Originally Posted By: 69GTX
If you drive a car to its end of life, damage along the way isn't a real concern. But, if you intend to sell your car while it still has solid retail value left, then an accident, no matter how well repaired, limits both desirability and market value. Let's face it, a car that's been hit is just not the same as one that still sports all its original gleaming paint and unworked body panels. The insurance company will pay to fix the car to a condition apparently "similar" to what it was. In reality, it's never again what it was.
My 2002 Lincoln was sideswiped in a parking lot 2 years ago. $1350 in damage. One dented lower rear rocker. Blended paint on 2 doors and rocker panel. While it "looks" almost the same, it's really not. I can see the over-spray in some spots over the original undercarriage rust-proofing. And more than likely a Carfax search would show an "accident." So for me, I do get upset when my car gets whacked. Used car buyers aren't typically going out looking to buy "hit" cars, unless they pay considerably under what an "un-hit" one would go for.
I am not happy that my car was hit but there is nothing I can do about it except fix it and move on. No reason to get upset and stressed out about what is going to happen when I sell the car. the paint on the front of my car is looks better then the factory Honda paint, 3 coats of high solids clear, wet sanded and buffed to perfection, no over spray, everything under the hood looks great, bolt heads touched up, all factory Honda clips used. I do not know if this is going to make it to carfax or not because there was not police report involved I really do not think anyone would ever know it was wrecked.
It's a daily driven car, it's going to get beat up from stones and stuff like that, and there is not a darn thing I can do about it. I drive them to 80,000 or 100,000 miles and dump them.
I don't give a rats [censored] about carfax. My last car I rear-ended someone at a stop light and traded it in a year later with no issues. The car before that was hit buy stones off of a semi truck and had a $4000 insurance claim that never even made it to carfax.
