Picked up a 2017 MT 86 that has been tracked. Help?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Sasquachulator

I'd return it.
But then again personally i'd want a car that hasnt been molested by someone else.

And yet I can't even give my Lava away at this point!

[alex87f]

I agree with the general statement that nothing proves this car was tracked. I'd look for underside and wheel damage (like I did when I purchased mine), but the mods alone do not make it sure it was tracked.

The following questions would concern me:
-Bad tune that doesn't clear the P0420 code (maybe putting the FP back helps?)
-Main warranty was voided - why?
-Sold with an additional Toyota warranty, but will it work if the main one was voided?

It's up to you to know how good a deal you scored on the car, and whether it makes sense to keep it with the above questions possibly open. It's also up to you to know how serious your OCD is and how much it may prevent you from enjoying the car.

Also, keep in mind the likelihood of you having purchased a steaming pile of garbage are low. I can also get quite worried in such situations, but it's important to keep in mind that we tend to make things look much worse than they are .

[g e]

Return the car and get refund.

It will always be a burr under your saddle.

[mazeroni]

Can you confirm that the warranty will be honored with the current mods in writing from either the head of the service dept. or the re-seller? I'd start there.

If no, then the dealer might have bought the without knowing the full history of the mods, and are now just trying to get it off the lot for cheap before it becomes a headache. That's my primary concern.

"2017 86 with 11,600 miles *from a dealer* clean carfax, one owner. $18,500 before tax/fee."

Is that what these go for, or are you a good negotiator OP? Seems inexpensive to me.

Personally, I would get rid of it. A base '17 86 with 25~30,000 miles and an extended warranty will be enough to fulfill you "dream car" fantasy.

Good luck.

[bazzookatooth]

I thank you all so much for your replies and support!

I do not think I got a raw deal, necessarily, but I confirmed any and all warranties or VSCs are void and null.

I gave the dealership some hell and acquired a 2019 86 with 5k miles off a lease for a reasonable price. It's the fancy GT trim with a TRD exhaust.

I'm confident with wrenching on my old Miata and e30s but having peace of mind at this pricepoint was necessary.

The comments about the typical history were insightful into the community and use cases but the ones about the unknown history of this vehicle always bugging me out hit home.

I'll write an introductory post tomorrow. This is my platform and for now wheels, tires and TRD springs are a good start! Any other suggestions (not voiding powertrain warranty) are welcome!

Again, thank you all so much. What an informative community. It's not crazy, but this car - even stock - is all I want or need for the near future.

[Atmo]

Congrats, @bazzookatooth, good move IMO.

For DD use, switching to synthetic manual trans, diff, and brake fluids were cost effective. For auto-x and track use, upgraded brake pads all around make for a quicker, safer car, and a drop in TRD intake filter element improves throttle response.

You can get a Subaru trunk lid liner for about $50 that finishes that area cosmetically and might even make it slightly quieter.

Pioneer makes a PnP head unit with Android/Apple capability on sale from BestBuy for $400 installed.

Pictures, please!

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Atmo

For a few reasons, I'd return the car for a full refund of the purchase price, fees, and service contract. I realize this is contrary to everyone else's advice because:


--In order to qualify for a Toyota Extra Care Extended Warranty, the used vehicle must be certified. There's no way a Toyota flagged for warranty cancellation can be certified. Is it an Extra Care Warranty or 3rd party? If 3rd party, I honestly wouldn't count on their help if needed.



--There's no way to disprove a negative so you'll always be wondering "what if" and with your clinical OCD diagnosis, every unusual sound (and thin skinned 86's have plenty) may become stressful.


--Look up the vehicle sales and service history to verify if it's ever been dealer serviced. Independents or owner services aren't logged but it's a start since you'd think with two free services from new that the owner has returned to a dealer for service and maybe that's when it was flagged for some reason you need to know.


Start here, enter your VIN and let us know what you found:


https://www.toyota.com/owners/


--Depending on your state of residence, can you even get it through DEQ? In my state it would fail with a CEL making registration impossible until the car is fixed.


Good luck, just wanted to offer a contrary opinion based on sketchy available information.

And I could return a car that lived it's life at the track to stock and sell it and the new owner wouldn't post a thread like this.

It's a 2017 with 11,500 miles. It doesn't matter if it was tracked or not really as long as the car is maintained. The same goes for a street car. So I agree to check service and see what's there.

And FWIW another sign of a track car would be LOTS of alignment entries in carfax if Toyota/Subaru were the ones doing the alignment

Now the tune is a warranty issue.. if the OP intends to tune anyways no big deal. (edit: OP cared ha)

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

And I could return a car that lived it's life at the track to stock and sell it and the new owner wouldn't post a thread like this.

It's a 2017 with 11,500 miles. It doesn't matter if it was tracked or not really as long as the car is maintained. The same goes for a street car. So I agree to check service and see what's there.

And FWIW another sign of a track car would be LOTS of alignment entries in carfax if Toyota/Subaru were the ones doing the alignment

Now the tune is a warranty issue.. if the OP intends to tune anyways no big deal. (edit: OP cared ha)

If I was looking for a track car I would go with something like one of you rebuilds over a total unknown street car in a heartbeat. A well documented and properly done build trumps a mystery vehicle to me every time regardless of what initial appearances may be.
As judgmental, stereotyping and even prejudice as it may seem I would NEVER buy a vehicle with even the smallest amount of plastidip on a surface. Not because it hurts anything but to ME it is an Imeadiate red flag that things were done cheaply. If plastiidp is somebody's go to method of "modding" their car where else did they cut corners?

[Atmo]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

And I could return a car that lived it's life at the track to stock and sell it and the new owner wouldn't post a thread like this.

It's a 2017 with 11,500 miles. It doesn't matter if it was tracked or not really as long as the car is maintained. The same goes for a street car. So I agree to check service and see what's there.

And FWIW another sign of a track car would be LOTS of alignment entries in carfax if Toyota/Subaru were the ones doing the alignment

Now the tune is a warranty issue.. if the OP intends to tune anyways no big deal. (edit: OP cared ha)

Apples and Lemons.

My post was aimed at only one unique 86 with an incurable defect, the OP's #1 car, not the universe of the series.

Whether that defect (voided warranty) was caused by a tune or something else, nobody knows or will say. It could've been much more and as we know, Carfax is in too many cases useless.

I'd never buy any car with a voided warranty and that one left 1-2 years and 40k+ miles of drivetrain warranty on the table.

Another red flag the OP described is that the car had already been through auction then bought by a Toyota dealer. Their auction gypsy probably made a mistake in due diligence then it spiraled into an unethical situation when the dealer represented the car as certified, required for an Extra Care extended warranty. Bad dealer.

I thought the OP was courageous to be as forthcoming in so many ways. He could put a cherry on top by posting the VIN and selling dealer so others will be alerted to do their research carefully. You really shouldn't expect a franchised Toyota dealer to do business that way.

Anyway, if you ever decide to sell your ZL1, I'm interested if the warranty is still intact!

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Atmo

Anyway, if you ever decide to sell your ZL1, I'm interested if the warranty is still intact!

Warranty is intact for sure.. but currently absolutely no desire to sell. Haven't even considered it.

[SuperTom]

if you have the extreme OCD why buy a car you know was modded in the the first place?

[Atmo]

Originally Posted by SuperTom

if you have the extreme OCD why buy a car you know was modded in the the first place?

I'm guessing he thought the mods were in line with his plans and was falsely led to believe that the car would have a top tier extended warranty.

[Atmo]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Warranty is intact for sure.. but currently absolutely no desire to sell. Haven't even considered it.

Yeah, I figured that from your fleet. I'd hold on to a ZLE too, a future classic no doubt.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Atmo

Yeah, I figured that from your fleet. I'd hold on to a ZLE too, a future classic no doubt.

If you are ever at Sebring raceway when I have the car there and want to go for a ride let me know ha