Salavaged but repaired cars... anyone "been there, done that"?

[willyC]

I am looking at buying a s2000 out of the USA. It was a salvage vechile. The owner had it repaired. Claims that it is 100% perfect, and drives perfectly now. It has passed an inspection...and he currently drives it.

Anyone wanna throw some personal stories on here how their salvaged vechile turned out? What kind of problems could I have with a salvaged vechile that has already passed an inspection? Perhaps the inspection is a joke, and alot of problems still remain?

Any problems importing repaired salvaged vechiles into canada?

Tell me advice... and tell me your own personal stories...

Thanks!

[phrozen]

Tell him you want an OOP done, and you want a receipt
with it all.

[ole dsm]

it depends

back in the days when replacements parts were cheap, if a car was declared salvage it ment that it was fubar.
but with todays car prices and value of parts sometimes all that is damaged is the front end or rear 1/4, but because the cost of parts is so high its declared salvage....

my mom and her boyfriend buy hybrids from out east when they find a good deal and sometimes they are previous salvage titles, (hybrid cars electronics are really expensive)that have been fixed.....they bring them back and flip them .

they make a few bucks and the customer gets an expensive hybrid for cheap granted they have been fully inspected.

if your serious about the car schedual an apointment with a body shop and a dealership close by were the car is located . fly down there with cash in hand tell the seller that u plan to buy the car unless it fails a safety inspection or the repairs were incorectly.
stay over night in a hotel if need be . make a trip out of it.

[willyC]

I am just curious what the worst thing that could happen to the car after buying it, if it has already passed inspection in the usa. Is it a BAD idea to buy one? I know itll ruin my resale value... but i dont plan on selling the car

[Destinova403]

my prelude is a rebuilt title... and its perfect...

check when it was written off... remember that if its written off while the car is still young/new its worth it to repair because of the high market value of the car... if the car is older than it becomes less and less worth it for a car to be rebuilt.

my car was written off in its first year and the repair was done professionally. i believe there are import policies on salvaged cars so you might want to look into that.

if its just body damage than there is nothing to worry about, the front end of my car was written off (front bumper/hood/passenger fender) but there was NO damage to the frame or the engine

if you are really worried about it... test drive it if you can and have a full inspection done... as long as the engine and frame is fine and the job was done professionally than i dont think there is anything to worry about.


EDIT: just make sure it wasnt written off because of flood damage or fire damage... those are two problems which i probably wouldnt touch with a 10 foot pole. electronics and other components are probably damaged way beyond repair.

[willyC]

I agree with the flood and fire damage.

I guess ill have to fly my ass to the USA and take this unit for a drive. Think a carchex (sub company amongst carfax) is a good way to go?

[403civic]

maybe it would help if you drove a S2000 that was stock with no accidents in canada at a dealership (just make some shit up and say you wanna buy one and test drive it) then go test drive the one you wanna buy in the US and see if there is any differnce
but I would still get the car cheaked out also

[tom_9109]

Have a bodyshop or an estimator inspect the vehicle before you buy it. You should be able to find one online in the city the car is that can check for improperly repaired collision damage.

EDIT : worst case scenario is you could end up with a car with is completely fucked. there are tricks to hide improper repairs. Get it checked out before you buy it.

[tom_9109]

Originally posted by Destinova403
my prelude is a rebuilt title... and its perfect...

check when it was written off... remember that if its written off while the car is still young/new its worth it to repair because of the high market value of the car... if the car is older than it becomes less and less worth it for a car to be rebuilt.

my car was written off in its first year and the repair was done professionally. i believe there are import policies on salvaged cars so you might want to look into that.

if its just body damage than there is nothing to worry about, the front end of my car was written off (front bumper/hood/passenger fender) but there was NO damage to the frame or the engine

if you are really worried about it... test drive it if you can and have a full inspection done... as long as the engine and frame is fine and the job was done professionally than i dont think there is anything to worry about.


EDIT: just make sure it wasnt written off because of flood damage or fire damage... those are two problems which i probably wouldnt touch with a 10 foot pole. electronics and other components are probably damaged way beyond repair.

How the hell did your 2001 prelude get written off when it was one year old with just a hood, fender and bumper????

[Destinova403]

Originally posted by tom_9109


How the hell did your 2001 prelude get written off when it was one year old with just a hood, fender and bumper????

there were control arms and some suspension components in there too

when i ran a carproof i found out the exact year of the accident which turned out to be 9 months after the original sale date and it showed the damage amount.

there was 10 grand in damage. i had the frame inspected as well as the rest of the car by 2 dealerships (Calgary Honda and T&T Honda (repairs were originally done through T&T so i felt it was better to get a second oppinion))... and both of them said it was ok. i got a really good deal on the car and it had really good milage. it needed no work and iv owned it for over a year with no problems.

:dunno: maybe i got lucky... but the accident date was 9 months after it was new and it was 10 grand in damage... the frame is perfectly straight and there has never been any problems with the car and as i said iv owned it for over a year.

IMHO i think buying a salvaged car is not necessarily a bad idea... as long as you properly have it checked out... 200-300 for inspections is cheap when you consider the possable repair costs.

[Team_Mclaren]

if you are looking to import a salvaged car in the states, dont waste your time. A car with rebuit status cannot be imported IIRC



Originally posted by Destinova403


there were control arms and some suspension components in there too

when i ran a carproof i found out the exact year of the accident which turned out to be 9 months after the original sale date and it showed the damage amount.

there was 10 grand in damage. i had the frame inspected as well as the rest of the car by 2 dealerships (Calgary Honda and T&T Honda (repairs were originally done through T&T so i felt it was better to get a second oppinion))... and both of them said it was ok. i got a really good deal on the car and it had really good milage. it needed no work and iv owned it for over a year with no problems.

:dunno: maybe i got lucky... but the accident date was 9 months after it was new and it was 10 grand in damage... the frame is perfectly straight and there has never been any problems with the car and as i said iv owned it for over a year.

IMHO i think buying a salvaged car is not necessarily a bad idea... as long as you properly have it checked out... 200-300 for inspections is cheap when you consider the possable repair costs.

to write off a 9 months old car, the damage must have been pretty hardcore.

[TurboMedic]

Keep in mind resale will be effected by it aswell....Alot less interested people, and potentially less $$

[Destinova403]

Originally posted by Team_Mclaren
if you are looking to import a salvaged car in the states, dont waste your time. A car with rebuit status cannot be imported IIRC




to write off a 9 months old car, the damage must have been pretty hardcore.

:dunno:

its in good shape... its been inspected and iv had no problems with it in a year and im the second owner... i have no plans to sell it for a while yet (i just paid it off a month ago) its nice to go without car payments. and i got a great deal on it.... and its low milage... so whatever problems there were 7 years ago... they really dont effect me right now :)

as i said originally... some of the cars that are rebuilt in canada are going to be great cars with a potentially great deal because of the status... but some of them will be dogs... just get the proper inspections done and make sure you know what you are buying.

as for importing a car... i dont really know the processes or if its even legal to import a rebuilt car from the states, my prelude is from Calgary...

[Toms-SC]

Originally posted by Destinova403



as for importing a car... i dont really know the processes or if its even legal to import a rebuilt car from the states, my prelude is from Calgary...

No shit captain obvious. This thread is about importing an S2000 from the states.

To the OP check out riv.ca

[euro_racer]

keep in mind a car can sometimes get written off due to theft, expecially in the states they enforce that even more than here

also, IMO you can tell how well a car was fixed by the quality of the paint job. if the paint is shitty then the rest of the car was most likely done at some no-name shop or even worse, a private garage :banghead: ...a good shop has the materials and the personel to paint flawlessly or decent at least. a few tips is to check for orange-peel, sand pebbles in paint, paint tears, and paint overlaying on moldings and such due to bad masking :thumbsup:

other things to look for would be the gaps betveen the doors, hood, trunk, bumers etc. to ensure that if the frame was hit, everything would have been pulled back into piece

there is nothing wrong with buying a salvaged car as long as it was done properly, only thing that will suffer is the re-sale valie but i see you are already aware of that...good luck

[jersturbo]

Personally I wouldn't purchase a repaired or salvage title vehicle without a personal and/or professional inspection (close)...there are so many people that will say something is 100%, but really it's like 50% - LOL

I've seen so called "professionally repaired" vehicles with frame damage, come out not entirely right...my own truck (rear ended by a cab) had frame repair and a whole new box installed, drove and seemed alright, but a friend noticed one day that the truck appeared to be "dog-tracking", and after checking it out myself, could see the same thing...
...so it just shows what kind of degree "properly repaired" can mean!

Especially with modern monoque chassis and the close tolerance specs you want to maintain of a sports car, the old addage of "it'll never be the same again" kind of applies I think.

After flying down, and/or hiring an inspection service/mechanic, and including the costs for importing this vehicle, you might find the overall costs close or same to making a clean S2000 purchase locally!?

IMO ;)


Originally posted by willyC
I agree with the flood and fire damage.

I guess ill have to fly my ass to the USA and take this unit for a drive. Think a carchex (sub company amongst carfax) is a good way to go?

[Destinova403]

Originally posted by Toms-SC


No shit captain obvious. This thread is about importing an S2000 from the states.

To the OP check out riv.ca

wasnt the thread also about personal experiences with buying a rebuilt/salvage title?


Anyone wanna throw some personal stories on here how their salvaged vechile turned out? What kind of problems could I have with a salvaged vechile that has already passed an inspection? Perhaps the inspection is a joke, and alot of problems still remain?

[integra_xsi]

what was damaged on the vehicle which caused it to be written off ?
This person I worked with bought a write off from the states, but we fixed here. Lots of ppl drive write off cars, Its a good way to get a cheap price on a vehicle.

[urban.one]

Does being written off mean a vehicle automatically gets a salvage title?

I thought getting written off was based on the economics of the value of the car and the cost of repairs. Then a salvage title was based on the damage and condition of a vehicle. So not every written off vehicle ends up with a salvage title.

[willyC]

Honda dealerships in Edmonton wont let you test drive an s2000 unless you bring in proof you can afford it and proof you wanna buy one ??? They act like it is a porsche hahahaha its a dam honda.



People here ask insane amounts of cash for s2000s, so I doubt I will ever find a deal that compares to a usa s2000. heck people ask over 30 grand for a few years old s2000 in alberta, thats almost what they cost for a brand new one in the USA.(yah i know the cost of duties and importing etc etc) still ALOT cheaper in the usa.

Thanks for the info guys...

[rc2002]

I know of people who brought salvage cars across the border but had trouble registering it here in Alberta. You might want to call the local registry here and find out if it's ok on this end first.

[GTS Jeff]

I say go for it and prove the haters wrong.

[civicluva]

Originally posted by willyC
Honda dealerships in Edmonton wont let you test drive an s2000 unless you bring in proof you can afford it and proof you wanna buy one ??? They act like it is a porsche hahahaha its a dam honda.


That is ridiculous.

And it sure isn't worth the 50 grand they are asking for it.

[tom_9109]

Originally posted by urban.one
Does being written off mean a vehicle automatically gets a salvage title?

I thought getting written off was based on the economics of the value of the car and the cost of repairs. Then a salvage title was based on the damage and condition of a vehicle. So not every written off vehicle ends up with a salvage title.

No being written off does not automatically get it a salvage title. For example vehicles written of by hail, vandalism or a theft recovery (without a collision) there will be no branding to its title. However if there is a collision where the damage cannot be repaired safely, a fire affects certain areas or the car is submersed in water past a certain point it should be brand 'Non-Repair' which means it is parts/dismantle only. The insurer is require to submit a VIR (Vehicle Insurance Report) to Alberta Transportation within six days of the payout date. This may vary from province to province but these are the guidelines for Alberta.

Specifically if a car isn't too badly damaged but is a write off from an economical point of view it must be branded salvage. example a $3000 civic that has had a minor hit would be enough to write it off and have it branded salvage but the damage could be as little as a fender, door and paint.

That being said, if the vehicle doesn't go through insurance and the owner sells the vehicle and someone else repairs it, there will be no brand at all. Same thing if you take a car to a body shop and have it repaired at your cost there will be no branding.

[schurchill39]

Originally posted by tom_9109
*SNIP* Same thing if you take a car to a body shop and have it repaired at your cost there will be no branding.

If the damage is due to an accident and exceeds $1000 they will not touch it unless it has an accident sticker. If it has an accident sticker then chances are the registries already know.

[euro_racer]

^that still dosn't have anything to do with the insurance, it is only so that the police has a report in case you were involved in a hit-and-run. so you still get away without getting the car written off

[tom_9109]

Originally posted by schurchill39


If the damage is due to an accident and exceeds $1000 they will not touch it unless it has an accident sticker. If it has an accident sticker then chances are the registries already know.

An accident sticker has nothing to do with if the vehicle gets branded salvage or not. A form called a "Vehicle Insurance Report" is what gets a car branded.

You are right that a bodyshop probably won't repair major damage without a sticker, however the police report or accident sticker does not cause the salvage branding to go onto the VIN.

So lets say I cause an accident and I don't carry collision. My insurance would ake care of their car but mine would be damaged and I would be responsible for the damages. Lets say my car should have been written off but I pay a bodyshop to fix it. There will be no brand on me vehicle what so ever since a "Vehicle Insurance Report" only gets filled out and submitted if an insurance company pays the owner out for a write off.

[Senseiz]

Salvage car...

I almost purchased one a few months ago.

Basically, I was looking at an e46 BMW 325ci.
Went and look at it, in terms of body repairs, it seems like a good job. He told me off the back, he had some repairs. And even inspected to get it back on the road because it was salvaged. He even showed me pictures before the repairs and it just looks like body damage for sure.
I paid a lot of attention to the gaps around the hood, door, fender, and especially front bumper. it looked really good.
However I wanted to make sure so I brought it to my BMW mechanic.
Usually, my mechanic wants to keep the vehicle overnight so when he inspects it in the morning, it is of a cold start so any problems will be easily detected. The owner was hesistant in leaving it over night. That should be a flag already. If he is not confident in his vehicle, why is he not willing to leave it at a mechanic for the night. There are two sides to this argument, of course, who the owner of a vehicle would want to leave their car at a mechanic. But something to pay attention to if you take it for an inspection.

He spent 30 minutes on it and told me directly, it is a poor repair job. He told me it make look good and what not, but it is just patch work. He lifted the vehicle up and showed me the underbody plastic components to prevent dirt from getting into the engine was just loosely put together. It was basically falling apart. The control arm was just rebent back together and not properly replaced. As he was going through the interior, he checks it by gently tapping on the beams and components, some screws were falling out.

He also took it for a drive and the vehicle was pulling to one side, probably because of the control arm and even the suspension.

my mechanic even noticed the hood did not close properly. There are two latches on the hood and only one latched on properly.

So obviously I avoided it and not purchase it.
Lesson learnt from this experience:
Salvage cars may look good after repair but if you are really considering it, take it to a mechanic for complete inspection. And when at the inspection, you want the results for yourself, and do not show it to the owner. Even when the mechanic is explaining to you the problem. With the owner there, he will be commenting on fixes and minor adjustments.
When the hood wasnt closing properly, the owner of the car I was looking at came back and he started saying it was minor adjustments here and there. bla bla bla. You dont want to listen to him too much, but of the mechanic only.
Do not take the owners word for granted. He may just want to be getting rid of the vehicle. And of course, he was probably not the original owner of the vehicle. Rather, he purchased the vehicle from the salvage yard and repaired it himself to sell and make some $$.
I think the enire salvage vehicle title should be avoided. The reason it is salvaged is because the repair cost is greather than 85% of the value of the vehicle.
I know this because my original car got stolen and they estimated the damages to be close to the value of the vehicle, so it was a write off.
Now, some quick tips I've learned that you can do when inspecting the vehicle.:
Drive the vehicle obviously, and turn the radio off. Listen to any odd noises. And when on the flat straight road, center the steering wheel and see if the car pulls to one side.
Another thing to check for is the suspension, go over bumps, not too slow but a little faster. A bad suspension when going over bumps will have an additional clunking noise. ie like 2 bumps.
Bring a jack and a flash light along, might seem like a silly idea, but see if you can jack the car up and give a quick inspection by yourself of the under body. ie control arms. They should be one full piece, not welding on anything out of the ordinary.
Always pay attention to the gaps in the fender, hood, doors, and bumpers. If after market work has been done on it, the gaps will not be consistently the same width. It will vary.
Obviously, check for leaks. Maybe ask him if that is where the car has been parked for a while. I like to see the car where it has been parked, not meeting at some place because I will notice if there are any leaks. Another useful technique is to look carefully in the engine for stains. I saw a car with green stains all over the hoses and engine oil on some odd areas in the engine.

Hopefully this helps.

Good luck with the choice.

[A790]

Originally posted by Senseiz
Salvage car...

I almost purchased one a few months ago.

Basically, I was looking at an e46 BMW 325ci.
Went and look at it, in terms of body repairs, it seems like a good job. He told me off the back, he had some repairs. And even inspected to get it back on the road because it was salvaged. He even showed me pictures before the repairs and it just looks like body damage for sure.
I paid a lot of attention to the gaps around the hood, door, fender, and especially front bumper. it looked really good.
However I wanted to make sure so I brought it to my BMW mechanic.
Usually, my mechanic wants to keep the vehicle overnight so when he inspects it in the morning, it is of a cold start so any problems will be easily detected. The owner was hesistant in leaving it over night. That should be a flag already. If he is not confident in his vehicle, why is he not willing to leave it at a mechanic for the night. There are two sides to this argument, of course, who the owner of a vehicle would want to leave their car at a mechanic. But something to pay attention to if you take it for an inspection.

He spent 30 minutes on it and told me directly, it is a poor repair job. He told me it make look good and what not, but it is just patch work. He lifted the vehicle up and showed me the underbody plastic components to prevent dirt from getting into the engine was just loosely put together. It was basically falling apart. The control arm was just rebent back together and not properly replaced. As he was going through the interior, he checks it by gently tapping on the beams and components, some screws were falling out.

He also took it for a drive and the vehicle was pulling to one side, probably because of the control arm and even the suspension.

my mechanic even noticed the hood did not close properly. There are two latches on the hood and only one latched on properly.

So obviously I avoided it and not purchase it.
Lesson learnt from this experience:
Salvage cars may look good after repair but if you are really considering it, take it to a mechanic for complete inspection. And when at the inspection, you want the results for yourself, and do not show it to the owner. Even when the mechanic is explaining to you the problem. With the owner there, he will be commenting on fixes and minor adjustments.
When the hood wasnt closing properly, the owner of the car I was looking at came back and he started saying it was minor adjustments here and there. bla bla bla. You dont want to listen to him too much, but of the mechanic only.
Do not take the owners word for granted. He may just want to be getting rid of the vehicle. And of course, he was probably not the original owner of the vehicle. Rather, he purchased the vehicle from the salvage yard and repaired it himself to sell and make some $$.
I think the enire salvage vehicle title should be avoided. The reason it is salvaged is because the repair cost is greather than 85% of the value of the vehicle.
I know this because my original car got stolen and they estimated the damages to be close to the value of the vehicle, so it was a write off.
Now, some quick tips I've learned that you can do when inspecting the vehicle.:
Drive the vehicle obviously, and turn the radio off. Listen to any odd noises. And when on the flat straight road, center the steering wheel and see if the car pulls to one side.
Another thing to check for is the suspension, go over bumps, not too slow but a little faster. A bad suspension when going over bumps will have an additional clunking noise. ie like 2 bumps.
Bring a jack and a flash light along, might seem like a silly idea, but see if you can jack the car up and give a quick inspection by yourself of the under body. ie control arms. They should be one full piece, not welding on anything out of the ordinary.
Always pay attention to the gaps in the fender, hood, doors, and bumpers. If after market work has been done on it, the gaps will not be consistently the same width. It will vary.
Obviously, check for leaks. Maybe ask him if that is where the car has been parked for a while. I like to see the car where it has been parked, not meeting at some place because I will notice if there are any leaks. Another useful technique is to look carefully in the engine for stains. I saw a car with green stains all over the hoses and engine oil on some odd areas in the engine.

Hopefully this helps.

Good luck with the choice.
Good post :)