Auto body repair & detailing: Rebuilt 2008 Honda Civic, 2008 honda civic, carproof

Question
I am considering buying a rebuilt 2008 Honda Civic with 48,000km's (has factory warranty until 60,000km's) for $10,300. Carproof reported that the car had been hit on the passenger side and caused $15,000 in damage (car was at 40,000km's at the time). The owner was quite confident that I would find nothing wrong and allowed me to take the car to the garage that it was repaired at. The tech at the garage said that the doors were replaced, and that the car's frame needed to be straightened only a little. I have also looked up reviews on this garage, and they were awarded an "A" for their service and quality of work. The car looks, and drives very nicely. The only thing that stood out to me was that the airbag light was on, which has now been fixed by the current owner at a Honda dealership. I told my mechanic about the car, and he said its a good buy. What's your opinion? Is this a good buy?

Answer
Hi Chantz! With out actually seeing the car, this is what I can offer.....What I would do, is to see if you can get a copy of the estimate and final bill from the bodyshop from which it was repaired. That way, you can see exactly what was needed to repair this vehicle. If the air bag light was on, then there was a problem with the system at one time. Were there side air bags that were deployed? This would result in a code being issued for the light to come on. This should also have been taken care of before the vehicle even left the shop. Also, find out if they have a lifetime warranty program, not just for the original owner, but for one as yourself considering purchasing this vehicle.  As for the Carproof/Carfax report, these can sometimes be decieving. It will only show repairs if they were reported to them....Sometimes they are not....Another option, is to take it to an independent inspection shop. It will cost you a few dollars, but they will check out EVERYTHING. That way, if it checks out, it will give you some idea if the repairs were done properly...For yourself, what you can do, is to do a visual inspection. Check all of the gaps from one end to the other....See if they are even. Is there windnoise, rattles, squeaks etc.?....Hope this helps...Any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.......Thanks.......Dave