rebuilt status

[Scourge]

Back from the dead!

Well, I'm picking up this RSX-S for $6000 ($6300 with GST)...
Went to the registry with it's VIN and it has a salvage (repairable) status...



And for an extra $200, I'm getting the hood and driver side fender from this...


I've been collecting parts for an 05-06 conversion for my current RSX so I've already got some of the parts I need to repair it.

I'll sell my lower KM RSX-S with clean title and keep this little virgin RSX-S (until I have my way with it!). Transferring all mods over including the K24.

So, I pretty much bought myself another Type S for $7000ish.

[Eleanor]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
it doesn't matter whether the car was written off in a major accident or whether it was a theft recovery, since there is no way to tell.

Why is there no difference? I mean some dude taking it for a joyride and leaving it in a ditch is very different than someone plowing head-on into another car. It doesn't make any sense IMO

[funkedelic2]

I wouldn't unless you are getting an AMAZING deal. Once salvaged, the car will never be the same again..

[slick2404]

Gonna bump this thread from the dead again.


Never usually do I consider buying a car that has a rebuilt status, however I'm seriously considering this one.

IMO it's priced pretty aggressive (a little more than 35% lower than market prices) with only 20K for an 07.

Here's the history off the carproof report:
When the car was ~16K it was in an accident with a claim of $7,200
No structural damage was reported. I test drove it myself, its passed an out of province inspection already and its seems fine. Front end does show it had previously hit something if you look carefully at the fenders/hood as they are a bit misaligned.

My question is, and I'm leaning towards this regardless - but should should I take it to the mazda dealer for a pre-purchase inspection. Will they know what to look for in a rebuilt status vehicle, or does it even matter.

And does it effect insurance/registering it at all? I know I will have a tough time selling it later, but if I can get it at a solid price and drive it for a bit I'll be fine with taking a little loss knowing that its okay and still under warranty until 60k or next year.

Thanks for your input as always

[tom_9109]

Should usually stay away from rebuilt unless its older and not very expensive anyway.


a $20,000 car takes around 15 - 17 in damage to be a write off.
a 3,000 car takes like 2,000 - $3,000 in damage which can be a bumper cover and a hood on an old car with parts, labour, and proper paint.

[Moe Man]

Insurance companies write vehicles off for no reason, trust me. here are some expamples of vehicle that are writen off last week.

rebuilt status 740il



THIS ONE IS NON-REPAIRABLE this 2010 jetta with 1km can be fixd for 5 grand thats back on the road ready to drive. but sadly it will never be allowed on the road.



rebuilt status



non repairable matrx, the air bag didnt even go off!



15 grand truck writen off because of a door!



I could go on and on. money is time right, so take the extra few hours that its going to take, and get the vehicle inspected, or hell just drive the damn thing, if it has serious problems there is no way of hiding it. the car will tell you if its fucked up or not. Again these cars go through a very harsh inspection and it just got harsher...If the vehicle is leaking any fluid what so ever then it fails inspection. so next time when you look under that pecfectly good no accident vehicle and its sweating diff oil....there is a rebuilt status vehicle that is in better mechanical condition for 3 grand less

[tom_9109]

I definitely do not agree with branding some of those non repairable.

[Sebasshole]

I have repaired a couple of Salvage cars,
Who in their right mind would buy a car that is completely smashed and fix it to make a profit? Not very many.
Like in the pictures above how many of us can pay to have the frame pulled and install and fender headlights and a hood. get them painted and have a mint car.

Its mainly cosmetic ones that are repaired. Nobody fucks with mechanical repairs cause there usually body shop workers. So really the car will drive the same but cosmetically the car was damaged and repaired.

Not to mention the inspection you must go through. If you have never fixed a car and had it pass an inspection then you have no reason to believe that they are not safe. Because you simply just don’t know the process and detail that it takes. There’s a reason why you need multiple pictures of the damage, why they do a wheel alignment, a test drive, sometimes even plug it into a computer to make sure the ABS TRAC Air Bags are all in proper working order. They look under above around everything to make sure the repair was done properly. Thats why they are legal again.

[03ozwhip]

its the same with bikes. i bought my R6 as rebuilt. it only had a scratched barend, broken brake handle and a cracked fairing. ZOMG itll never run right!! i would buy a rebuilt in a heartbeat for the right price.

[Sebasshole]

Here is a word of advice.
ask for the inspection sheet and they will usually have pictures of the car before repair.

Ask to see them and then you will know how bad it was, instead of being ignorant and sounding like a idiot.

[Moe Man]

yes pictures of the damage is great, then you can decide whether it was hard or not.

Its true, it only takes one guy to try and fix a very hard hit vehicle to realize its not worth it. the auto wreckers pay big money for the hard hit ones so it makes them not worth purchasing.

the best thing about these cars is that someone was driving them right before the hit, so these cars were taken care of, clean, maintained. were as if you go buy a car from a used car dealer the vehicle was either a trade in (the owners never gave a shit about them) or a leased vehicle (ownerns never gave a shit about them as well) in most cases it costs more to fix a lease back vehicle than it is to fix a salvage vehicle.....seriously no bullshit, the leased vehicles need ball joints, linkages, windshields, tires, brakes, even some have major mechanical issues like diffs, or trannys.

80% of salvage vehicls dont need any mechanical work, usually just body. 30 dollar fender VS 300 dollar brakes?

[bjstare]

Originally posted by 03ozwhip
its the same with bikes. i bought my R6 as rebuilt. it only had a scratched barend, broken brake handle and a cracked fairing. ZOMG itll never run right!! i would buy a rebuilt in a heartbeat for the right price.

I've had a rebuilt 636, and it had the same kinda thing - scraped bar end and crank case.. nothin else really. Looked fairly clean. After I purchased it I started talking with the previous owner and he told me the truth about it... he basically replaced all the bits on the bike. The only thing original was the frame, tank, and engine. He replaced the subframe, forks, triple, clip ons... everything. Lucky for me, the frame was straight haha. Anyways, my point is that yea, for the most part a salvaged bike will run fine... but its nearly impossible to tell the difference between one thats been completely fucked and one that was written off from cosmetics. Kinda scary.

[ShermanEF9]

my civic is a rebuild. got it for less than most SiRs on the market and only thing wrong with it is it was painted pretty poorly.

[GTI1671]

the frames on rebuilt status cars are like tofu. so you tell me if you would consider one or not.

[tom_9109]

Originally posted by GTI1671
the frames on rebuilt status cars are like tofu. so you tell me if you would consider one or not.

If an inexpensive car is damaged to the point of write off it doesn't mean the 'frame' was even affected. Further most vehicles now are unibody structures and don't have a frame in the traditional sense.

[AE92_TreunoSC]

I'll never buy a rebuilt again, its insane hard to sell, even if it was just a theft recovery, or a minor accident.

[T-Dubbs]

so rebuilt status doesnt mean it was written off?
i had a buddy just buy a 05 bmw m3 for 23k. 90,000kms.
he was told that it just needed the bumpers and hood replaced?

But i have also had another buddy get into an accident with a newer 335i, with 15k damage, and it wasnt written off....
so i dunno
that doesnt add up to me.....

[tom_9109]

A vehicle gets branded 'SALVAGE' by an insurance company because they deemed it to be a write off. The vehicle was then fixed and passed the required salvage inspection. To differential the vehicle from an undamaged one, they then brand it 'REBUILT'.

[T-Dubbs]

Originally posted by tom_9109
A vehicle gets branded 'SALVAGE' by an insurance company because they deemed it to be a write off. The vehicle was then fixed and passed the required salvage inspection. To differential the vehicle from an undamaged one, they then brand it 'REBUILT'.

so then a 2005 bmw m3 to be written off would require more than just bumpers and hood?
that is what i thought, it sounded fishy to me

[tom_9109]

Originally posted by T-Dubbs

so then a 2005 bmw m3 to be written off would require more than just bumpers and hood?
that is what i thought, it sounded fishy to me

an 05 m3 would likely need $15,000 or more in damages to be a write off.