Maybe it had an after market hood removed and a stock hood reinstalled
and the bump stops not reajusted ..

 

Wouldnt go with it,still like to have the headlights hahah

 

id check another car history report. ever since i heard the news report on carfax i dont find it as reliable. best bet is to have a mechanic see if theres any frame damage that wasnt reported ect.



CARFAX: Are the reports reliable? - NBC12 News, Weather Sports, Traffic, and Programming Guide for Richmond, VA |

 

Might just be your power steering pump. Check your power steering fluid level.

 

I'm not really feeling an accident based on those pics. I think the bumpers for the hood may need twisted down a little for it to line up with the fenders. As pointed out, it's also missing the center console lid.

If it was in a wreck, it's hard to say based on those pictures. It's also clear it had after market accessories (the radio in the dash, screens in the head rests, and the black head lights).

I think you just need to adjust the hood alignment, replace the missing center console lid and get a set of fog lights to replace the grill covers and enjoy the ride

 

I knew from day 1 Carfax should not be the beginning and end. If you have an accident and it never makes it to a public record (say I back into an object like a telephone pole and it destroys my bumper, I never had an accident report, I just went to a body shop, paid out of pocket so there was no insurance claim, there is NO paper trail for a company like Carfax to get).

Carfax is just another tool, not to replace your OWN observations or those of a trusted helper. I had a '93 Grand Am Carfax reported clean, but I could clearly tell the quarter panel was a repaint (could be any list of reasons why, accident, paint peeled, rust, tree sap destroyed the paint). But I looked the car over and felt it was a good deal (and until I wrecked it 40,000 miles later it was a great car).

My Monte, I bought from a car wholesaler out of state. He insisted the car was never in an accident. I limited his selling power as Carfax informed me is WAS in an accident. When I saw the car in person, I could clearly see damages that were most likely caused by an accident. For me, the damage was minor and I was able to keep the seller in what I felt was a very fair price. I got one heck of a deal and I've been 100% happy with my Monte that was in an accident.

 

IMO the car has been in a front end collision that wasn't reported to CarFax. Body panels aren't aligned, the hood overhangs the front bumper and paint mismatch are some warning signs, but another giveaway is the wrinkled sheet metal and overspray on the rubber bumper stops.

 

A lot of factory cars (including at least some year 6th gen Montes) have painted hood bumpers. I thought the same of my Monte (that I knew was in an accident) until a saw another, never been wrecked Monte with painted hood bumpers. I don't know WHY the factory paints them (as the paint never holds).

 

I would say if your comfortable with it and it drives good it don't really matter if it was in an accident or not. Just take some time to realign the panels and it will be fine. Or take it to a body shop and have it done. Nice monte by the way and welcome to the site.

 

I guess I learned something new today. I always thought the newer vehicles were dipped (rust preventative) and painted prior to any of the rubber stops being applied. There's nothing wrong with purchasing a vehicle that has been previously involved in an accident, but I think it should be considered when it comes time to settle on a fair price. So to answer the original question 'Has this Monte been wrecked?' imo the answer is yes, it has.