Are Camrys resilient after collisions?

I'm about to purchase a 1990 Camry with 135k miles on it for $1200. I just did a Carfax an notice it was in a Collision in 1998. The car looks like it's in great shape and the owner of the car has only had it for 5 months and doesn't know what kind of damage was done to it. I'm just wondering if this is a good buy. I've had prior cars that have been nothing but trouble after they've been in an accident so I'm curious if anyone has had trouble with their Camry after it's been hit?

Reply to
josh
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Depends on where and how hard. Pretty much the same for all cars. Pay some money to a good shop to have a thorough inspection done along with a detailed report. I think my shop (dealership) charges around 60 USD to have it done.

Reply to
qslim

Another weird thing is that it shows that the car passed inspection for

2001 and 2002 on the carfax but not 2003 and 2004, but it says the owner renewed the registration. Should I take that as a glitch in the Carfax reporting or could it be that the current owner might have a buddy who's a mechanic who is hooking him up with an inspection sticker so he doesn't have to do the necessary repairs. Is that still done? I remember people used to do that before it was all done digitally.
Reply to
josh

Carfax sucks! Their information is sometimes sporadic at best.

Reply to
HachiRoku

Always better to buy a car that has not been in a collision.

Potential concerns: paint color variations, especially in certain light conditions, or after it ages slightly. Alignment settings difficult to preserve or adjust to maintain even tire wear. Structural unibody sections pullled back into position are much weaker upon any subsequent impact than original steel panels that have never been deformed.

Does not sound like this car is such a spectacular bargain that you couldn't find another in original condition at the same price.

Reply to
Daniel M. Dreifus

Well, unfortunately I need a car this week and this is within my budget. I drove the car on a straight highway and it didn't budge. I checked the tires for uneven wear and there was none. The paint job looks like a car that has been garaged for most of it's life. How can I tell if it has been repainted? Under the hood - all the parts look original - especially the radiator - a part that would definitely suffer during a head on collision.

Reply to
josh

How can I

Just take it to a body shop and have someone with an experienced eye look at it. Don't know how they do it, but they can tell at a glance things that go unnoticed to the ordinary person.

Reply to
Daniel M. Dreifus

I would wonder!

I once had to get a new trunk lid because it got a minor dent from backing into something. I was absolutely amazed at how light the thing was. You wouldnt know how light it was from opening the trunk ...but when it was unattached. I was surprised that they replaced the lid with such a minor dent.

I presume the Camry is a frameless unibody which gets its strength and stiffness through form. Also, to absorb energy in an accident, I would suspect it cruises like an accordian. I suppose it depends on the type of accident.

I was in a Miami FL body shop and was amazed at what was going on. They had a Mercedes that had been in a rear ender. They cut the back end of the car off right around the middle of the back seats. Then they got the back end of a Mercedes that had been in a front end accident. They glued the two together and you would have thought the car was new. The guy told me that he would add braces to the car to give it added strength.

I wonder if it stayed in FL or got shipped off?

Reply to
kiselink

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