So I have a deposit down on an 06 997S Cab with 21k miles. The pre-purchase inspection just came back and the service rep was concerned about a leaking/inoperable front headlight washer. Closer inspection suggest that the bumper may have been repainted. The service tech was concerned about a collision. They could go and fix the headlight washer, but it would be under my dime (they assume collision and therefore no warranty) If upon replacement it was just a mechanical problem with the washer and not the result of damage, they would replace under warranty. Other than that, PPI came back decent. A squeeky alternator pully, which they are replacing.

Oh and they also found aftermarket mufflers which were not disclosed by the dealer.

Needless to say, I'm concerned. But should this be a deal breaker?

 

Q: But should this be a deal breaker?

A: Yes. Not worth the trouble and questions. You haven't bought the car and you are having to pay to fix things. Run away!

>Closer inspection suggest that the bumper may have been repainted

Have you looked at the bumper? What is this "may have been repainted"? That might just be because it had plenty of rock chips after 21k. Judging by the way my car looks at 9k miles, at 21k, it's not going to be pretty. So that might be just a repainting to look better for resale.

What does the dealer know about that? Where did the car come from? Did the dealer buy it at auction? Did the dealer take it in trade? Where was it serviced before?

BTW, greetings from another MDer. At what dealer did you find this car?

 

It does not necessarily mean collision....I just had my front bumper removed to have 4 moronic license plate screw holes filled (previous owner) and the bumper sprayed.....of course I will disclose this when trying to sell the car as well as present the paperwork. As far as the mufflers....most dealers don't know crap about cars and unless it was disclosed to them that it had been done they wouldn't know. Any idea what type??? Might be a good thing...they are not cheap!!! Also...is it CPO???

 

pass..

 

Yes . I would pass on the car . There are only a few decent iundependent lots in South Florida and I did not want to say anything about yoir car because you seemed so happy and you werte getting it checked out .

You see the result.

My advice -- Sometimes you have to pay a little more to get things right . Come to Florida and use your deposit as leverage to ask the dealerships here to make it worth yoir while to even lose it and buya car from them . Then go to the used lot and see if they give it back . My guess is that they won't . I learned once the hard way . They might claim that the deposit was placed in "as is" condition .

It won't matter though . The dealership will work with you .

I gave you the names of guys here that I have bought and serviced cars with . If they can't help you they will say so but if they can then at least you will end up with a car with some sort of peace of mind .

Good luck.

 

I have re-painted front bumpers due to stone chips after a few years of use. I will most likely do this with my 09 997S. So no this could not be a collision. I would think if it was a collision the bumper would have to be replaced.

 

Here is some info that can help.

The first thing you have to do is look at a brand new car. What you want to do is walk to the front of the car, take your fingers and rub on the back part of the hood in the little gap between the end of the hood and the beginning of the front windshield. You will notice that the paint is very smooth. You can do this exercise on the hood, on the trunk, along all the doors, on the gas tank cover, etc. On a brand new car, all of the edges will be incredibly smooth. Once you have an idea of how it should feel by rubbing the edges of the car described above, do the exact same process on the used car that you are considering. If, for instance, the hood of this used car has been repainted and is not the original manufacturer's paint, instead of a smooth feeling, the back edge of the hood will feel like sandpaper, which indicates a repainting job. Do this on all the edges of the car including trunk, quarter panels, doors, any edge you can find.

 

forget it, there's too many cars on the market to have those kinds of concerns.

 

You could buy or borrow a paint meter and inspect the entire car...collision damage would show up with thicker paint depth on body panels.

 

To the OP. You're probably better off walking away. It's a buyer's market, and something with similar specs will come up in time. You're better off getting a perfect car rather than something that has got some work done (whether accident or otherwise). Also, if you're going to resell the car in time, that might make it harder to sell your car.

 

Info 4 the OP. Last year I sold my 993 to a dealer. They checked out every panel with the paint thickness meter. The car was a cab with18k miles on it. Premo quality. He told me with out paint work ,he was giving me 15k more than with paint work. When people see any paint work, they automatically freak. My 997 had 4k miles on it when purchased. The dealer showed me a slight ding it had on the leading edge of the wheel well.(1qrtr of an inch) They offered to spray it. I told them No Way. Leave it. When I go to sell the buyer will see all, with no touch ups. IMO move on to a better car

 

Playing devil's advocate here. A paint meter would show if the body panels had been resprayed but, to my knowledge, they wouldn't show if the bumpers had been resprayed due to their composition (plastic/urethane vs. metal).

If a paint meter showed no respray of the hood, fenders, etc... who cares if the bumper has been resprayed? If the paint work is good, it shouldn't be an issue.

For example, my front bumper has been resprayed -- no other body panels have, and the car has no accident damage -- and the bumper probably needs to be resprayed again due to rock chips, etc... But I wouldn't consider my car worth "less" because of this. It's a bumper...

All of this is said assuming this is "THE ONE" car you must have that has the options/colors/etc you want. Otherwise, as others have said, it's a buyer's market... walk and be patient.

 

if you are not 100% certain what, if anything, happened, pass.

like others have said there are too many cars out there right now. plus in this instance, it's not just the bumper that's a question, there is another thing the dealer did not disclose to you.

why not find a car with no questions.

the other option is to leverage the situation, tell them you're very worried about the bumper and mufflers, and tell them you want another 5 or 10k off the price, or you walk

 

i hate that and most dealers say "we do that to all the cars" and i say.. id rather have messed up bumper than repainted one.. sounds like hassle now and down the road.. pass.

 

I will play Devils Advocate.................you said your bumper was painted. R u sure your car wasnt hit? I know the paint meter didnt lie. Right? Could your car been hit and a fender was replaced from a totaled car that was the same color. Hence no paint work. How sure r u? Were you the original owner from day one? These are all questions we cant answer. I feel if you r questioning it before ownership.....you will question it until it sells. Your sick sense doesnt lie. Walk away................NO RUNNNNNNNNNNNNN. Of course just my opinion