Should You Buy a Car With Body Damage? | Olson's Auto Body

You're in the market for a used car, and you don't have a large amount of money to spend. Your options are typically an older vehicle with some wear or a newer car that has seen a bit of body damage.

You'd rather have a newer car with lower miles and are willing to overlook some body damage if the price is right. Should you buy a car with body damage? Use this guide to help you decide if you are getting a great deal or if you should pass on a body-damaged vehicle, no matter how alluring the price.

Body damage to a car can happen for many reasons: weather (such as hail), a vehicle collision, or something as minor as a runaway shopping cart dinging a door. Ample rust is also a type of vehicle damage to look for when buying a used car. The type of damage done to a vehicle can determine if you are getting a good buy or not.

If a car has been damaged in a collision, for example, it may need more repairs than simply buffing out a few dents. Doors, hoods, and other elements may need to be replaced, and the undercarriage of a collision vehicle may be damaged as well.

Before buying any car with body damage, have an auto body repair specialist inspect the vehicle to give you an estimate for repairs, along with a professional assessment of how bad the damage to the vehicle is.

A car that has been in an auto accident or has been damaged by flooding or fire is often reassigned a salvage title. This type of title tells future buyers of the vehicle that the car has undergone serious destruction.

The problem with buying a car with a salvage title is this: some insurance companies are reluctant to insure salvage title vehicles, even if they have been repaired, and many banks or lenders refuse to loan money on these types of cars. Since insurance companies and lenders don't know if repairs were made professionally on the vehicle or not, they may view the purchase as a risk.

If you are going to buy a car with a salvage title, make sure you have the cash to pay for the vehicle upfront, make sure no further repairs are needed by consulting with an auto body repair specialist, and get a thorough history of how the car was damaged before you buy.

A car that has any kind of body damage does not have the same resell value as a similar car without damage, even if some repairs have been made. You should only buy a car that has been dented, dinged, or has other noticeable flaws if the seller is willing to negotiate the price in your favor.

The best way to negotiate a price on a body damaged car is to receive an estimate from an auto body repair specialist — of your choosing — and remove that estimate from the price of the vehicle. If the seller balks at taking off the cost of repairs from the price of the vehicle, then move on. Buying the car as-is may cost you more money than it's worth in the long run.

You can buy a vehicle that has some body damage, but you should do so with caution. In many cases, a professionally repaired vehicle can operate just as well as a car that has never been in an accident. Choose your auto body repair specialist carefully, selecting an expert with experience in the type of damage the car you want to buy has. Call us at Olson's Auto Body today for all your collision and car body repair needs.