Buying Fr-S, this one worth checking out?

[Fang]

So I came across a whiteout fr-s at a VW dealership that's within my price range, but it does have a previous accident. Carfax shows:

Accident reported
Involving left front impact
with another motor vehicle
Left front primarily damaged

I'm a little worried about frame being possibly damaged since it's a unibody, is this worth looking at?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Fang

So I came across a whiteout fr-s at a VW dealership that's within my price range, but it does have a previous accident. Carfax shows:

Accident reported
Involving left front impact
with another motor vehicle
Left front primarily damaged

I'm a little worried about frame being possibly damaged since it's a unibody, is this worth looking at?

Front and rear on these are very repairable. Not much detail to go on from the incident summary so just get it checked out or make sure they carry a good warranty.

[Shady195]

Mileage? What are they asking for it?

[Fang]

44k miles, they're asking $16k

I was looking at rebuilding a salvage, which had front end damage right in the center(didn't reach the engine, but did bend the radiator back a little bit). Then I read about how since unibody is one piece, the body will absorb damage and may flex the rest of the body and obviously it won't be the same as far as structural integrity. I have two kids, but we have a outback for family duty, but if i ever would take the kids out in my car, it's not something i want to put my kids in danger of just because i wanted to save a couple thousand dollars.

So i'm just curious if this is something i should stay away from, or if it's worth have it taken to a independent shop or a scion/subie dealership to have the frame checked out?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Fang

44k miles, they're asking $16k

I was looking at rebuilding a salvage, which had front end damage right in the center(didn't reach the engine, but did bend the radiator back a little bit). Then I read about how since unibody is one piece, the body will absorb damage and may flex the rest of the body and obviously it won't be the same as far as structural integrity. I have two kids, but we have a outback for family duty, but if i ever would take the kids out in my car, it's not something i want to put my kids in danger of just because i wanted to save a couple thousand dollars.

So i'm just curious if this is something i should stay away from, or if it's worth have it taken to a independent shop or a scion/subie dealership to have the frame checked out?

At 44K I would not touch it for that price unless it was completely damage free!
4K miles maybe!

[andrewmay9]

Agreed. You're better off just buying another car rather than that

[Fang]

just curious i see you guys are from canada, the average for these used is around 18-19k in Pennsylvania/NY/NJ. are they not selling too well up there?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Fang

just curious i see you guys are from canada, the average for these used is around 18-19k in Pennsylvania/NY/NJ. are they not selling too well up there?

Some areas yes they sell like mad (see Toronto and Vancouver threads in the Canada section).
Others, like my city, not so well. They sell, but not as fast as in other areas.
Took me 20 minutes to convince the sales person I was actually serious when I wanted to buy mine since they had so many lookers but no buyers.
Part is price, as they cost much more here with used around $23-24K and new up as high as $30K for a base but the big thing (in my area at any rate) is the lack of promotion. They seem to just throw a couple of commercials on TV and call it a day.

http://wwwa.autotrader.ca/cars/scion/fr-s/

[Knshro13]

44k? you should pass. Pay a little more and you can find one for way less miles. Or even a clean title with that kind of mileage.

[Fang]

thanks everyone for the input. I'll wait and see how low prices get with end of year in december, i'm sure the prices will drop more with the cold weather coming in.