how bad is a rebuilt title?

[spikerS]

looking at a dodge truck, and did a car fax report, and found this. It was in an accident and has a rebuilt title.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a334/Snorakk/carfaxdodge.jpg

how bad can this be? it has a rebuilt title so, it had to be re-inspected to be able to be registered again right?

What should I have my eyes peeled for?

[Weapon_R]

Pass. I've never driven a rebuilt title vehicle that felt as solid as a straight one. Even if it was repaired, it'll always have minor quirks and its very difficult to get the body completely straight again once it has been involved in a bad accident.

[Casa]

ask Dane
"destinova403" what he thinks of a rebuild title.
his prelude is a rebuild. his car seems to drive pretty good.

[spikerS]

thing is this truck is only going to be used 5-7 times a year to pull our trailer and maybe do a wood run for the fire pit a few times.

I am not looking to mod this truck or anything, like i said, it would hardly get used.

[revelations]

^ if thats the case and the money is right..... who cares?

Yes, it has to pass a thorough inspection.

[DRKM]

Also remeber that cars get writtenof for all sorts of things. My buddies civic got written off because theives stolethe interior of his car.

[revelations]

Curious....why was the title issued three times?

Did a registry screw up again :eek:

[b18cr]

it all depends on how bad the hit was, some cars get written off with an easy fix such as pulling the quarter panel, rear bumper, taillight and paint.. ie: most honda civics.

keep your eyes peeld on the actual frame of the car, it might be a little hard to spot, but usually on trucks, if the hit was fairly bad the frame might have been pulled out/ pulled to far, and probably patch welded.. look at the frame, try and see if u can spot some, itll all be covered by all the undercoating the bodyman might have sprayed to cover it up.. if there wasnt frame damage, then the car might still be pretty good, depending on where the previous owner got it fixed and how bad it was hit..

[topmade]

^^ :werd: Hard to say sometimes. Does this person have receipts on what was repaired and all? We just got our 99 CR-V back from an accident where a guy drifted into the left side and scracthed/dented the whole left side. They replaced the front 1/4 panel, both door shells, and repaired the back 1/4. Total pricetag was about 7k. If the car was a few years older it would of been a write off, but it drives absolutely fine with no problems what so ever.

[toastgremlin]

Originally posted by revelations
Curious....why was the title issued three times?

Did a registry screw up again :eek: I'd guess that Carfax interprets each renewal of the registration as a title transfer, and then puts up the warning that it's still a rebuild.

I'd second the advice to ask the owner for receipts, and take the thing to a mechanic you trust for an inspection before thinking about purchasing it. If the frame's damaged, you don't want to find out about it when you're towing things.

[SJW]

Its like when a black man screws your girlfriend, she still feels loose and its never the same again.

[Destinova403]

Originally posted by Casa
ask Dane
"destinova403" what he thinks of a rebuild title.
his prelude is a rebuild. his car seems to drive pretty good.

not sure if i know you but yeah.

my car is a re-build and i havent had any troubles...
my suggestion would be to make sure you have it properly inspected by multiple mechanics who you trust. and find out where all of the initial repairs were done after accident and ensure that it was done at a reputable shop.

my car for instance had all the repair work done directly by Honda, i had it inspected by the dealership as well as a friend of mine whos a journeyman mechanic.

if you get the go-ahead and you are confident in the condition of the car then i wouldnt worry about it.

youll be getting a really good deal on a car that potentially has no problems, just be VERY careful to make sure you dont get a lemon.

[SJW]

This statement is wrong on so many levels.


youll be getting a really good deal on a car that potentially has no problems, just be VERY careful to make sure you dont get a lemon.

[Destinova403]

Originally posted by SJW
This statement is wrong on so many levels.



please enlighten me.

[SJW]

I want you to read it ten times. Then you tell me.

[Destinova403]

Originally posted by SJW
I want you to read it ten times. Then you tell me.

i dont know how much more cut and dry i could possibly make it.

rebuilt cars COULD PORENTIALLY have NO problems, yet you will get a good deal on it because of the title.

just as long as you are careful to make sure that it isnt a lemon...

i guess you are just seeing something im not...

forget your medication?

[SJW]

Ok lets play Mr. Salesman and Mr. Customer.

Does your statement give me any confidence as a consumer?

[Destinova403]

Originally posted by SJW
Ok lets play Mr. Salesman and Mr. Customer.

Does your statement give me any confidence as a consumer?

im not a salesman nor am i trying to sell you a car. I have NO interest in selling my car, because im planning to drive it all the way through school.

im trying to make sure that the OP is aware of my experience on the original topic.

there are people who will try to screw him, but there are honest people out there who genuinely have good cars for sale, just as long as he does his homework.

[BigShow]

Originally posted by SJW
Its like when a black man screws your girlfriend, she still feels loose and its never the same again.

More or less, this is why I would never buy a rebuilt car.

[QuasarCav]

Originally posted by Destinova403


im not a salesman nor am i trying to sell you a car. I have NO interest in selling my car, because im planning to drive it all the way through school.

im trying to make sure that the OP is aware of my experience on the original topic.

there are people who will try to screw him, but there are honest people out there who genuinely have good cars for sale, just as long as he does his homework.

Wait until Tiffany goes up for sale and you will see what SJW means.

[msommers]

Depends a lot on how bad the accident was. If the frame is still true, there is a decent chance it will be OK. Sometimes insurance companies will write-off vehicles that only need a bit of TLC to fully restore.

[Destinova403]

Originally posted by QuasarCav


Wait until Tiffany goes up for sale and you will see what SJW means.

i bought the car with the intention that i would keep it for a long time. long enough that no matter whether or not the car was rebuilt i was going to take a hit.

iv owned it for 2 years now, and i intend to own it ATLEAST until im finished university in another 6 years.

yes i will agree that a re-built title will hurt the re-sale of the car, but in my case this wasnt a big enough factor to disregard the initial deal i got. i saved almost 4k on this car vs. a car without a re-build and similar miles (73000 KM when i bought it)... and all i invested was about 300 on inspections, and almost everyone that has seen my car knows the condition that its in... (please excuse the rock chips... i drive deerfoot every day, but i digress)

i didnt say that buying a re-build was the best thing in the world... only that it works for some people, and you CAN get a very good deal, as long as you do your homework.

[Moe Man]

guys rebuilt status is totally based on the price of the vehical. rebuilt doesnt automatically mean the frame is bent. it could be stolen, hit, or even hail damage.

if you plan on keeping the car for a long time then go ahead.

but before you guys go on, what is the vehical?

[88CRX]

They also write off (rebuilt statust) S2k's that get their soft tops slashed and seats jacked.

However if you don't personally know the story as to why it was a rebuilt status I would stay far far away.

[Stealth22]

Originally posted by Moe Man
before you guys go on, what is the vehical?

Read the first post? :dunno:

Anyways spikers, I would have the truck inspected for frame damage or anything serious like that. If you're not going to use the thing very much, it may be worth getting if the price is right. Can I ask what the odometer reading and price are? Your Carfax says 113,000kms in 2004...

If you're serious about getting this car after doing all the above (my post and everyone elses), I would spend $50 and get a CarProof report (http://www.carproof.com/). CarProof is more expensive than CarFax, but it provides a heck of a lot more detail, especially about Canadian vehicles. Carfax is almost useless for Canadian cars. If the seller is honest/serious, he may even offer to pay the $50 or take it off the price of the truck. Speaking of which, how much has he got in terms of service receipts and such?

EDIT: If you're going to mention to the seller that you're getting a CarProof done, first I would ask him why the truck has a re-built title. Then after he answers that question, you can tell him you're getting the report done. If you don't care about the $50 fee, I wouldn't even tell him. AMA can also get the CarProof done for you if you so desire.

[spikerS]

the truck currently shows 165k, and he is asking $4200. This guy is not the owner that had it when it was in the accident. He puchased it last november to use for his home renos, and is now finished.

as for receipts and such, i don't think i am going to have much luck. the truck purrs and besides rock chips, seems pretty decent. I told the owner last night that I was going to run a car fax on it, and he seemed fine with it.

[Stealth22]

Do you know the trim level of the truck? Is it a regular cab, quad cab or club cab? 4WD?

I checked the Black Book value for a Ram 1500 ST with a regular cab, 4WD, it said about $4500.

As I said, if you think you're serious about buying it, run a CarProof. It should be able to tell you the date of the accident and the magnitude of the claim.

[spikerS]

it is a 1500 regular cab 2wd. auto trans and V8. bench seat with fold down center console.

i think that is just the ST trim, but not sure.

what does your black book value say for the above?

[Destinova403]

Originally posted by spikers
it is a 1500 regular cab 2wd. auto trans and V8. bench seat with fold down center console.

i think that is just the ST trim, but not sure.

what does your black book value say for the above?

it says you arent getting a very good deal on the truck, especially the way the market is sitting right now.

thats basically a base model truck, hes asking black book value with a re-built title in a down truck market.

move on you can find better.

[Stealth22]

Originally posted by Destinova403


it says you arent getting a very good deal on the truck, especially the way the market is sitting right now.

thats basically a base model truck, hes asking black book value with a re-built title in a down truck market.

move on you can find better.

:werd:

Black book value is between $2000 and $3600...and its a re-built truck, that puts the value at no more than $2200, if not less than that.

You can get the Black Book value by going to the 'apparaise tradein' section of any car manufacturer's website (i.e. Toyota's link is here: http://www.toyota.ca/NWS/english/confighelp/appraise_tradein_vehicle.html )

If you still want this truck, I would print off the Black Book report and offer him $2200 since its a rebuild. And when I say offer $2200, I mean $2200 with a condition of CarProof giving a clear report...perhaps even the $50 CarProof fee being included in the purchase price. As I said above, $2200 would be the absolute max, if not less.

Although in all seriousness, I'd look for something better.

[Moe Man]

can anyone of you guys buy a vehical based on black book value.....

if you can let me know cuz i am a dealer and i cant even get vehicals for black book price. but you will find that out soon enough!

:rofl:

[QuasarCav]

Originally posted by Moe Man
can anyone of you guys buy a vehical based on black book value.....

if you can let me know cuz i am a dealer and i cant even get vehicals for black book price. but you will find that out soon enough!

:rofl:


Vehicle

[Casa]

terrible deal for that price. move on, Graham auctions has some cars on for sale, like 02 Dodge's for 5500.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by Casa
terrible deal for that price. move on, Graham auctions has some cars on for sale, like 02 Dodge's for 5500.

they were all junk. i already went and looked at the Graham lot.

I took the dodge in for an inspection, and besides the back bumper being pushed down and rock chips, it passed the mechanical inspection without any issues. I ended up buying the truck. They were asking $4200. I bought it for $3400 and he bought my first tank of gas.

For what I am using it for, and not planning on re-selling it any time soon, I think the truck will work out just fine.

http://kijiji.ebayimg.com/i4/02/k/000/7c/0b/9ee6_20.JPG?set_id=1C4000

[Moe Man]

thats good man if you plan on keeping it for a long time you got a deal. :thumbsup:

[g-m]

yea that sounds like a good deal actually

[spikerS]

well, did a bunch of work on it today, tune up and replaced all the fluids. took it for a spin and it runs like a dream. gonna check the transmission out though. seems not to downshift properly, takes too long to downshift when cruising. Hopefully when i replace the transmission pan gasket and put new fluid in it will solve this.