Would you guys ever buy an evo with a branded title even if it was a good deal?

 

It completely depends on why the car was written off. If the frame is bent, obviously not, but if it simply had too much cosmetic damage to be worth fixing (in the eyes of the insurance company), then maybe, especially if I planned to gut the car, anyway, to build, for example, a rally car.

[Note to self: you have used your entire daily allotment of commas.]

 

This is what the dealer told me

"This vehicle is in great condition inside and outside, currently there are no visible dings, dents, or scratches. This vehicle was on a franchise dealership lot where they had some flooding problems. Most franchise agreements require the insurance company to claim all vehicles as a total loss regardless of damage in this case the damage was very minor and minimal reconditioning was required,there was no structural, motor, or transmission damage. We have specialized in insurance claim vehicles for over 20 years, this is why we have it here at our dealership. Because the original owner was paid off by the insurance company it will have a rebuilt/restored title."

 

... I didnt think mainstream dealerships (reputable ones anyways) were allowed to sell restored or salvaged title cars...

My Evo has a clean title but a (C) in the miles box for (not actual) because the motor was replaced. I dont know if thats any consolation.

 

If that's true, then this might be the perfect car. One of the downsides of buying a young but salvaged car is the lack of any warranty. But many Evo owners want to make modifications that will kill the warranty, anyway. If you want an Evo to modify and can get a good price (such as under $20k for a car with little or no miles) then absolutely think about it.

 

Buying a car with flood damage can be very risky. I wouldnt do it unless they gave me a really good price. Like under $20k for a new one kind of price.

 

Yea im kinda scared to buy it lol

 

My understanding is flood damage wont necessarily cause any issues or serious issues. But it tends to cause electrical issues in the future. Sometimes it takes years for the different electrical parts and components to act up. Mechanically wise it might not be to bad. But just keep in mind it might require costly repairs in the future.

Also banks don't usually give you full loans on a salvage title and ofcourse if you try to sell it in the future you will not get as much for the car as someone with a clean and clear title. In my area I have seen cars go for half the normal price because of the salvage title.

 

Thanks for the info

 

I was gonna say this too. Usually the only time salvage titles are an issue is when money is changing hands. Financing for you as a buyer, or for potential buyers if you are selling. And of course your (lower) asking price when you sell it. Some insurance companies are more reluctant to insure a salvage title and/or want to charge higher premiums.

Ideally if the previous damage was mostly cosmetic and it was repaired correctly it's probably not going to be any worse than a clean titled car during your ownership.

 

never buy a flood car lol .. thats my advice.

I wouldnt shy away from a rebuilt title as long as the frame was straight. The only other thing id stay away from is a flood car.

If you do decide to go through it, do your searching. dig through the spare tire compartment and look for signs of water height. Demand a carfax so you can verify it was actually a flood and not a wreck. Look for watermark lines to try to get an idea of height of water. Anyhow, i bought a g35 coupe 6mt awhile ago with 25k miles on it for 9k and it was a flood. WORST CAR I EVER BOUGHT. car perormed great, but after a year or so the corrosion was so bad i had to get rid of it. every week something would go out. One week a window motor would stop, id take off the panel and clean the plugs with wd 40 and and it work for awhile. Next would be a door lock actuator, air bag light, power seat, etc. Basically plan on constantly having to fight the corrosion. (at least that was my experience). The last straw was when my headlights only worked on bright, my fans quit working, my taillights quit working but not the turn signals or reverse bulbs, and my windshield wipers quit working. They quit on my way to work, started raining, and had to drive home on the high way with no wipers. Thank god for rainx lol. Anyway thats my terrible story. Im sure they are not all that way but just something to think about.

 

oh BTW, the g35 ended up needing me to pull the entire carpet and seats and check some connectors and finally got things working but i probably spent like 40-50 hours on just that problem. LOL

The thing with wiring is, if you take it anywhere and its a nice car and they know you have a few bucks.... CONGRATS you just gave them a golden goose. Afterall, who knows how many hours their techs actually spent diag-ing the problem.
Ok im done.........

 

lol thanks man. Yea Im going away from this and just looking for a new one.

 

only on 2 conditions:

1- repaired properly not using super glue per se
2 - for about 1/4 the market price

i've seen people trying to get almost the same price as a non salvaged car and even though some cars that don't have a dirty title do indeed have frame damage and such...it's still not worth it. Also you could have issues insuring it.