Rebuilt FR-S 2014 23,XXX Miles at $11,300, Good Deal?
 

Hello! I am looking to purchase an FR-S that has a rebuilt title due to a front end collision.

It's a nice looking car that seems to have been repaired well. It's being inspected at the Scion dealership today. Hopefully, it will come back with a good bill of health.

Would love your input on whether this is a good deal!

Thank you!

Fred

You have one life, buy it and drive the shit out of it.

I would first find out what happened and what they replaced for it to hold a "rebuilt" title

who knows, it could have frame damage that wasn't looked over or can't be seen

i would look more into the damages .

Look until you find evidence of where the chassis was repaired. If you don't find any damage, keep looking because I assure you that it is there.

Someone bought that car, spent a lot of time and money to make it saleable, and still needs to make a profit at that price. I assure you that they took whatever shortcuts they think they can get away with.

The other thing to consider with rebuilds is the effects of a front or rear end collision on the entire drivetrain. Shoving the front or rear of the car into the other end puts a chain reaction down the middle of the engine, gearbox and rear end. Parts that were never designed to take an impact in that direction.

Are you planning to finance? Check with the bank and the insurance company first. Their adversity to risk might be something you want to emulate.

Oh, heck, if it runs good and drives straight ...... I'd go for it.


humfrz

What a deal. Looks like they did a good job on the repairs. If it drives well I personally would buy it. Make sure they do a thorough inspection.

Other than that it looks clean.



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outside looks aren't everything..

I once bought a car without a carfax on it and the guy told me he was the 3rd owner.. after to find out he was actually the 8th owner and I became the 9th and then had the engine blow up on me not even a year later.

How do you determine if there are severe problems before buying besides just looking at the outside? Can you find some really beat-to-hell roads and rip over them at speed? Maybe once you start flexing the chassis you will pick up on some issues.

First off, lift up the hood and check to see where the front end was repaired. Go underneath the car and see if there is any damage underneath there as well such as visual damage on either the frame, trans or diff.

I agree, it the car drives well and does not appear to have any major issues, pull the trigger. this car has been listed locally for quite some time. it looks clean and for the price, it appears to be a great deal.

If the chassis is compromised it's a death trap.
If all the damage was as mild and light as the seller assuredly claims it's the deal of the year.

The truth is that it's somewhere in the middle. Get the chassis checked at a REALLY reputable shop, like top of the line capable of doing performance alignment and assessing chassis straightness. Even if you spend >$200 it'll be worth it if you're seriously thinking about doing this.

But that's all thinking about autox/hpde/hard driving. Just a DD? Just make sure it's crash worthy, still get it checked out at a shop.

$11,300? I'll buy it if you don't.

I would mirror what Strat said. If you are REALLY interested in this car .... get it checked out by a reputable shop. If it checks out ... then this will be a good DD for that price.

Is there factory warranty left? May not apply now that the car has been repaired.

Definately factor in all the "hidden" costs of buying a repaired vehicle.

Nothing wrong with rebuilt cars but as stated above but please please get it checked out. See if they have any pictures of the damage before it was repaired people will do crazy things just to make some cash. My brz was rebuild and I could point out just about everything that was done. She drives awesome and takes everything I throw at her (twisties and drifting as well as just normal daily driving) BUT the passenger side rear wheel is a few millimeters in compared to the other wheels so for better fitment I have a 5mm spacer there.

Once again could be a great buy just put in some time checking it before committing to it.

I will go at this from a slightly different angle than most the post above. Remember that the car will always have a rebuilt title. That can have a big impact on you when it comes time to move on from it. You will have to sell it well under book price and may even then still have difficulty doing so.

If resale is not a concern, a mechanic/bodyman tells you it was repaired properly, it drives and runs great and your insurance company will insure it then it could be a good buy.

UPDATE:


I received a response from the Toyota Dealership and will not be purchasing due to the following:

• Unibody frame is bent and needs to be straightened
• Oil is leaking from the oil plug and is currently sealed with silicone
• Body and fenders do not line up
• Engine has a squeal and vibration that can be felt through the pedals
• Control arm is bent impacting the alignment
• Two front tires are feathering
• Left wheel is bent
• Bumper pad not mounted properly
• Noise from front right wheel
• Air filter box is cracked

Glad I took it in and I thank you all for your valued input!


Fred

I would only buy it if it was to be a beater daily driver you didn't care about putting miles on, or a track rat.


If you go in to the mindset of it not being a nice car, you won't worry about it when you go to sell it later on.


If it is a track rat, who cares.... everything will be changed anyways.

If the seller can show you damage and what was done I might consider it. Otherwise I would cough up some extra cash for used. Salvage cars are a huge gamble imho and I'm not sure I would put over 10k into one.


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Yep hence my reasoning for recommending he makes sure they meticulously inspect the vehicle...

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Good choice. I wouldn't buy it based on the engine alone. Who knows what's going on in there, driveability would definitely be affected, if not now, in the future.

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Even thought the OP is not buying the car, I wanted to add that here in Maryland, if your car has a rebuilt/salvage title, you cannot trade it in at a dealership.

What's that old saying of if it sounds too good to be true?

If you can stand to part with 11 grand and deal with whatever issues come with it,go for it,otherwise don't bother.

Personally,I would only get a car with a rebuilt title if it were super cheap and would be used only as a beater for the winter.

Hmmmm... Doesn't sound it was rebuilt, at all, to me...


Oh, AFAIK, insurance companies will not issue comprehensive and collision coverage on a rebuilt/salvage title car....

I know I'm a little late to the party but someone in the mn86 group was talking about this car and posted this pic as the before picture. Judge for yourself.

OIC. If this was indeed the starting point, I will concede that it was "rebuilt". But then I would add, "But, why?" (unless the seller has nothing but free time on his hands)

$10000! It's slowly happening!

Soon the twins will be popping up cheap enough for me to buy a second one. Completely strip it down, straight pipe, blower, PROFIT!

Not sure this is the same one as the owner said his was from TX. Maybe though.

Just what I saw on the mn86 Facebook page. Someone was wanting to buy this car as well and if it's the same one that's been on Craigslist for over a year then it probably the same one.

The color is nice though

You could still buy it, just tell the buyer what was found and make him cut the deal in half lol $5000-$6000 <- that puts it into MR-2 territory

Because it has a salvage title :lol: This is a really good candidate for a track only car.

Wow it's a good list of bad thing! Don't touch it!

-1

Pass

I mean if you want to get technical and attempt a restoration and rebuild here are some very liberal estimates:

Oil is leaking from the oil plug and is currently sealed with silicone: Needs new drain plug and pan-$140 including a new drain bolt and seal/gasket.

Body and fenders do not line up,
Bumper pad not mounted properly: New pop clips and reinstall of fenders and body panels possibly replacement of them as well $300-$500

Unibody frame is bent and needs to be straightened: This is a major deal the frame is going to need to be straightened in some places that $60 and hour in labor and it adds up to $3000-$5000

Engine has a squeal and vibration that can be felt through the pedals:
This is going to require a serious diagnosis and the price can't be predicted

Control arm is bent impacting the alignment
Two front tires are feathering
Left wheel is bent
Noise from front right wheel

The control arm will be $700 not including labor to install thats if its a non oem set, and the front right wheel will probably need a new hub and bearings so tack on another $1000 plus a $150 alignment thats a good $2500 job to fix the alignment in the end including labor.

Air filter box is cracked:
Might as well upgrade right? $330 for a new Grimmspeed air intake.


So it'd end up being around $8500 to get the car moving like new again and that's not even counting the engine vibration and squeal. If someone wants to swing on this car and build the shit out it as a daily driver and not a fun beater they would be $20000 into it by the end of it all, the whoever is selling it has some nerve, you could afford a much better CPO one after that debacle

Make sure has no frame damage, no busted welds, no bent or kinked metal. Because next time it'll snap in half. Make sure it doesn't steer left or right pull. Even with inspection you can miss the frame damage. Personely i would never buy a salvage. Good luck

All that is fine except that the seller is already claiming it is fully rebuilt and road worthy. If that list is just what the dealer found just how many hidden screw ups did they not find? You would be better to just get a still damaged car and start from scratch knowing exactly what is done then playing hide and seek with that thing.

But I very much enjoy playing hide and seek Tcoat.

It's your turn to find me......... :scared0016:

here is how they probably repaired the frame

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_QpnNnzf1E"]RUSSIAN fixing cars, frame pull with JEEP - YouTube[/ame]

lol

Dont just walk away, RUN!

raven1231 http://www.ft86club.com/forums/third...ser_online.gif

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