[larkinrichards]

How do you define "minor accident" -- perhaps it was a "minor" accident because no one was injured and no other party was involved?

Last time I bought a car, I found the one I wanted with the note that it had been in a minor accident. I paid for the carfax, and learned that it had some damage and repairs, and had somehow traveled across the country in the process. Limited details, except, the accident had occurred in Florida. $10 later I had the police report. It was a 4wd car and suffered 2 broken axles & broken drive train. not minor in any way.

[fingerlocks]

Axles are small and can break in half easily from a sudden torque inversion, like rolling backwards in neutral and then dropping the clutch in 1st. They are also easy to swap out and relatively inexpensive. If the transmission survived and the axle broke, I’d say the car is a keeper.