RX27

Hey guys. Im new here, been working on cars ever since I was 15, Im now currently 20. I've owned a 95 Talon TSi, 92 VR4, and a 01 Eclipse GT, guess you can kind of tell I was a Mitsubishi nut but DSM's were my life. Now Im in college and sick of outdated interior so I started looking for a new car (G35, 350z, RX8, etc.) and have come to the conclusion that the 8 can give me everything I wanted, at least more practical then the other cars. I've looked at a couple but was really looking for one that I did not have to mess with much until later on the summer and all the ones I have found were ragged on or beatin to ****, so I called up my uncle and he located me a salvage 8 that I will be picking up today for $5k.

2004 RX8 Brilliant Black
Black Leather heated seats
Appearance Package
Tinted Windows (saves me the hassle )
LSD, DSC, and TC
6spd with 66K miles on the clock
No CEL or mechanical issues, other then "control arm bolts" more on that later.
NO FRAME DAMAGE, hell all it needs is a new rear bumper and headlight, the front bumper and fender have only scratches on them and were taken off to show that there was no damage.

http://www.carsforsale.com/Post/Vehi...3940115882.JPG
http://www.carsforsale.com/Post/Vehi...40115882_1.JPG
http://www.carsforsale.com/Post/Vehi...40115882_4.JPG

So my only question is, he says the "control arm bolts" are bent in the rear when the insurance company lifted it with a fork lift. I looked up at diagrams and have no idea what he was talking about with a bolt but I think he means the actual control arms (tubes) are bent? He says symptoms are after 25 MPH it starts to run a little wobbly in the rear.

RX27

Oh and thanks to Neckhole, the damage wasn't that severe when it got branded salvage as he only skimmed a guard rail. Better then hitting another car

Accident reported
in Auburn Hills
Vehicle involved in collision
with a guardrail
Minor/Moderate damage reported

jmc23200

The only issue I can see is that it is salvaged and if you total it, whether it is your fault or not, you will get a very very low amount for it from your insurance company. So $5k + bumpers + anything else that may be needed or that you do to it > insurance vehicle value(probablly less than $5k). I would consult with your insurance company first and then weigh the pros and cons to see if it is worth it.

Neckhole

Looks sweet to me, I wish I had the courage to buy a car with a salvaged/branded title. I had found one nearby that also needed some work (although, not as much as that!) that had been salvaged once-upon-a-time.

BTW, nice to see another former DSMer around. I haven't been here long myself, but I used to own a '92 Eclipse GSX with all sorts of bankrupting modifications.

I'm not sure if it's a helpful negotiating point, but I test drove a salvaged RX8 that had been repaired (although, it had a few more issues that needed to be worked out) and the dealer here wanted about $7900 for it before any kind of negotiating. It was really low miles ~30-40k. Knowing that, $5k might sound a little high.

From the sounds of it though, you're plenty qualified to gauge the amount of work needed.

RX27

Front bumper has scrapes, as if you just rubbed it on a guard rail with no tears, completely repairable. The fender has a literally 1" kink in the front, repairable. The rear bumper is torn in the corner so Im going to get that from dealer, $319. So basically it is not going to cost me more then a couple hundred to get it looking good, more so because my uncle owns a collision shop . My only concern as of now is it needs a drivers side headlight , he includes the original one but it has a slight crack down the middle though it might work as a temporary solution until I find one for cheap.

About insurance, Im insured under AAA, $649 full coverage for 6 months under my name which I think is pretty good for a 20 year old with a somewhat "messy" past driving record . Being 16 and boosted isn't the best choice for a new driver.

jmc23200

Salvaged title is different then your current insurance rate. Do yourself a favor and call them, explain that the car is salvaged, give them the VIN and see what the price is for insurance and how much you get if the car is totaled. Trust me, it is going to suck if someone hits you, totals your car, and all you get is a $3000 check. You dont really have to worry about your driving, its all the other idiots on the road that you need to worry about.

I have no doubt in your experience. This stuff can be fixed pretty easily. I would also check here to see if someone has a headlight or bumper for sale. You may get lucky and save a good chunk of change. A good example: https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-parts-sale-wanted-44/fs-velocity-red-oem-front-bumper-socal-168065/. Selling a front bumper for $50 local pickup. Search the for sale thread.


You could also part out the vehicle and try to make some money off of it. Then use that money abd buy a newer RX8. Just a thought.

RX27

Already did, that's what that quote came from lol . She told me to estimate what I would get I have to inspect the car to get a rebuilt title, but she told me it's pretty close to KBB value.

I don't have the heart to do that since the car needs so little work. Im actually going to go look at it right now in about 30 minutes, if all is good the company actually has towing and is going to tow it to my uncles place for $60 . I know a lot about cars so I know to look for the obvious but anything specific I should look for before I buy it? What gears tend to have syncro wear if they do go (I think I heard 4 while shifting from 3rd?), any specific areas I should pay attention to?

philipchan

It's a good time to buy that car and drop a body kit in

RX27

lol I know right? I told myself if the front bumper can't be repaired (have only seen a pic but it does look repairable) then instead of buying the OEM rear bumper for $320 and the front bumper for whatever it might be ($300-400) I might go with a Mazdaspeed full replica body kit for around $700.

philipchan

yep...you need to buy the fender and repaint it anyway, just paint the body-kit together, and it looks easier to put an aftermarket exhaust on now XD
Good luck with your car, looking great

seriously $5k is such a bad *** price
you can get it done for $2000

$7k for a sick looking rx8, OMG

RX27

The fender Im actually going to fix, it literally only has a 1" bend at the tip. Yea $5000 for the car, $300 for the rear bumper, whatever a headlight is, and the rear lower control arms $85 each so shouldn't spend more then $6000 actually. For paint Im only paying for supplies which is going to be around $100-200. Thing I love about it is it's exactly what I wanted, black leather heated interior, rotary accent package, moon roof, and the tints top it off because I was going to get that done anyways. I think the big guy up there is finally giving me a break

Are there any aftermarket Mazdaspeed replicas that are of actual quality with decent fitment?

mac11

iTrader: (1)

I wouldn't buy ANYTHING with a salvage title without having run it through a competent frame shop.

It may only look like bumpers, but I would bet dollars to doughnuts the insurance company would have repaired it if it could be done for the money you are talking about.

To give you an idea I actually bought back a "total loss" RX8. I have $1400 in the frame work alone, and I got a BADASS deal from the shop that did the work. Granted it was a higher priced shop but they have worked on RX8 race cars and came with a reputation, that they completely lived up to. But this was frame work only. I stripped the car to the shell and put it back together afterwards. I delivered them a blank shell, they did the work and I picked pu the car and took it to my shop for assembly. If I were to have paid them for that work it would have easily been 2K+, maybe 3.

Do yourself a favor, pay the couple hundred bucks for an inspection.

I bought mine with sub 30k miles for WAY less than that, too.

RX27

Just got done looking at the car. This car is cleaaaaaaan. Both front bumper and rear bumper are completely repairable as well as the fender. The rear had no damage besides the exhaust which could be easily bent back and both the control arms on the rear were bent up from the forklift so the car isn't driveable and those would need to be straightened. In the front the car needed the mounting place for the headlight to be banged back into spot slightly but besides that very clean. Engine started RIGHT up within half a second upon cold start, only thing that threw me off was that the oil light was on so I got out and looked at it and it was about a quart low. Also it was smoking excessively but we added a quart and it went away, he said it was due to the car not being started for a while. So since all 4 control arms in the rear were damaged I offered him $5000 from his price of $5500 and he didn't budge. I then went up to $5200 and still nothing so I decided to leave. The car was really clean but if it was that clean it got me wondering why the hell is it salvage. Anyways if he calls me back I might do the $5200, what do you guys think?

Uncivilizedracer

If your saving money and your insurance isnt rediculuos id get it too

RX27

Honestly Id give him his asking price of $5500 and cut all this BS if the car was in perfect mechanical condition but I couldnt drive the car due to the control arms so I have no idea about the trans. It did sound like it ran perfectly and started right up so I dont know, that excessive smoke when the oil light came on kind of made me uncomfortable. I dont know right now ahhh

mac11

iTrader: (1)

I would be leary as to why they picked it up with a fork lift.


And I still think there is more wrong with it than you know. If there weren't it wouldn't have been totaled out. The insurance adjuster will go through the car and estimate the cost of the repair. The % at which a company will total is different per company but is generally in the 70-80% of the value range.

If it really just needed:

front bumper: ~$200
rear bumper: ~$200
fender: ~$200
headlight: ~$1000(if HID) ~$600 (if halogen)
labor hours: (6 @ $75/hr) ~$450
paint hours: (6 @ 55/hr) ~$330
------------------------------------------

total cost: $2380

You could triple that ($7140) in contingencies or labor and the car would still be worth repairing to an insurance company. You better check that car out, or take it to a professional so you don't end up with a car you can't do anything with.

BTW, insurance company didn't sell that car to the yard you are dealing with for more than ~$3500.

RX27

Yea that's what Im thinking. As stated above, the car accident was him going into a guard rail. It also said minor/moderate damage.

Michigan Police Reports:

Provide an estimate of the extent of damage in its accident reports for the following:
SEVERE: The vehicle cannot be driven from the accident scene due to severe damage or an injury. This level of damage often results in a Salvage or Junk title.
MODERATE: The accident damage affects the operation of the vehicle and/or its parts. Examples include broken windows, trunk lids, doors, bumpers and tires.
MINOR: The accident damage does not affect the operation of the vehicle. Examples include dented bumpers, fenders, grills and body panels. This level of accident should not compromise vehicle safety.
NO DAMAGE: The vehicle was not damaged.
Are required if the estimated damage exceeds $400
Are released to CARFAX approximately 5 months after the accident date

I don't know why they listed it as both minor and moderate, but the bumpers were in fact broken so that might be it. I looked over the car and everything honestly looks original, even the stock tires are on it (probably how the idiot spun out and skimmed the rail). He did tell me the oil cooler was damaged and that was the only thing he replaced.

Exactly, that is why I feel kind of weird paying $5500 for it, I feel as Im getting ripped off. Ive came to the conclusion though that if I don't get a phone call back tomorrow for $5200 I'll pay him his price of $5500 but have him throw in the control arms since he said he can get them for $150. That way basically the car would be drivable and running. Only thing I'd need after everything is a headlight.

mac11

iTrader: (1)

you do have to consider the yard has money and time into the vehicle. They have cash out to have acquired the car, towing expense to their location, storage, overhead and they have to turn a profit. Otherwise it's not worth being in business. So all in all, I guess that is a long winded way of saying I think $5000 is a fair price. To not budge of $5500 is a bit of a strong arm move to me. If he really can't afford to sell it for less than that, then he as too much into it - got ripped off at auction.


You may seriously consider buying and parting out if you've got the time and some wrenches. @ $5500 you could turn a profit and put a good down payment on a clear titled car with no questions or concerns. I would be your first buyer and if you are in Mich could pickup in person with cash. I would also consider taking the chassis off you when you had it stripped bare also.

RX27

Honestly I was thinking of buying it then having the bumpers painted and fixing the control arms so it "should" be back to normal. If anything were to happen, it would happen within the first couple months and then I'd try parting it out.

mac11

iTrader: (1)

Not necessarily true. Either way, it's your money so it's your call. Just giving a heads up. Good luck.

RX27

If I do purchase it for $5500 Im putting $500 into it thats how much all the bodywork is going to cost me so I'll have $6K into it. How much do fully parted out RX8's usually go for? If I can at least get my $6K back then I'd feel somewhat better knowing I had a backup plan.

mac11

iTrader: (1)

Never done a full car, so I wouldn't know. I did get ~$1500 + a new front clip out of the interior of the car I mentioned above. I kept the dash, steering wheel the entire stereo, all the door, rear deck a,b,c pillar and other trim pieces. And oth the airbags were blown so no $$ there.

rotoryfreak

If i was you i would not buy it. Buy it to part it out. But still to much money 5500.00.

That car has been on the local Craig's list for a couple of moths. I went and seen the car, jacked it up on all 4 sides, fixable but to much headache to do so.. That car will be more headache that you might think right now.

That being said, the guy that is selling it, buys and fixes salvage cars all day long and sells them. Why do you think he wont fix this one????.... Not worth the headache...

Good luck with your purchase if you do decide to get it....

RX27

Yea so you know what Im talking about how the work isn't that much but at the same time it's not worth $5500. I made a offer of $5200 and left, he said he had a "out of state buyer" if I don't purchase it so if he calls me back and decides he want's the $5200 I'll probably give him it. My summer semester is coming up so it would be a perfect time to get somewhat of a project car that's another reason why I don't mind. Did you test drive the car or just inspect it?

jmc23200

To almost give up a car that you want and "can be fixed" for $300 is stupid. If you really believe it can be fixed and that there isnt that much damage, I would have paid the man and taken the car. Whats $300 if your spending $6000-$7000?

1)Stupid to buy this car. When a title is salvaged and the insurance company claims the car to be totaled, there is a reason. Insurance companies don't just hand out money. This guy, even if he knows, is not required to tell you what major damage there is since he bought it from someone else.

2) Just because the car wasnt started in awhile does not mean it should smoke. If it was smoking, the engine is either burning way too much oil(some kind of leak) or the engine was previously flooded.

3)If still very interested in buying/fixing this, really stupid to walk away form a sale because of $300. Imagine if everyone did that at the dealer lol. $300 is nothing. If it was $1000 then I would agree.