Would you buy this frs?
 

Hello there, I've been searching for a red frs for a very long time in reach of my budget, 15k - 17k $ I found one with 12k miles & the trd kit. Exhaust & air filter, but here's the thing I found a scion frs, red exactly how I wanted it, it's been in a collision & the insurance wrote it off as salvage but it's been rebuilt, there was no frame Or engine damage, I took the vehicle for a pre purchase inspection at miller toyota & everything passed. No leaks zero issues frame & alignment all passed. The seller is pricing it at 14,500 out the door. What do you think? I'm really afraid of investing this much in a salvage.. Due to resale, I love the car and the results.. I just feel like I'm buying something with no value... Is it really that hard to sell a salvage if I have too down the road? Toyota also provided me with all records of oil changes & scheduled maintenance & everything has been on point I'm scared to miss this deal because it's perfect but I feel like I'm buying something with no value... I just sold my toyota fj cruiser to buy a new car also

A salvage car will be a hassle to sell as not many people look for these unless they are on a budget or are building the car ground up for a special purpose. In my opinion, test-drive the car for an hour. See how it runs at 60, 70, 80, 90..., 120kms. Then for some spirited driving. Try setting up the same sort of test drive with the dealership on one that has 0 problems. An inspection can say a lot, but driving it will provide some cues for you on whether the salvageable car is rebuilt well. Regardless, I would probably go for a higher mileage with a clean title as my personal preference.

You will want to check the panel gaps and you will want it to be checked by a frame alignment shop. Just because it was repaired doesnt mean its not tweeked in some way

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no

Why cheap out on such a big purchase? Buy a quality car that was taken care of. The extra money spent will be worth it in the long run.

I'd never pay more than a few grand for a salvage. Give it a couple years and you'll find perfectly legit ones for the same price.

Nope, would not get anywhere near it unless I was building a dedicated track car that was not street legal.

Nope. Get a loan on top of what you have available to spend if you want a legitimate FRS.

14,500 wouldn't be a good enough price for me to buy it just because of resale. The main benefit of buying a used car is the pleasure of someone else paying a huge chunk of the vehicles depreciation.

You may very well have trouble selling the car for 10k in a year. Thats just a guess but you'd probably take a bigger hit than buying a brand new car.

There are valid reasons to buy a salvaged car but just to save a few bucks up front is not one of them.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67509

No. I don't think it will have a warranty. Toyota like most other manufacturers cancels warranty coverage on salvage cars. It will be difficult to find an insurance carrier and also financing for the same reason. This is the time of year for lease turn-ins and new models so you might be able to find a straight used car for <$20K.

Yes I would. Cars end up looking "old" after 3-4 years anyway and what would you do if you wrecked a new car but the insurance didn't total it? I wouldn't trade it in/sell it. Fix and keep going. If it drives fine, is straight, makes no funny noise.. err, stratch that.. then it should be fine. See if you can negotiate another 1500-2000 off the price. :)

i had a salvage car that i drove for 6 years...bullet proof and not one issue. it really depends on how bad the damage was, where it was damaged and how the repairs were. good luck

May I ask what it was, date of mfr and purchase, and how much? Did you sell it?

Nope.

Are you financing or planning on getting comprehensive or collision (not basic) insurance on the car?

Most banks won't finance a car w/ a salvage title, and most insurance companies won't want to offer full coverage on the car...

... and resale will suck... if you can find anyone who wants to buy it at all.

As an "investment"? No, If the car is sound and you have no intention of selling it the maybe. A salvage title will always be worth much less than a car with a sound title. If you were to want to sell it then you would have a hard time doing so and would take a big hit financially.

What resale? That salvaged machine is a show ( if flawlessly rebuilt ) or track car! No, no and then no!

As a former car salesman of 7 years, I can say with confidence that you'll be wasting your money buying a car with a salvage title if you plan on trading it in.

If you plan on building a dedicated racer, then go for it as you'll probably tear out some stuff and make it your own.

Take the money you have left over from the sale of the FJ and apply it as a good down payment on a new machine, or search out a nice preowned for about $19k (there's a Whiteout at a nearby dealership with one in my town. Hell, there's a brand new 2013 10 Series with a cracked windscreen for $2 grand off at the local Toyota dealer!)

Honestly my gut said hell no before I opened the thread.

But the OP's description of the comprehensive inspection by a third party is tempting.

Like was said above, I have a hunch you might have trouble selling it for $10k a year from now, but at >$10k less than a new car it is tempting...

I vote no on the salvage... I just picked up my 2013 FR-S with 18k and it's CPO for 19,700.

Just keep looking and you'll find the right car. I checked out 6-7 before I found the one I purchased.

This is the correct answer.

Correct. As a salvage vehicle, any and all warranty coverage from Toyota is null and void. Even with only 12,000 miles. You can be assured the vin has already been flagged by Toyota as such.

Try finding a car coming off lease. I was advised by my local dealer that an off lease vehicle is classified as new in regards to a car loan which may help out making a deal work at a lower interest rate. Stay away from a rebuild. Too much risk IMHO.

As someone who bought a rebuilt vehicle when I was in college (needed a car, money was tight), I would say no. I had it inspected, everything checked out great. With time I noticed issues and more issues kept popping up, regardless of whether every issue was due to the previous wreck and rebuild or not, in your mind they will become connected and it will detract from you enjoying the vehicle. I sure as hell won't go that route again.

from my experience no.

i purchased my previous vehicle with a salvage title and regret doing so. everytime i tried to fix it, more issues came up... it was headache after headache after headache... plus after i paid it off i tried to trade it in and most dealerships wouldnt give me 2 grand for it...

i will never buy a car with a salvage title again... its not worth it in my opinion...

My Brz was salvaged but my dad and I did the rebuild so we know exactly what was done and how it was done. Paid much less in the end compared to most people on this forum

back in 2004 i bought a 1998 corolla with 38,000 miles for $5k. Sold it in 2012 with 110k miles for $2000.

Sweet! Can't beat that with a stick.

Exception, not the rule.

Check with insurance. Check with financing. Chances are that one of those will hold you up on the purchase.


That being said, I'm trying to figure out how the accident resulted in no frame or engine damage and still yielded a salvage title. I wouldn't trust that. That just seems unlikely.

14,500 obo is a amazing price... i would offer 11-12k and see what seller thinks?

If you could nab a FRS with no frame or engine damage for 12k your laughing. My BRZ was rebuilt and it did not bother me at all. I saved over 10 grand on it vs buying a used one.

BUT it all depends on what your intentions are. If you plan on keeping the car for a year and planning to re-sell it, then dont bother as it will be tough to resell and you will lose money. If your going to keep the car for a long time then do it. The car will be pretty much worthless 10 years from now anyway.