Can a rebuilt be worth it?
 

So today I went to buy this 2005 70000km G35, it's 28g new, this was on sale for 15, haggled it down to 13g, then found out it's a rebuild, I got this experienced driver to drive It, he says no noises, steers straight it's perfect but it has a $13000 collision on it, since then it has droven 20,000 Kms.

So we talked for 40 minutes down to 11 (including all taxes and frees) by saying 10 Or we walk. We walked but is it worth it?

If I were to buy it, can they give me the previous owners name or number? or the body shop it was fixed at so I can verify?

I wouldnt do it, there may not be any problems now, but who knows to what extent or quality it was repaired, and what problems may pop up down the road

also where are you buying it from???

Courtenay in vancouver island

This is a good example of why I would never buy a vehicle with a rebuilt title.

http://www.civicforums.com/forums/18...e-vehicle.html

if i was buying a $2000 car i wouldn't care if there were water balloons for air bags, what do u expect..

id probably buy a write off if i found

A) Found an incredibly smoking deal

B) The damage was not to the front and and had been repaired professionally

C) I planned to keep/drive the car long term

2 grand though... thats like the same price for a '91 civic depending on where you look. I'd imagine the craftsmen ship would be higher of a rebuilt 2001 than an older car. Is it worth the purchase? That depends on what other vehicles is looking at.

However, one thing to note is that if you plan on reselling this down the road the resale value will be virtually non-existent. I think thats a big thing that you want to take into account.

What do you guys think?

edit*
08 si comes with a k20 too, maybe make more money parting it out instead of selling as a whole, lol

$9500 Front end damage..
I mean, for a newer BMW or something, that could just be a new bumper fascia and headlights.
But on a Civic? I wouldn't bother with it.

I do rebuilds sometimes... but personally I only use OEM parts and I know the bodyshop that does my work... so I feel no issues reselling them and I even show pictures of the damage when I sell... so some people are reputable and you get a freaking good deal on the car........... but I wouldn't trust most of the guys out there. A lot of guys don't even put airbags back into the cars and then they put a resistor in to kill the airbag light. Crappy.

This always comes up every few months on RS. The bottom line is

NEVER EVER BUY A REBUILD.

Unless you rebuilt it yourself or your uncle (whom you trust) built it for you.

Think about it: A bodyshop buys a car with a rebuilt status. They proceed to fix it for as little money as possible since they are going to sell it to make money. They're not rebuilding cars to be nice and give people affordable transportation - they're doing it for profit. Which means cutting corners.

This is different from repairing a customer car, as you have to make sure they're satisfied with the work. If it's an ICBC claim then an adjuster is going to look at the car and have to sign off/approve of repairs. Sometimes during a repair, ICBC gets called back as something is discovered that wasn't noticed in the original examination of the vehicle. ICBC will approve of the additional work and adjust the claim as necessary.

ICBC isn't involved in a rebuild. All the shop has to do is repair the car and get a vehicle inspector to sign off and say the car was repaired properly. Chances are 99% that this "so-called inspector" is someone who will "overlook" issues with the car and give it a pass when it shouldn't. It can take awhile for ICBC to discover this (or maybe never discover it if the vehicle doesn't have an accident or issue that would get ICBC's attention). By the time this "inspector" gets caught he's probably passed hundreds of vehicles.

Thanks you helped me decide not to. The other guy with the civic forums just made me want to do it more, Idc about airbags, I'll cry about it when im dead. :devil:

How could my example make you want to do it more, it demonstrates the extreme lack of craftsmanship put into rebuilds. Despite the car appearing to be in perfect mechanical condition on the surface, beneath the surface their are major mechanical flaws.

So i guess you didn't buy the exact car for 13:
http://www.revscene.net/forums/showp...71&postcount=5

Telling people to never ever buy a rebuilt is extreme.
You have to make the decision yourself with as much information as you can gather.
Personally I walk away if the air bags went off. Too much at risk/potential for repercussions.

Questions I usually ask myself:
1.what kind of car is it, and how will the specific damage affect it?
ie) rear damage on a fwd is more appealing than on a rwd car.
2.cost of damage vs reduction in resale price.( is it discounted enough given the damage)
3. results of inspection by trusted mechanics (is it repaired properly? frame properly repaired? oem parts? paint quality/match?
4. how does it feel to drive compared to non-rebuilt cars of same year/make?

If its safe to drive, drive just as well as more expensive non-rebuilt cars, is just as reliable as non-rebuilt cars why not save some money and buy it? After all it will do the same job as the more expensive alternative. There might still be some little suprises even if you do your homework. Just remember that if you do sell it later your gonna have to give a massive discount just like you received.

x2

Rebuilt or not, all cars have flaws. Homework needs to be done. You don't buy a $7,200 car for the price of 2,000 and expect not having to strip it to thoroughly inspect.

If 95% of the shops doing rebuilds are running scams, then how is it extreme to tell people to stay away?

Do you believe the average person is actually capable of determining whether the car is safe? A typical BCAA style inspection is not enough to spot problems. If a mechanic/shop figured out a way to predict future problems with vehicles, they'd be rich.

The only way a rebuild makes sense is if you're involved in the process (like 68style mentioned). This is far different than buying a rebuild that someone else finished without knowing what was really done to the car.

Hasn't been mentioned but another negative about buying a rebuilt is you're going to have a hard time selling it down the road. A good chunk of potential buyers won't even look at your vehicle if it has rebuilt status not to mention it greatly decreases the value of the car.

I think I'll throw this out their since a couple guys mentioned about getting parts replaced with oem parts. If you drive a high volume car like a civic. Parts like bumpers fenders or hood are all off shore parts. This is what icbc uses to fix your car. If you want oem parts, buy the policy.
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With regards to the decreased value, it shouldn't deter you from a rebuild because you would have made up for the loss in the savings from the initial purchase.

The unexpected problems and likely poor repair job should be what deters you.

no noise and steering straight does NOT necessarily reflect the condition of the car
and the car was written off just because of the $9500 collision?

anyway, to inspect the car thoroughly, you need to look at other details
for eg: the weld quality, gaps between panels etc.. not just by test driving it

I'm all for making up percentages without any evidence, and talking out of my ass at the best of times, but saying that 95% of shops out there are scammers... that's pretty extreme dude.

Personally, I know of a few quality body shops that do good work, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy a car they had rebuilt from a wreck. It would depend on the damage.

EDIT: To add to that.. I would prefer a car rebuilt with front end damage (frame work at the worst) to a car that had been T-boned or rear ended, and the unibody collapsed, cut out, replaced, etc. But that's just me.

doesn't rebuilt mean that the there has been a claim for more than 2k on a car? it usually doesn't mean that a builder/mechanic buys them as salvage, rebuilt it, get it inspected and sells it....or does it?

Rebuilt means it was written off by ICBC in an accident.

You know what, I agree with dangonay to a certain extent on NEWER cars........ I would say pretty much any new car (like 2004+) that has been written off had a LOT of damage and would have needed a crapload of work to be roadworthy again... so even if done properly, it's a bit of a crapshoot.

However, ICBC writes off older cars for bumper dings!!! I personally just bought a Lexus LS400 from ICBC that only has 120,000kms on it... and you know what's smashed on it? The front passenger headlight and the front passenger corner of the bumper. That's it. Are you going to tell me that it's not safe when fixed? I don't think so.......... but I see brand new CLK63 AMG's on there sometimes that the whole frontend is wiped off... that's a different story.

It really depends on every situation independant of one another.

I would never buy a rebuilt car. Rebuilders are in the business to make money. Everything on the outside looks good but its the stuff on the inside that they cheap out on. No foam cushions, rebars that should be replaced, used airbags, whatever is cheaper thats whats going on the car. There is exception to every rule though like 68style said.

Hardly extreme. Or did you forget I used to work with ICBC and Transport Canada investigating vehicle safety? I used to deal with this stuff all the time. Regardless, I'll refine my statement if it makes you feel better: Body shops that rebuild and flip for profit are scammers. Not the same as bringing in a rebuild to a reputable shop and asking them to fix it for you.

And I'm speaking about newer cars. As 68style said, older cars can be written off for minor damage.
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Spot on.