue for me is those accidents reports are forever with that car. When it comes time to sell now it’s your issue. A lot of times when people search for cars they immediately pass on accident cars. And that’s all assuming very minor stuff. If the accidents have been more significant, then there is no telling what kind of work the car has had. Probably has had paint and body work and whatever else. Just easier to pass and keep looking IMO. I know it could be bad luck, but multiple accidents could hint at the previous owner being a ****ty driver to.

Personally, I would not buy a car that has been in an accident. Why risk it when there are many other cars that have not been in an accident? Just my 2 cents.

I wouldn't buy a car that has been in multiple accidents, either.

That said, I do wonder how may cars get wrecked BEFORE retail delivery? These cars are repaired at the port of entry facility or some other place, and are freely offered as OEM NEW cars with full warranties. You will never know...

That is why an extensive pre-delivery inspection is necessary. Prior to delivery of my factory ordered '18 E300, I spent more than an hour doing a Gap Dimension compliance inspection per MB specification AR60.00-P-0700-01LWE.

It doesn't happen that often. Plus, the body shops at the VPC's are among the best in the world.

I couldn't care less if the VPCs are the best on the planet. I do care about transparency and full disclosure of repairs...

I've flown a little too close to that sun a few times. Flood in 2013, multiple wildfire pre-evacs, and then a year ago we were evacuated for nearly two weeks due to the Quarry Fire. With fire, you get a few hours notice, and (assuming you know the risk and have your **** together) have a few hours to load up the irreplaceables. When we had the flood, it was a surprise in the middle of the night.

It depends. How bad of an accident? My wife’s ML was hit before we purchased it. It was small scratches and dents on the rear bumper. That does not mean the car is bad. For me it just depends on the severity of the damage. No way would I want something that has airbags deployed due to rolling over, bent frames, totaled or bad titles. A small fender bender would not scare me off. Get a PPI, check the car fax you should be OK. Let the people who work on cars for living guide you but keep a open mind.