Looking at buying an FD rx7 and i've found a very clean looking one that wouldnt be too hard to get for me, but it does have a rebuilt title. Ran the vin and it came back for the mileage of the odometer not matching the supposed mileage of the car, but i plan to swap it anyways. Essentially what i'm asking is how much not having a clean title cuts off the value of the car. (Which is a shell btw) and looks pretty damn good inside and out

 

Not having a clean title severely hurts the value of the car, no matter what condition it's in. If you're not that concerned with being able to sell it at some point, I would go for it since you should be able to haggle quite a bit on the price. Just be warned that salvage/rebuilt FD's are far from sought after. I don't suppose you know the reason the title is "rebuilt?"

 

Says its because the actual mileage of the car doesnt match the odometer, but i also know at some point it was repainted

 

Is that the reason the seller gave? If so it's probably BS. It had to have been wrecked, flooded, stolen, etc. at some point if it doesn't have a clean title.

 

Yeah thats what i thought... thats why i included that i knew it had been repainted before.

 

Rebuilt title or salvage/branded titles are not good for resale. Most of the time a repaired chassis is never as strong as the original thus compromising the safety of the car which results in the lower value.

 

So are you saying to just avoud it all together? If not what would be a reasonable asking price?

 

post a link to the sale ad. its hard to price with NO INFORMATION.

 

Having a rebuilt title not only hurts resale value but could cause problems when trying to get insurance on it. Some companies just don't insure them, most will charge you more for it. You'll also be required to provide background on why the title is other than clean.

 

Yeah and those definitely are not problems i want to have to deal with. Its nice to be able to place somewhere and have people talk some sense into me 😂. I've just been looking for so long and they're all either way too expensive to get to me or in horrible condition.

 

In MA to insure a car with a rebuilt title you have to get it inspected. It's a few hundred bucks to have a guy come out and look it all over and take some pictures for the insurance company, as proof the current condition of the car.

I'd get a carfax on it if you're serious about it. It should have details on why it was salvaged. Like where it was hit or if it was a flood car.

 

A car like the FD will be worth so much money in 15-20 years, you should hold out for a clean one.

 

We've got it pretty good in Mississippi. Insurance will insure anything the state says is roadworthy. If you buy a vehicle with a rebuildable/salvage title, you only need to provide "before" repair photos, and list the parts that were added or changed, and the vin of the vehicle the parts came from. Or receipts for new parts. Get it inspected at a state inspection station, and you shouldn't have any problems.

now, the insurance company may not pay you what you want....if it gets totalled out. But, that's why you need to look for a company that will offer an "agreed value" policy. And with the rebuilt title, that'll be hard to do. IMO, rebuilt title vehicles are only good for track toys, or cars you won't mind losing in an accident.

 

As others have mentioned I would tread carefully. You should also consider what your plans are in the future. It can be hard to predict future events but If you go into the car knowing you may want to sell it someday, then stay away. Its a pain to sell a car with a rebuilt title.

 

Rebuilt and repainted. Sounds fishy to me. It's a gamble which you won't know until you actually get the shell inspected for frame damage.