trimblej

Hi, Im looking at a 2001 S that is CPO. It has 38k miles on it and the carfax shows that it was involved in a "minor accident". The carfax says that the police report indicates driver lost control and struck guardrail.

Should I just walk away now and not even look at it because of the accident. Or the fact that it has the CPO (which would be for 2 years) be enough.

If I do test drive it, what should I look out for? Car pulling to the right ot left?

Thanks for the help
Jeff

boggtown

Walk away, there are TONS of great boxster that havent been crashed.

Charlie C

I wouldn't consider hitting a guardrail a "minor" accident.

Does the paint match well? The price would have to VERY LOW to make up for that. Myself, I'd look for one that was NOT in ANY accident.

senna21

+1

On a side note though, my current ride (91 MR2 Turbo) has been rear-ended twice, and I've bumped another car with the front. All would show up on Car-Fax, at least I hope they would, but none of the incidents actually caused any damage to the frame of the car. Bumper covers and impact absorbers were replaced in one, a cover in the other and there was no visible damage when I bumped the other guy.

What I'm really saying is, how hard did he hit the rail and where? Where was the body work done and is there a warrantee? The CPO is very nice but I'd expect the accident history would give a LARGE discount especially as Boxster prices are very soft. The most important thing to look for is frame damage. If that wasn't touched the rest is there just to move the air and look nice. If you are serious about the car I'd want to see the paperwork on the repairs. If they're unavailable then certainly walk.

Giovanni

I think the main factor missing in this thread is the asking price. How much are they asking for the car?

Randy V

You should look at the car and then have it inspected by a professional.

Tierce

They aren't supposed to be able to approve a car for a CPO if there is any history of an accident.

WALK AWAY.

Someone who lost control and hit a guardrail, MIGHT just be a person who didn't know how to handle the car, and that raises too many questions about other things like abuse.

JP308

Interesting, as I just had the car I just purchased go throught the CPO process (in my case it was the PPI) and I spoke with the service manager about accidents and he said that if the car proven to have been in an accident it would not pass a CPO?

trimblej

the asking price is $26,600 I believe. If you would like to see the carfax and car go to autotrader and look of up its in grand rapids, mi. Its a 2001 S, silver with black interior. The carfax actually says that the police report states very minor damage. Thanks for the help

judd944

way too much for that car. I paid 20500 for my car last summer (01 S with 58k) No CPO though.

schwank

HAHAHa, you guys must not have seen the story about the CPO Audi that was literally welded together from the halves of two cars. IT still made it through the CPO process and the purchaser had a lawsuit going against Audi. Search AudiWorld forums for the story. CPO means squat as far as pre-purchase inspection. It's more of a warranty than a guaranty of quality.

FWIW, like Judd, we bought an 01S with 54K last fall for 21K. There are very nice cars out there. Be patient.

Giovanni

$26.6k? Keep looking my friend. Last year I turned down a black on black 2001 S 59k with brand new clutch for $18k. Brhhhh, I still regret that.

JP308

I just paid 26K for a 2003 S. Sounds a tad high to me.

trimblej

Thanks for the responses. I'm going to hold off on this one. One question though, if I buy a 2001-2003 S, is it worth paying a premium for the CPO if so how much. Or is one better of rolling the dice on the RMS issue and paying out of pocket if it arises. It seems that the CPO cars are 4-5k higher than one without it.

driven2hvn

Smart move, I think you'd kick yourself for acting irrationally and buying , then how do you get rid of it later, even if the ride is passable. ?Too many with flood, crash and electrical damage out there- Good for you...lots out there. Check Ebay ,connect to reputatble dealers , sellers etc. Obviously CPO is no guarantee of quality.