Thoughts on buying a Tacoma with accident

Check it out.

 

Having spent the better part of 30 years in the auto insurance claims/collision repair industry, I would be very hesitant to buy any vehicle with an accident history unless I knew what the damage was, and who repaired it. There are a lot of corners cut and a lot of hacky work that gets done in the collision repair industry. Insurers, shop owners/managers, and techs all bear varying degrees of blame for this.

 

@not a charger - hello! Would a pre-inspection from a Toyota dealership spot some of these 'hacks', etc? I was just leaving to take a look at the truck again and maybe take some better pictures. And if that went well, maybe line up the inspection for Monday. There is another, similarly spec'd Tacoma about 20 miles away that is approx 2k more.

Your reasons (and others) are pretty much why my wife wants me to go with a new Tacoma. Moreover, after driving 17+ years in a beat up manual transmission Civic - she says you deserve something that you don't have to worry about. My biggest hesitation with 'new' is that most likely, within a few months I will need to contact my insurance co because someone hit me in our office's parking lot. This happens occasionally and just happened again (for at least the 5th time) Thursday afternoon.

 

BTW this is the similarly spec'd one:

https://www.darcarstoyota.com/used-...yota-Tacoma-TRD+Off+Road+V6-3TMCZ5AN5PM603690

 

Not worth the risk. Dealers are sketchy and sales people are snakes. They will tell you whatever you want to hear to make the sale. Find one that hasn’t been in an accident.

 

I say listen to the majority here and especially your wife, keep looking or buy new if it’s in your budget

 

The link I posted above, to the similarly spec'd one has no accidents reported. I may drive out and see that one tomorrow. Although, I believe the dealership is closed Sundays.

 

So, I think my daughter and I figured out the accident part. It seems its the passenger side rear bumper. If nothing else, it's loose, has some scratches, and hangs a bit. Although it appears everything works okay, its certainly something that will need to be fixed. Other than that, it seemed very clean. However, I will probably end up going new.....wife wins again.

 

You've driven an older car for years
Yup time to treat yourself

You can't beat

WIFE APPROVED

 

Standby…..we may actually reach consensus on a TW thread.

 

I can…WIFE RECOMMENDED….

Next Level Shit!!!!

 

This^^
I did this with a Tundra one time, guy had traded it in after owning it for just a few months. Dealership gave me his number and I called and asked why he had traded so soon.

 

Wow, I expected more - 'Have the dealership fix it. then have a PPI. The truck looks great' responses!! Well, I guess we will start looking for something new. @RustyGreen / @StayinStock - I am completely surprised a dealership would do that. I would definitely think that had some type legal ramification/s.

@Not a golfer -- thank you. I appreciate it.

 

Your wife is giving you the green light on a new one, step on that gas before the light turns red!!

 

Really common "back in the old days", often you could find the previous owners info in the glove compartment and look up his number in the phone book. -- Did I just date myself...

Nowadays the salesman could contact the owner and ask their permission to share info, kind of a sad comment on our times.

 

why?

as a matter of public record, your name is legally tied to all the vehicles you've previously owned, or addresses you've lived at. it really only takes a basic/cheap background check, not much more expensive than a carfax to locate all the previous owners info from just the vin and state if it was needed.

people have a serious misconception that once they sell a piece of property, their never need to hear about it ever again.

 

It all depends upon the skill and effort level of the person doing the inspection. Knowing where to look would be helpful to anyone, but a thorough inspection by a skilled person should still spot any issues. I don't think the dealership would be my go-to though. I would have an OEM certified Toyota collision center look at it.

 

Well.......problem solved. Looks like the truck was sold over the weekend!!

 

probably for the best!
Not because of the previous accident,, just in general. It sounds to me, like you are more of new buyer anyways. Anything used is suspect. I know people will get up in arms, there are some very good ones out there, but unless I personally know the seller, I am not taking a chance with someone else's vehicle.

 

How would one actually verify any of what you suggest here? How would you check to see if the airbags deployed and if they were replaced? How would a potential buyer check to determine if the ACM’s were replaced? Sounds good as hyperbole in an internet world but I find it would be difficult in practical application.