Selling an accident-damaged car
Accident damage lowers the value but does not make a car unsellable — the market for it is larger than most people think. What matters is disclosure: a concealed defect is grounds to unwind the sale even when warranty was excluded, and years afterwards at that.
What to look at
Any damage beyond a trivial scratch belongs in the listing — not first mentioned during the viewing.
Repair invoices and photos taken before the repair are worth real money here: they document the extent and take away the buyer's fear of the unknown.
Damage professionally repaired with documentation lowers the price far less than damage the buyer discovers themselves.
Name the damage explicitly in the contract and have the buyer countersign it.
Common questions
- What counts as trivial damage?
- Small paint and panel damage not involving structural parts — a scratch, a dent in a door. As soon as the frame, chassis members, axles or airbags were involved it is no longer trivial and must be disclosed.