2008 Legacy GT / Rebuilt Title

I'm trying to decide on whether to buy my first car with rebuilt title. I've attached pics of car before bodywork and current. The car only has 5600 miles and drives great. I'm taking it to my "subaru guy" tomorrow but I need some advice from people who have experience with rebuilt/branded titles.

 

The "core support" wasn't replaced but all the seams are perfect. One body guy said the core support had some "interesting" work done to it but that guy was also trying to talk me into a different legacy. Let me know what everyone thinks. Just so you know the asking price is 15k...

well I'm not an expert but that doesnt even look like that bad of a wreck if you ask me... Thats a nice price for a 2008 with that low miles... They are fun cars to drive you can put the miles on quickly too. I bought mine just about 3 years ago with 26k miles and I have 82k miles on it as it sits today

What about the dealer? Are they reputable?

 

On the side note, the dealer that is selling you that car must be really confident of their repair work to be showing you the wreck photos. I guess that is a good point. And judging by the photo, it seems like there isn't much serious front damage. But I am not an expert in that area, so it is better for you to get another opinion.

 

I have experience with rebuilt/salvage title cars and they aren't the prettiest. Definitely seek a second opinion before putting the money down.

Not a dealer. This is a private party sale. They definitely know who did the body work but I don't have a warranty or dealer to rely on. It seams like a great deal but I don't know how much these types of cars should be discounted.

i had a similar accident on my previous car

 

radiator core is bent

 

but as long as it didnt touch the strut tower, you should be fine

 

get the price down more

i had a similar accident on my previous car

 

radiator core is bent

 

but as long as it didnt touch the strut tower, you should be fine

 

get the price down more

 

Agreed. When the dealer took my rebuilt/salvage car in, they took it at 50% of the market price. Since you are dealing in private party, I guess you should be looking at the range of 60%-70% of the market price.

 

Good luck, hopefully it will be a good buy.

Yeah price should be down 2 to 3K, because not only is the car devalued for the original owner, it will be much harder for you to sell it when you decide to do so. So you'll be taking a hit down the road.

IMO, it didn't look that bad to be considered salvage. I had similar accident w/ my previous Accord that I bought new only 7 months prior to the accident. I purchased it for $21k, and it cost the insurance company $8k for the repair, but it wasn't salvaged.

 

Another thing to consider about buying salvaged cars is insurance. I'm not 100% certain but from what I hear, some insurance companies wouldn't insure salvage titled vehicles, and those that would insure them, they would provide liability coverage only.

if you search my old post. My legacy was in a similiar looking accident. front end was damaged in a 5mph collision. front end was fully redone at a body shot. from both fenders, headlights, bumper, hood, front bumper beam, and radiator, etc all redone. didn't affect drivetrain at all. i mean take a look inside, does it look right? if not, then i'd pass, but if it was professionally fixed, then by all means, go ahead. good deall. my repairs cost 7.5k. insurance paid. but still. it doesn't look all that bad. almost identical damage. even to this day, the only thing i'm complaining about is a poor paintjob to my bumper. shrug.

Not a horrible price. I purchased my 06 LGT with 28k miles(clear title) yesterday for about the same price. Normally subtract about 25% of the value of the car and thats a decent price for a rebuilt title. You never know, it could be rebuilt very well, but it will still scare away a lot of buyers when you try to sell.

I would have it checked out by a pro with some experience with salvage cars to make sure everything was straight and true. It may look like a innocent accident but better to be safe than sorry. I would also be curious as to why the shop that did the work isn't offering a warranty on it. Good shops in my area have warranties on body work and paint. I would expect a reputable shop to have no problem standing behind their work unless they know something the seller isn't telling you that is.

Honestly I'd would usually stay away from salvaged vehicles, but the looks of it....you should be fine.

I'd suggest negotiating the price down another 3k.

Most likely you will be the last owner of that vehicles and most people or dealers don't want a salvaged title car.

Be prepared to check with many insurance companies, a lot of them do not want to deal with salvaged title cars and most likely have to settle for liability coverage only.

 

Make sure you get the full information on who repaired the vehicle, read reviews or inquire about the place that repaired the vehicle to make sure they are top notch.

If price doesn't go down, pass on it, the seller eventually will come around because many people will not buy a salvaged title vehicle @ that price.