**Potential buyer need advice**

[Juggernuat20]

hey guys i am new to Subarus in general but i looked at a 2014 BRZ limited it is in perfect condition and it has 79,000 miles and it is from a family friend who will give me a refund if anything major happens within 6 months. he doesn't know much about BRZ's He is asking 11,000 dollars. it is a rebuilt title and i did a carfax looks like the original owner bought it and then traded it into a alfa romeo dealer and they sent it to an auction. family friend owes a body/mechanic shop, bought previous cars from him before that have lasted years but he is clueless when it come to this particular car. is this a good deal/price? should i invest my money elsewhere?

i need advice i fell in love with this car as soon as i drove it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[soundman98]

Most states, to get a rebuilt title means it was totalled at some point, and to be totalled, there was around 75% of the then-value in damages.

Most important to me is the when and how bad that totalled it, and what was replaced to rebuild it. Most shops do good work, but it's important to know the above, as 2 damaged cars poorly welded together can get a rebuilt title...

[Stomachbuzz]

Yes, definitely have to exercise some more caution with rebuilt title vehicles, but, for the most part, I love 'em!

This being said, I've accidentally bought a "slap 'er back together and get it sold!" car or two (one even had a clean title). I've also seen some barely patched back together for sale.
It kinda works like this... $15k FRS has $6k in damage, so insurance totals it. Some clown buys it at auction for $3500 and thinks they can slap some putty on the front fender and spray paint it firetruck red for a half-ass match. They think "$3500 plus $1000 in parts and I can dump it for $7500"
Meanwhile, the front control arms are bent to hell, the replacement headlight is some eBay junk, and the dash has perma-ABS and Traction Control lights on.

If you manage to avoid these rough ones, you can sometimes find a real gem at a steep discount. A car isn't alway wrecked to earn a rebuilt title. Sometimes it's involved in a minor flood, or stolen. Or sometimes even parked somewhere and reported stolen to get out of a bad car loan.

I'm weirded out how your family friend is "clueless" when it comes to this car. It's really not that special of a car. Mechanically, it's nearly identical to a 240sx, or a Mustang, or anything else really.
Engine in front, transmission in the middle, it's got a driveshaft, a rear differential. It's got control arms just like anything else.
No matter if it's a Geo Metro or a Lamborghini, a good body shop guy can spot body work a mile away.
I bet if you post some good pictures I can immediately tell you if body panels were painted.

He either hasn't looked at it, he's no good at what he does, or he's pulling one over on you.

Either way, $11k is full price for one with 79k miles. He's not doing you any favors there.
And a 2014 car is recent enough to have a pretty comprehensive accident report on Carfax.

[jbsali]

I don't think a rebuilt 14 with 79k is worth 11k. Also if you buy this, plan on never reselling it because you'll have a hard time doing so unless your selling it for nothing.

I'd take it for maybe 9k with that 6 month return policy though LOL.

[Mr.ac]

I second the under $9k price.
Depending on what rebuilt title and if you are ok with it I say go for it.
If they won't come down on the $11k price it's not worth it. You can get a clean title one for about the same price.

[Summerwolf]

Yeesh, seems high for a rebuilt 2014 with that many miles. You can find clean ones for not much more.

[DarkPira7e]

For reference, my rebuilt 2013 FR-S with 21,000 miles in 2015 was $12,500

[Juggernuat20]

I can post the carfax it shows that it was never actually totaled by an insursnce company and there are pictures from the dealership before it went to IAA. I do thu k the price is high for a rebuilt I saw a WRX STI for 13k and it had 50k. I think I might look around more.

[Opie]

If the car is nice, and whatever repairs were done correctly the "rebuilt" title doesn't mean anything more than it was not in the insurance companies financial best interest to fix it. Look at our rebuild posts, not much"total's" cars these days.

I'd run a CarFax and google the VIN number looking for images, if it was at an auction, those images are usually still online and you can see if it was damaged, and how bad yourself.

For reference, I sold a 2013 BRZ Limited with 34k and a rebuilt title for $12k just a few months ago...

[Ichima]

I personally would stay clear of it especially for the price. Unless you have a good feeling about the car and the seller stays true to his word on the return, make your best judgement.

[Juggernuat20]

Here is the full carfax report on the vehicle

[rande]

Check with your insurance company. Some companies will not insure prior salvage/rebuilt title vehicles.

[Juggernuat20]

Originally Posted by rande

Check with your insurance company. Some companies will not insure prior salvage/rebuilt title vehicles.

I have a rebuilt vehicle right now I won't have any problem getting it insured

[rande]

Originally Posted by Juggernuat20

I have a rebuilt vehicle right now I won't have any problem getting it insured

What company do you use? What kind of value do they place on the branded title?