Im going to look at this 93 rx7 tt, 73,000miles, with a salvage title tomorrow. i didnt get to talk to the seller about what happened to it, but from the picture it looks very straight and its in my zip code so i thought, "hell why not check it out?" They want 12,000obo for it.. I dont really have any info on the car right now, but im curious to know if anyone has one with a salvage title, and where to look for any signs of them covering up any damage. it says lady driven and regularly maintaned by mechanic. Sorry i dont have any more info but im just excited of the possibility i can get a good deal on it cuz its a salvage, and what your guys' thoughts on this are. I will have more information tomorrow when i go to look at it, if u tell me places to look for damage, that would be very helpful. thank you.

-sean

 

also with 73,000 miles on the original motor you could be spending a lot more for a rebuild.

 

i've seen FD's last as much as 130k on the original motor but i've also seen them go right around 80.

 

I have 2 of them and it doesnt take much for the insurance company to total, because of high parts cost. The biggest thing to look for is if they fixed the parts or bought new. Obviously you should ask why the car has the salvage title in the first place, accident or theft or water damage. Many times the body shop will take short cuts to save money on the rebuildable wreck and reuse parts instead of buying new. Sometimes this can be fine, but most times the problem will haunt you, such as the 93 that i have which the bodyman fixed the drivers fender and the new wheels I put on the front caught the lip on that side and ripped all the body filler out. SOme cars are fixed right though.

 

I bought a slavaged rx-7. It has a reconstructed title though. Mine has run great and i have had it for about a year and a half. Just check all the normal stuff you should check when checking any FD, just make sure they rebuilt it correctly. That price seems a little high though. I bought mine w/ 106k miles for $6000 , of course that was after some negotiating (guy originally wanted 8k). There is an FD for sale over here with a reconstructed title w/ 80k miles and the guy is asking $8500. Just make sure everything is straight on the car then work on that price! Goodluck.

-jeff

 

for sure. salvage title should give you a caution flag. check the places where it has been fixed and see if its been done properly and not just bondo everywhere. Personally i have no problem with salvage title cars, just dont pay high retail for them!!

 

- 93
- Salvage Title
- 73k on Stock Motor
- Lady Driven
- $12000

That seller is loco dude. First off, you can get a stock FD with a rebuild for that price if you look hard enough. A salvage title is going to kill your resale value.

Then the mistake people always make...They say it's "Lady Driven" If I hear that, I stay the hell away from that car. My girlfriend has had her Civic off the show room floor...I will tell you what ladies do to cars they own.

- Run the motor on 15k old oil and say "aren't you supposed to replace that when it runs low?"

- Loose the gas cap -- as a compromise for this loss, they just don't fill it up as much

- Constantly getting body work done because of hitting ****....why? probably becasue all the mirrors on the car that are meant for safety an manuvering are now pointing at their face and used to put on makeup.

-

So if it's lady driven, a salvage title, 70+k on the stock motor, and a price that you can get a good FD for....I say "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM IT"

Sorry if I offend any female FD owners but the average woman should not set one pedicured toe in the drivers side of an FD.

Don't let this woman ---> near and FD

 

Very few female really know their way around cars. We all know that if you are not able to fix your FD, it's bound for disaster bc it's high maintenance.

So, I would not buy the car either. At 12k, it's not that cheap. You'll probly end up spending a whole lot of money fixing it, and you are better off spending 14-15k getting a cream puff with clean title to begin with. There are some around, just be patient. I found mine after 2-3 months or so of looking around. Check the papers, internet and those free car sell papers.

 

I got one of my FDs with a salvage. No accident though it was due to an engine catching on fire. No wires got on fire so all i had to do was get a new engine.

 

12k for a salvaged title, bring vaseline with you.

 

I have a salvage title but would only get one after you weight everything and find out if it works out for you.

For me it had a new reman engine, freshly rebuilt transmission, and a new t04S installed for a great price.

On the other side I did not intend on selling it ever so resale was not a concern and I have the tools and space to do the work it required myself and I was planning on doing alot of mods. I also was able to walk to work or use a company vehicle when needed (and it was).

So I ended up with good deal.

But 12K for original engine/no mods or aftermarket/salvage title is way more than I would pay no matter how good it looks.

Good Luck,

Shawn

 

Bwaaahahahahahha

 

Mine had a salvage title, but was re-issued a clean title and I only paid $6200 for it. Of course the turbos blew more oil out than I could keep in the thing and it had 96K too.

 

how was it re-issued a clean title?

 

Some states let you apply to have it reissued. (I think) My state does not so I do not know for sure. That being said I think you have to have it inspected to show it has been restored to original condition.

Shawn

 

i'd say a good price on a salvage FD being in decent shape should be around 9k

 

There is nothing wrong with getting and FD with a salvage title. I would not pay a high price for a stock FD with a salvage title.

If you are buying an FD with a salvage title these are the things I would check....

Drive the car on the highway, at least 80mph, check for vibration.
Check the tires for un-even wear.
Check the car on a lift for frame damage.
I have seen cars that were hit so hard you could not tell but the cars were unable to get a proper wheel alignment.

I would also look for things like different / missing bolts to really tell what took place.

I would also look in the spare area, behind the plastics, look for body filler. You can easily see it from inside since they drill holes in the car to use a dent puller. the body filler then comes through the holes.

I would look to see how the hood is lining up, as well as the doors / hatch creases.

Look at the seam sealer under the hood in the joints. This is how you can tell if the chassis or metal parts were replaced as well as if the car was on fire before etc...

Now, if the price is really low, you can look at these things but you really can't bitch about it since that is why its so cheap!

Anthony

 

do a carfax and see when and how it was titled as salvage.. Its usually harder to sell salvaged titled car.. but of course FD's are in great demand.. so, that's why its 12k... but I wouldn't pay that much for a stock car.. unless its in excellent shape..

Good luck..

 

That's basically how it's done. It was totaled in Texas with 3,881 and issued a salvage, then a rebuilt title. Later was issued a clean title in Alaska with 37K on it

 

yeah i think 12000 is a little steep. and in reply to waht Juster said i saw a silver FD on autotrader with 200k on the original turbos/engine etc. It was like 13000 too lol

 

.

 

Well that price sounds a little low. I mean if there is a FD out there with original engine and turbos and 200K I would think that would be the rarest 3rdgenrx7 ever. Collectors item. In fact I would think Mazda would buy it back and tour it around the US (trailored of course) to show what a good job they actually did when they put this car together.



Shawn

 

 

No way in hell I'd pay $12k for a salvaged RX-7, I don't care how good a shape unless it had $6k or so of easily sellable aftermarket parts on it.

I just bought one for $5k with clean title. Yeah it had a dubious engine, 105k, mont blue, camel interior and argh automatic transmission but I was gutting it anyway. A salvaged title one I looked at just before that one was only $6500 too.

You may want to buy something around $7-$8k and fix it up yourself.