I wanna know if this is worth the purchase

he wants $1500 OBO
the car has been sitting for 6 months and would need the basic maintenance, oil change.. ect..
the car is in great shape cept for the panels that were replaced, it would need a paint job

"Mazdatrix short shifter.
Interior is in good condition. It's a bit dirty but no rips in the seats, has floor mats, has dash mat, headliner still in good shape, (see pics)
Previous owner drilled holes into door panels to install tweeters.
New hatch struts for rear hatch (not installed.)
S5 Front & Rear bumper & side molding & rear spoiler. (Will include)
Smokes a bit on start up but car has been driving fine before I parked it.
Clutch type LSD.
Lowered on Tokico struts & Intrax springs (not a harsh ride but stiffens up the suspension nicely.)
a set of Eibach sway bars (not installed)
Also have a Racing Beat midpipe with O2 bung & sensor
Needs some body work and paint.
Salvage title due to front end damage (repaired) but frame is straight (undamaged). "






I am dying to buy me an RX7, but I have heard so much bad stuff on salvage titles, may not even be true, stuff like "the insurance company has to inspect the car ever year" "rates will be higher" "Some insurance companies wont even insure you"


the car looks great in all these other pics though

 

salvage titles definitely scare me off, but in reality all it means is the car was totaled. which means the cost to repair it was more than the blue book value. which on a car like that could mean it got a cracked bumper and bent fender and hood. it was probably minor, it doesnt take much to total these cars.

however, i would still stay away from a salvage titled car.

 

is it more the risk of being more damage then there seems, or is it the annoyances of dealing with a salvage title?

 

i bought an acrua integra 94, 6 years ago it was in great shape never wrecked and bought it from the used part of the same dealership that sold it new....basicly the car was the best used car you could buy no mods nothing... then someone runs into me in a parking lot at maybe 10 mph in the rear behind the rear doors just a small cosmetic dent and the radiator broke, i know thats not a big deal but then i sold the car b/c i also dont drive wrecked, repaired or salvaged cars. but i sold it to a friend he drives it and all sorts of strange things start to happen it stalls in turns and shuts off and alot of other weird things happend some small some bigger but the point is that strange things happen and if you want to be a part of a story like mine u should buy it but why not wait until u find one that you know u need

 

i seen the same ad, then once i got to the bottom and seen salvage title i just clicked back. who knows why its really salvage, but what i do know is that people will lie to sell their car.

 

it sucks trying to buy an RX7 with low cash..

 

I saw that ad too, salvage title makes me really iffy. They said no frame damage, but who knows.

 

I have dealt with plenty of salvage titled cars, some had other issues, but most were trouble free. What you need to know is if he had it inspected after he got the work done. Every salvage titled car needs to be inspected by either a state appointed inspector or a state appointed inspection shop. Most states need pictures and a description of the damages and what was fixed.

On older cars likes ours, it probably only take a mild front end collision to get a insurance company to total the car. I can't really tell from the pictures, but if you look into the engine compartment around the radiator, you should be able to see if there was any staightening of the body.

You shouldn't have any problems getting insurance coverage, just maybe getting full coverage on the car.

Hell, offer him $1000 for the car and be done with it...the worst you might have to do it spend some money for alignment.

 

if you can get it for a grand its worth it in parts just for the drivetrain and motor so if you were to get it and its not a good frame you could part it out and or get another shell to install all the parts

 

A well done restoration will have a car as good as new, the problem is that the restoration may not be well done. Test drive the car (extensively and at the limit) to see if it has any quirks. If it acts completely normally, I don't think that $1200.00 is an unfair offer. (Offer $1,000 and come up to $1,200.)

Like Mazdadude said, the engine and transmission are worth $1,000 and the rear differential is worth $250 or so.

 

I agree, you could get a good deal here, and a test drive is a good place to start figuring that out. A compression test would also be prudent.

I've heard plenty of stories where people get the best car they've ever had out of a salvage title, and the ones that aren't worth saving tend to end up in the scrap yard before anyone tries to save it anyway, so I'd say things are looking good for you.

 

Before you even test drive it, consult your state laws on re-introducing salvage titles to the road.

Up here in Canada you'd have to pay a shop like mine with a Structural Saftey Certification to write one for you. And by write one, I mean dig up recipets of every part that went on to fix the vehicle (if they were used parts, then you also need VIN's for the cars they came from on the reciept) pics from before the accident, during the repair and after the repair as well as a few gov't forms.

This isn't the case everywhere, but what I'm getting at is you might buy yourself an 1800 dollar lawn orniment if your state has similar rules. since in reality, in order to write a proper structural saftey, the shop writing it must be able to perform the repair so they can gather the required info. The laws are in place to keep people from flogging salvage cars on un-suspecting buyers as well as prevent written off vehicles from being cobbled up and sold as fit.

 

if it was going to bother me or leave me with the thought in the back of my head of "what if..." then i would just pass this one on.

Not saying this is a bad car, but if you really gonna doubt it, then its probably not ideal for you.

Just remember, if you did buy it and invest in fixing it up, and come around time you want to sell it, good luck lol

 

I'd say skip it. I don't trust it. People will say, or not say, anything to get their car sold. For all you know, it could have so many problems that you can't even think of shaking sticks at them! You can get a decent condition N/A for that price, ever think of starting low and working up?

If you can get it for $1000, though, do it, and part that thing out. You'll make your money off it

 

my last rx7 (which i still have) i turbo'ed it. it was N/A when i started. in 1990 the first owner rolled it over causing bad damage to the roof. the insurance company totalled it and the next owner restord it and got it road worthy again. you could see the seems where the roof was welded on. i hated it. but for the shape of the motor and price i couldnt beat it. then i blew it up!!! ARRGHH!!! i didn twant to buy a salvaged title because noone wants to deal with it.

 

some insurance companies will not insure salvage title vehicles so consult your insurance company first.

second, expect the value of the car to now be worth approximately 1/3 of blue book on resale regardless of how well the car appears to have been restored.

 

all you guys saying nay are crazy, if the car looks good, drives good and dont shudder and rattle its better the 2/3 of any old second gens out there. the car is going on 20 years old, milage has no effect at this point or what the title says. full coverage for these cars is a joke, try to make a $100 claim and its totaled. $1500 is nothing if you get a good car.

 

I don't think you follow the points that are being brought up.

Its not a matter of whether its a good car - that remains to be seen and is perhaps true. What matters is can you legally put it on the road in your state and insure it. Not if its on the road and someone runs into the back of you whether the insurance company would fix it or write it off (again).

If his state has barn door rules regarding salvage titles then he's OK to check it out and pursue. But knowing that my cost of doing a structural itself can be half of the cost of that TII may make a person think twice about buying it. IF it needs to have one in his state to be driven again that is.

Its not about condition, looks to be a sweet parts car/fixer upper. Thats not the hang up.

 

just need basic safety inspections here in cali which cost around $150, then possibly raised insurance rates.

i picked up my clean T2 which also needed a rebuild and had a clean title for less than that, no accidents either. they are not that rare... you just can't be in a hurry to pick up the first piece of **** that pops up. that car is worth $1k max..

 

I bought a TII on salvage title. But I pulled the motor out of it and sent it to the scrap heap, because it was toasted in the rear. Got everything off the car, paid about as much as that too. Plus it had an unmolested full Racing Beat exhaust, which was a bonus.

 

Probably not that big of a deal. They will total out an RX7 for the smallest of dents now a days. Just inspect it carefully.

 

looks good, if it were me i would inspect it, if it drives good and everything's ok i would take it without any problems.

 

I am sorry to break it to you guys, but I might be getting this car.



Ken

 

Does that mean insurance companies over there WILL insure cars with Salvage Titles?

 

not sure if they will insure it, i need to call and ask

ken