Buying a used car - should this worry us?

That sure looks like two accidents. Not much reason to replace an exhaust system, except for being damaged in a wreck.

I'd absolutely bring that up and ask about it all...and see if maybe it's a salvage titled vehicle. 

A Carfax report won't really show anything more than the title will. If the vehicle was damaged but insurance didn't pay on it, neither will necessarily show anything.

I have an 08 HHR on my lot right now that flipped 2 times into a ditch and had to have body work to every panel. It shows absolutely nothing on the title or the carfax. (Albeit anyone with a little car savvy will note the overspray, etc.)

Sounds like it was at least involved in a couple of incidents. Not necessarily a deal breaker, but it should certainly give you some leverage to negotiate the price.

Are you getting a extremely good deal with this car that you couldn’t get anywhere else?  Or is it just something that fell in your price range and you want to take advantage of the opportunity?

If it is the second I would pass on the.  Obviously the car was involved in accidents that weren’t reported to the insurance company.  The ones that you described appear to be minor, but who knows what else wasn’t reported.

The pre-certification process is designed to bring peace of mind to the potential buyer of a used car, but keep in mind that they are trying to sell the car no matter what.  I had a friend that purchased a certified bmw, and later discovered that the rear passenger door wasn’t closing properly.  An independent mechanic discovered that the chassis was misaligned due to an accident that the car had been in.

i think someone tapped on this:

Carfax is crap. My BMW has been in multiple accidents some due to stupidity and some due to track events, but the Carfax shows a clean record.  woohoo! I paid for all my incidents out of pocket to avoid such reporting. There's ways to hide a "scratch"...just sayin

Don't believe the hype.

replacing the exhaust is no small matter, what type of car is it?  SUV?  if it is I would be led to believe that the previous owners may have taken it into the woods and either 'wheeled it very hard or were not very good drivers and caused some damage.  Those sound like running into trees/stumps, squeezing through a small space, and high centering.

Regardless, This car was obviously ridden hard and put away wet, personally I would walk away as you are asking for trouble.  Scratches are easy to hide, but replacing systems and sensor is VERY expensive, especial on luxury model cars.

I'd certainly not pay a premium for such a car, but for the right price...sure! 

I didn't notice the sticker on the door when we bought our Taurus wagon that it had been repurchased by Ford.  I did notice that the front strut towers weren't perfect, but no biggie.  We've had it for 8 years and 130,000 more miles and I don't see getting rid of it within the next 3 years. 

Bumpers are designed to:

1. Absorb energy in low-speed crashes to prevent damage to body-panels and people.

2. Be replaced after 1.

If replacement was bumpers and and the hanging parts of the exhaust system, and the owner did (and recorded) all of the other maintenance..... I'd buy that vehicle for a "fair" price.

The car's not mint or original, so don't pay mint/original price for it.

I would buy with as much confidence as I would buy any used car.   The presence of a warranty is an added bonus in this case.

DP.  I still friggin hate IE.

My first thought was the previous owner kept getting caught cheating on his wife...