Im shopping for a pre owned RDX and found a reasonably priced 2017 RDX base model with acurawatch plus package however, when I look at the car fax I see that the transmission was serviced and the transfer case was replaced at 34k miles. There is a accident reported to car fax with damage on the rear of the vehicle. The dealer says the accident probably damaged the transfer case /transmission and this is why it was serviced, but the accident and the date of service are 10 months apart. Should I be concerned and keep looking for another vehicle? Part of me thinks that this is a good thing because I'm essentially buying the car with a freshly serviced and checked transmission and a new transfer case however a competing dealer is telling me that this is why the car is priced $400 less than his and that its a huge risk to buy said vehicle.

 

My 2017 with 100,000 KMs was flawless when I got rid of it last year. Our 2014, with 160,000KMs has also been very reliable. The 2nd gen is a good vehicle.

 

It's a risk, and that's probably why the car is priced lower. Is it a huge risk? I think that's a stretch, but it may be a nagging concern that bothers you. Is the dealer willing to extend a warranty on the transmission / drivetrain? That may be a good question to ask, to see if they are willing to give you some peace of mind to close the sale.
I'd be more worried about a car that took a hit to the rear that was big enough to damage the transmission. That implies some pretty significant damage / repair.

 

Is there any way to get ahold of whomever did the rear transfer case work? It could be just a typo and the transfer case was just serviced.

 

Personally I would not buy or consider a vehicle involved in an accident, even if it is priced low. There are too many cars out there to choose from.

 

The transfer case being replaced isn't a big deal. We have replaced a few with even less miles on various models. Very random but they let go here and there. I'd be more concerned about the accident stuff...

 

The selling dealer is the one that performed the service so the accident damaging it seems unlikely as the previous owner drove around with a bad transfer case if that is true