I went to go check out a car today 2005 euth model. 10000miles, Salvage due to hit though headlight area, I could not find any damage under the car or in the engine bay. Drove it no problems, no weird noises or stuff.

Owner gave complete list of repairs and the state of the title, carfax matched what he said also.

I want to have the frame and front end completely checked out tomarrow, and if it checks out, should I give it a shot ?

and does anybody have any goo shops to look at it in the West Covina area ?

thanks

 

I'd tread carefully. If it has a salvage title, then you're in for some major repairs. Since I'm in Colorado, I have no recommendations for a West Covina body shop. But it might be worth paying a experienced estimator to get a complete estimate on the car. Keep in mind that a salvage title means a HUGE hit on any resale value.

 

Just a bit of advise about salvage titles. Dont. You can have the car inspected, and pass with flying colors. 6 months down the road you discover problems that were missed. The reward is not offset by the risk.

 

I would probably keep the car for a good period of time

and the price is 18000

 

Say you spend 8,000 repairing it, now your cost is $26,000. What do you have at that point? A previously salvaged car. If you are in an open market looking for a car now, would you pay $26,000 for a previously salvaged used car, w/ 10000 miles? Personally, unless I can do most of the work myself to lower the cost, otherwise, it's not worth it.

 

If its been fix "right" than dont worry about it, heck you'll get it for 20% less than if it had a clean title.

Do worry about the quality of workmanship on it

It might be a good deal, or it might not.... just get a really REALLY trusted body/frame man to go look at it with you.

 

The guy buys damaged vehicles and fixes them in his body shop in LA, and resales them in his dealership. The work was done by his shop, and the parts had to fairly good its a new car, the Z have only been out a few years. So the are has been repaired and he has also be driving it for about 1000 miles since the accident was reported to the DMV.

 

I have owned my share of Salvaged vehicles and if they are done right you dont have to worry about much. I will give you one advice, take it to a frame/suspension shop and have them check the full suspension. Most body shops will pull the frame back square after an accident in order to align the body panels. So it shouldnt be that bad.

Worst case scenrio is you have to spend $600-$800 for a full frame pull that puts every corner back to factory specs. This should be checked out before you buy that way you can negotiate the price. If you cant take it in, account for this cost at purchase time.

Many on the board will say no, but take it from a guy that has built a 03 350Z from ground up (replaced full front frame rails), its just pieces of metal properly placed! I drove it personally for 10k and then sold it to a friend who has driven it another 40k miles since with no problems.

How do you think Hot Rods are built!

I use California Frame & Axle for all my suspension needs...They do excellent work including many Police Departments.

California Frame & Axle Service
6049 Rugby Avenue, Huntington Park, CA 90255
(323) 583-2834

 

I would have to agree with Davidv about the risk. Unless Salvage Titles and the frame damage do not appear on Carfax, then you have a acquired a white elephant relative to the resale market. Should you ever want or need to sell or trade the car, you may have problems. It appears to be a lot of money for a car with potientially no resale value, but with the possibility of costing thousands just to be repaired. Moreover, if $18K is considered a bargain as one's starting point for a "hot rod", then comparitively the cost of a new "Z" would not seem that expensive either.

 

thanks for the help guys
im going to take it to a shop to have it looked over

 

will insurance even cover a salvage title. make sure u get an insurance quote before u buy it. also negotiate a 1yr 12000 mile warranty on what might come up. after all he wants to say the car is good to go, tell him to back it up.

 

Warranty will not be given on a private sale!

Insurance: Most insurance companies take Blue Book retail value and payout 50% of that. The downside is that you pay full premiums to the insurance companies as you would if you drove it off the lot like everyone else! Each comany is different so you may want to check on this! Just make sure you dont pay to much over 50% of retail value.

 

they seller probably bought the Z at auction salvaged title for about 5000$ and they spent 2000$ fixing the damn thing and now they're try'in to make a quick 10 grand.

 

Why would such an expensive car have a salvage title, ok it was repaired, in my experience an insurance co. will not total a car unless it's been hit so hard it's costs like 70% of it's retail value to repair. If this car had only damage you decribed it should'nt have been totaled, you seriously need to listen to these guys and shop else where, good luck.

 

There's always a risk, only you can decide if it's worth it. I've seen people buy "clear title" cars and ended up having to spend a ton in repairs too. I bought a Z that had previous damage that was repaired, saved thousands and I haven't had a problem yet, it has a clear title. Everybody has an opinion but the truth is it's a roll of the dice any way you go. Do your best to protect yourself and your investment. Buying something with a salvage title certainly means it will be hard to get rid of if you have problems. It all simply breaks down to cost vs. risk. Do what you are comfortable with.

 

And even if you keep it 10 Yrs. resale will still SUCK.