First Hyundai Purchase - Used 2010 Sonata - Did I make a mistake?
 

I just purchased a certified 2010 Hyundai Sonata with 34k miles from a dealer. It came with the balance of the 10yr/100k mile warranty and a clean CarFax which showed it was a rental car. Other than a few small paint chips and some minor interior wear, it looks great. So far I like it a lot... but...

After I bought it I noticed that there is a slightly bigger gap between the front bumper and the hood on the drivers side. Only a quarter to a half inch, but it has me wondering if I just bought a car that has been in an accident.

The trunk also seems to have very minor gap differences between the driver and passenger sides where it meets the back fenders. Probably not something anyone would notice unless they were really studying the car. Did it leave the factor this way? Have parts of the car settled differently over time? Did I get ripped off or am I just paranoid about my new baby?

I'd be happy to take pictures if that would help. Thanks in advance.

Best,

Dave

I'd be wary of those gaps. Find out what happened. Was the price right? How did you determine that?

Thank you for the reply. The CarFax said the car was free of accidents. Is there another way to confirm this? I'm thinking of having the car looked at by a professional to get their opinion.

What do you guys think.

Thanks.

Dave

I'd have someone who is qualified look at it. If it were misrepresented as not having been wrecked, I think you could be looking at a fraudulent transaction and voiding the sale.

This is one of many reasons I do not buy used vehicles.

You were supposed to have your own independent technician inspect the car before you dropped any cash on the deal.. walk around, walk under to the trained eye will pick up on parts with new paint and overspray, parts with remnants of part stickers, signs of welding from body shop with MIG welder (a lot of them fellas is not real welders)..

Car Fax is not worth the paper it is printed on..

34,000 on a 2010 ?? That a lot of mile... possible rental car -- oooooop's

Send me the VIN via instant message here on this site, let me see who original owner was and current if they not got it caught up and report back to what I find, and if recalls open, and past warranty claims to VIN..

What did you find out? There should be no gaps and I have two Sonatas. 34K is indeed a lot of miles for a 2010. My 2008 is as tight and gap free as the day it rolled off the assembly line in Alabama and it was a rental. My 2009 was new so I know its history completely.

Short answer the car should be virtually perfect in all respects. Otherwise it is not a good used car. Is your dealer reputable? Do a Google and find out what others say about him. Someone will spill the beans. If the dealership is a good one they should take the car back. Otherwise it is fraud or they bought it off an auction so they could claim they didn't know its history. Gaps are unacceptable. Period.

I'd bet this car was wrecked one or more times. Get rid of it and get a decent one if there is a single question. I don't think you can adequately repair a modern car unless it is a fascia repair. If it is structural, I think it should be scrapped.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I feel foolish for not having it looked at before buying it. I'm angry with myself.

I'm taking the car to a reputable garage on Saturday to have a professional look it over and assess it. I'll let you know the results of the inspection and I'll also post a couple of pictures for you to look at. Hopefully the car turns out to be in great shape with no evidence of a wreck and I'm just paranoid. I don't see any over-spray.

I do know that this was a rental car, but my research seemed to indicate that rentals can be a good value since the rental place maintains their fleet well. Also, our family has had a good past experience buying a rental car.

Thanks again.

A carfax missed an accident that sent my sonata to the auto pool. The only reason why they know now is that the seller checked the "Salvage" box on the application and it made its way to Carfax.

It was salvaged out because a tree fell on it and put small dents every single panel on it.

How big of a gap we talking? If you don't notice it 5 steps back, I'd say you're being paranoid. (Buyers Remorse)