Would you buy a Smart Car that had been in an accident

[okmunky]

I need some opinions on this, please. I found a 2009 Smart Passion for sale by an individual that has 14K miles, is clean inside and out and drives well. It was in an accident -- hit at the passenger side front wheel. All the damage was repaired by a Mercedes dealership. The asking price is $9500 and a similar 2008 is listed locally for $12,995. I plan to tow it so I won't be putting many miles on it. I plan to have it checked by professionals, but would like some advise from folks who understand toads.

[Shadowcatche]

Because it is so small the structural integrity of the central cabin is important for crashworthyness, if it is just the front quarter panel I would not be concerned.

[tncruiser]

i once read that no car that has had any major damage should be toad
check the frame alignment very close,good luck and safe travals
brianj

[njs42]

If the other listed Smart Car for 12,995. has not been in an accident then have you tried offering them 9,500 for it to see what they say? Is the market so firm you cannot deal?

[tworootless]

Alignment, water leaks and electrical issues could be an issue. . .

[Elkhartjim]

Quote:

Originally Posted by okmunky hit at the passenger side front wheel. All the damage was repaired by a Mercedes dealership.

Either get a copy of the repair estimate from the current owner or ask the body shop what they did. It could have been a $500 hit or a $5000 hit. If it was minor thats one thing....but.

[RustyJC]

Because of its extremely small size, to achieve adequate passenger safety I would suspect that the Smart car utilizes more sacrificial "crush zones" than a normal car to dissipate collision forces. If the crush zone(s) on that corner has/have been compromised, I wouldn't want any part of the vehicle, even if they've pulled the unibody back to spec on a frame machine.

JM2CW....

Rusty

[W4MBG]

3500 bux off for a car that has been wrecked? pass.

[hondo122]

Saw a Smart driving on interstate 95 through Philly yesterday, it was being passed by a semi, I think I'd would rather take my chances on a motorcycle. Really, it looked like the semi could drive over it and just think it was a speed bump.

[mofa]

I owned a Smart before I got my current Fiat 500, while not a storm chaser, the power is ok, it will travel at 120km all day and not be at the floor. On the accident issue I too would go to the dealer and ask what they repaired it also depends on what kind of hit on the side or directly on the front. Drive the car on the highway at speed and see how it tracks. They are a good little car. OH BTW, shift the car manually and you will enjoy the transmission better, in auto mode....not so much.

[radams]

As long as it was repaired professionally and you have it checked over before you buy it I think you'll be just fine. I've bought salvaged cars before that were brought back from the dead and once repaired competently they were dependable transportation. No guarantees of course, but that's why the difference in price.

[Mekanic]

price of the repair is not a good indiacation of severity of the accidentor crash.
My charger that i traded off last week had a $4000. esitmate for a "accidnet"
what got replaced was the urathane bumper cover and then the hood and roof got repainted.
A power line was hanging from a pole and got caught on my car and dragged across the nose hood and roof. It was NOTHING that i would consider a accident.
in the 80 a I worked for a friend and we rebuilt totaled cars. Yes we even cut them in half and put halfs back together.

on the smart:
pay close attention to how it drives. if it pulls to one side and even if it doesn't check the front tire pressure.
It might have a "used car alginment" (50 psi on one tire and 18psi in the other) it can mask a bad alginment.
Take a tape measure and measure the wheelbase on both sides. (they should be within 1/4 inch)

[scenic route]

Who can tell you what that hit did to the internals of the trans-axle, cv joints and if the unibody was slightly bent that may give you some serious problems down the road. What, if any, problems or effects would a misaligned or bent structural parts have in a future accident...will the crush zones respond as designed??? Whose questions would always be in the back of my mind. Worth the 3500 bucks? Personally, I'd never touch a vehicle I KNEW was in an accident to start off with. Bob

[Mekanic]

All vehicles are made from many, many parts. If one replaces all the damged and bent parts, that vehicle is as good as a new one just like it. It could even be better if the person takes more attention to detail than the assy line worker who has 50-80 seconds to install his part.