I've search but came up with no satisfying results. Can experts out there chime in to help people who is shopping for a Civic. How can someone tell if the car has body repair or been in an major accident in the past? Pictures of repaired damage and description of what to look for will be most helpful.

Thanks,
J

 

Uhmm.. Weld marks, check for original body parts by looking for the VIN stickers. (hood, trunk, engine, etc.)...

Also check the carfax on it, sometimes you'll find accidents or rolled back odometers.

 

how the body lines meet , doors close , etc. using light from outside , look at the car from angles that allow you to use the light to see any waves or body damage that was repaired. rub your hands up inside the wheel well lips to check for signs of rust , fixes so on. look under it at rockers. all obvious stuff really.

 

easiest way? Take it to carmax and pretend like you want to trade the car in to them.

 

This might be slightly helpful: http://www.samarins.com/check/bodycond.html

 

is core support damage considered a frame damage? when would one decide to throw a car on a frame machine?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by emperor9 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">is core support damage considered a frame damage? when would one decide to throw a car on a frame machine?</TD></TR></TABLE>

core support is not considered frame, but most places will deem the car to have frame damage if they see the new weld marks froma replaced core support,

to the OP learning to identify frame damage is not easy, i have been working @ an auction for over a year and still cannot find it on some cars, a few pointers are: on newer cars there are vins on most panels ie, fenders,hood,trunk,bumper etc, if the vins are not there they have been replaced,most likely meaning that the vehicle has been in an accident, look for an ripples unstraight pillars etc, **** if your local to me bring it by and ill do my best to inspect it for you