this may be an obvious question, but is the trunk really in need of repair? Unless it is allowing water in the trunk, which can be fiberglassed, then there is probably no reason to fix it unless the spare tire will not fit in the trunk, which you would have noticed by this point.

Does anyone have any insight into the previous question of how much reporters are paid by Carfax for adding information to the database?

What's the big deal - that it's been in a wreck. OP would never have been any the wiser if someone hadn't told him it had been repaired. That sounds like a pretty good repair job to me. OP took a discount (how big I don't know or care), and now cries that he was ripped off.

OP said:The estimates to fix that damage (from previous accident) are about 7500$
Good thing you didn't have to pay it.

I think we see that some people have expectations that are unreasonable. Facts:

Virtually new car being sold at large discount.
Repairs so good it took an expert to find.
What are options to try to get money?

Questions to answer:
Was the car advertised as never wrecked or damaged?
Do you have any losses that can be documented due to "fraud"?
Does this constitute fraud either federally, in NY or in your state if different?

Stay away from eBay when it come to high ticket items especially cars or item above $1000 .

dk240t said:When it comes to used cars, assume every car has been wrecked until you get an up close and personal inspection, during the day (can't do this with lights, need it to be bright out) from someone who actually knows what to look for to determine if a car has been wrecked before. Do not buy a car sight-unseen unless it is a good deal even if the car has been wrecked and repaired.

I own four cars that were all bought used. Two were from dealers and two were from private owners. None were bought sight unseen. The ones from the private owners were both one owner cars (one of which had 3 years/60,000 miles remaining on a 100,000 mile extended factory warranty). In my younger days, I did body work and painted cars for myself and buddies so I know what to look for (e.g., waves in the body panels and hints of overspray). The two from the dealers were one owner trade-ins. Both were Acuras and one was bought from an Acura dealership and the other from a BMW dealership. The one from the Acura dealer was a Certified used car. The one from the BMW dealer came with a warranty. On both of the dealer cars, I have in writing from their ads or in an email that the cars have never been in an accident. Of course, I checked them out myself as well. As the OP indicated, each major body panel has a VIN number label on it. If best to check each one even when the car looks brand new. I believe that used cars can be great deals if you can be patient and wait for the right car to come by.

As for the OP's car, I recommend that he keep driving it. He should have the repair shop check the airbags to see if they have been deployed. He may have a problem if they were and it could be very expensive to fix.

When you buy a used car, you are buying someone elses problem.

in CA if a car is considered a "total loss" [operative language] then notice is given to the DMV and the DMV will issue a demand for the return of the plates to avoid this. this would show up all over the DMV records. I litigated this exact case in February and obtained a favorable jury verdict because the seller never sent in the plates and instead filed a "declaration of lost or stolen plates".

studiddy said:zzyzzx said:I agree that one should only buy their cars new or buy beaters that you didn't pay much for and couldn't care less if it had been totalled 15 times before. The exception would be a used car from someone that you knew.

Do not buy a used car from someone you know.I advise against buying automobiles, planes or women from the internet. you can never tell until its too late if they have high mileage or undisclosed damage.

MadAnthony said:The CLUE report that you get online is tied to you, not to a vehicle. It tells what claims you have had. It's what insurance companies look at when they decide what your rates are, and it's a good idea to check every now and then to make sure that you don't have claims on your record that aren't yours (same as checking your credit report). But it's not designed to check if a car has been in an accident.Exactly.
The only way a C.L.U.E. report is going to help you, is if an insurance agent is willing to do you a favor and take a look at the VIN in the database. A local agent may do this, if you ask nice.

When it comes to houses: You can ask the current owner to pull a CLUE report, and then give you access to it. ChoicePoint has a feature on the website, allowing a consumer to share the report with someone else. That way, you can verify that the home's CLUE report is clear, prior to purchasing. There's a lot of insurance-unfriendly houses out there... mold, etc.

azygous said:
I will do that, but my question is what can I do about the previous purchase..can i take him to court?, small claims..?

For what? How have you been harmed? What does the bill of sale say with regards to warranty? Did you buy the car "as-is"?

Hint for the future: If someone offers to sell you a 5 pound brick of "gold" for $2.50, it may not really be gold.

I'd still buy a car on eBay if it runs, passes state inspection and is inexpensive enough. I bought a 1995 Mercury Sable wagon with less than 80K on the odometer on eBay two years ago for $1500, put $1300 into a fuel line and some brakes and have put less than $1000 in repair costs into it since. That's equivalent to a car payment of about $158.33 a month, with no bank squeezing me for payments. It looks passable, passes state inspection, has dual airbags, leather seats with no tears and a peppy 3.8L V6 with fuel injection. It gets me back and forth to work every day, carries a 4x8 piece of plywood with the door closed and I have no qualms about putting my toddler in it for 100 mile plus highway trips. I will drive this car until it is dead.

That said, I'm the kind of skinflint who won't pay more than $5K for a car, from any source. I keep my money in my investment accounts, not my garage.