Holy fucking melodramatic. I could hear soap-opera music in the background.
Rebuilt cars are excellent investments if you know the extent of the damage prior, and you know who's fixing it.
No, I wouldn't buy one from a shady dealership on Kingsway or King George. If you did and you got fucked over that's your foolishness.

Something to consider when looking at a rebuilt car is how old it was when it was rebuilt depending on the age and or value of the car as old cars can be written off for nearly nothing.

A few years ago my dad had a 90 Silverado that was a beat up work truck someone ran a stop sign and tapped it on the side going no more than 15 km/h he drove the truck home and it drove fine as it was pretty much a fender bender, ICBC wrote it off and branded it salvage because a new door was worth more than the truck he told his friend about it who than went and bought the truck from ICBC for next near to nothing got a door from a wrecker and used for a few years to haul stuff around

However for a car to be written off that is still quite new and valuable I assume it would of had to take a pretty decent hit or have a lot of damage to be written off which depending on the nature of the damage and the person repairing it or the parts it was repaired with, if not done properly it could be a huge headache especially if you lose your warranty.

If the car in question was rebuilt/repaired by a reputable place with OEM parts and has any sort of documentation to prove it I wouldn't be too afraid of buying a rebuilt car, I wouldn't pay anything less than 25% at the least of the car's value the prices some people want for their rebuilt car is laughable, however that's just my opinion

Then I guess you don't need the warranty regardless!

Cars are not and will never be an investment. This isn't a Ferrari 250 GTO here. It's a German luxury car which already depreciates quite a fair amount, tack on that rebuilt status and OP is essentially buying a car that will probably not be worth half its value within the next few years, if he can even sell it. Maybe you're right, that was a little dramatic, but cars are essentially big safety devices... why skimp if you don't have to? Especially if you have the $$ to buy a near-new Benz.

Thanks for all the input guys.

Before even starting this thread I knew that it would be a polarizing topic.

Before meeting my wife I felt like many of you did about rebuilt cars, I had heard horror stories, but never actually seen a rebuilt car or driven one.

I've known my wife and father-in-law for 11 years now and they only drive rebuilt cars as that is what he does. Never had a problem with any of them, and ultimately it comes down to wise car selection when bidding on salvage cars. He only bids on cars that were just barely written off, and don't have any frame damage, or major mechanical damage (he specializes in bodywork not mechanics).

Once this car is finished and passes inspection I will drive it around for a few days to make sure everything is ok. He also has pictures of the damage to show me exactly what was done.

Regarding resale value, that is obviously a big issue with rebuilt cars. That being said, I am planning on keeping this car for around 10 years as my wife isn't too picky with her cars, and I know this one will still look great for many years to come. Plus I could always sell it to another family member or friend who knows me and my father-in-law.

Regarding safety of the vehicle, I opt to listen to my father-in-law instead of some neckbeard posting on revscene from his mom's basement. He's been in the game for over 40 years, and do you really think he would let his daughter drive something that is even remotely unsafe? Also, all rebuilt vehicles pass a thorough ICBC inspection to ensure they are road worthy.

There are obviously pros and cons to buying a rebuilt vehicle. But I think if you know the rebuilder personally, and you know the extent of the damage, it can be a good purchase for a car you plan on keeping for awhile.

I will keep you guys updated as this moves along. Car should be ready sometime this week.

I can't believe how many of you guys completely miss the fact that it's his father in law rebuilding it, he's not buying some random vehicle with a questionable history, he knows exactly what happened to it.

Regarding safety, even a lightly damaged Benz is still going to be safer than something 15 years old so his wife will still be better protected than most people on the road.

Obviously we can't comment specifically on the Mercedes that's being rebuilt as none of us have seen any pictures or other information about the damage that was inflicted. On paper a brand new car being written off would sound like major frame damage, simply because it takes a lot of money in repairs before ICBC deems a vehicle to not be worth repairing. Vehicles with NVR+ coverage can be written off for a lesser dollar value than those without it, though I'm not positive what percentage that dollar value drops down to in that instance. What concerns me the most is that the airbags deployed, meaning the impact was hard enough set of the sensors. Typically an impact that hard would cause more damage than simply to the bumper (I'm assuming the bumper rebar is also being replaced), radiator and hood. Yes, modern cars are built with crumple zones to help deflect the force, but that usually means that force is now being transferred to the frame and pillars.

Like I said, we can't really judge the damage without seeing a before picture, but on paper it sounds like one of those cars you should run away from.

That said, there are some decent rebuilt cars out there. My brother is driving around in an RSX with a rebuilt status (slight frame damage from a large branch hitting the roof) and he hasn't experienced any deformation or leakage issues, and I used to own a GTI that was a rebuild (OEM Recaro seats and BBS rims were stolen, making it too expensive for ICBC to simply replace) and obviously didn't have problems with that one. However, as you stated, ICBC has to inspect each car before they're given a title to be sold to the public again... yet I'm sure many of us here have seen some absolutely horrendous rebuild jobs while car shopping.




Oh, and as for that insult against our members here, bugger off. Many members here -- including some that have posted in this very thread -- actually do have some personal knowledge in topics like this. Insulting them is a very quick way of making them not part their wisdom the next time you ask for it.

If you didn't want RS' opinion on rebuilding this vehicle etc etc. You should have just asked your initial question without the justification or backstory.

As for neckbeard's posting from our mother's basement, a large number of member's here both work in and even run, body shops, dealerships, wreckers etc. don't be so quick to assume.

I'm assuming he's referring to the idiots who can't read the fact that his father in law is repairing it.

Then why in the flying fuck did you make this thread if you already knew what you were going to do. Fuck.

If that's the case, then he shouldn't word it in such a way that it's all encompasing.

I did the carfax on it and the vehicle was leased from a local Mercedes dealership in Nov 2013. Owner only drove it for 4 months before the accident. I doubt Mercedes wanted to fix an "accident" car and try to resell it on their lot. My best guess is that they had some additional insurance on the vehicle and were able to write it off for a lesser repair value. I can't be sure on that though. I am just inferring based on my father-in-law telling me that the damage wasn't much, just the parts were expensive and had to be ordered from Mercedes in Germany. Parts were around $14k, he would have charged a regular buyer an additional $4k-$5k for his labor.

Regarding insulting other members on the forum: I don't want to come across as a douche, that was never my intention. I obviously wanted peoples opinion on the topic, that's why I started this thread. I just don't like the idea of people thinking they know more about the safety of a rebuilt vehicle versus a guy who has been rebuilding them by hand for the past 40 years. If you've got some sort of credentials to back up your opinion then please share them while making your post.

PS: I am still not sure what I'm going to do. I need to drive the vehicle first. Thanks for your input and comments. It is helpful to see differing opinions on the subject.

How about posting the said pictures on the damages and what has been done to the car since.

As soon as I get them I will post!

To be fair, when my Accord was in a minor fender bender, that repair job more than doubled because they had to ship some parts out directly from Japan (and, yes, it was overnight :lol). What should have been a cheap fix ended up being thousands of dollars more than ICBC had expected. And there was no frame damage at all, merely sheet metal, inner fenders and paint.

So don't worry, it's not that I don't disbelieve that there's no frame damage to the MB. ;)

Spend 30k on the rebuild. 20k on wife's life insurance. :troll:

I'm sure that your father in-law wouldn't be placing her daughter's life in danger especially letting her drive the rebuilt/salvage cars that he fixes but you know what would make him more happy? Just buying her a car without any problems. It makes you and everybody else feel so much better knowing that it's perfect in the sense that it wasn't fucked up before so you don't have to be skeptical and regret later on.

Your father in-law would be much more proud and happier to see that his daughter's husband values her safety over the money saved on a car. At the end of the day it's somebody you love and 20k or even 200k in my eyes is nothing compared to my family. The people you love and who loves you are not bought by money. They're always there for you till the end but at the end of the day everything goes down to your decision.

Best of luck to your search!

:facepalm:

haha no but really, i'm just voicing out my opinions. In no way i'm trying to say he's treating his wife terribly or anything. He can do whatever he wants and however he wants. It's not like everyone goes on forums to ask questions. They literally want to see another person's perspective on what they would do if they were put into the same situation.

the OP thread started by asking whether rebuilt cars have warranty...he never asked for the opinions on whether a rebuilt was safe or what he should do. maybe re-read. FUCK :accepted:

some of you guys are criticizing paperchase about his choice and telling him he is compromising his wife's safety from purchasing a rebuilt. I gotta agree with paperchase - I assume alot of these comments are not coming from people that have knowledge on rebuilds or do bodywork. If so state it in your comments maybe?:whistle:

He specifically mentions his father in law is doing the rebuild. If there is no frame damage and its mainly cosmetic, I'm confused why you guys think this will compromise safety in anyway. Fair enough resale will be hard, but he could always give it back to his father in law who sells rebuilds? There are obviously people that buy rebuilds with no issues, otherwise why would these places still be in business and how could they pass the ICBC safety inspections.

Fair enough there are alot of shady places and rebuilders that break the rules to make a buck. But not in this case it seems.

I could get a bat and dent all the doors, trunk, fenders of a car and it could be written off. :devil::If it was then rebuilt would it be unsafe? I don't think we can claim it is unsafe unless we see all the paperwork and pictures. OP stated some parts are coming from Germany and they are super expensive.

You can`t say all rebuilds are shit and unsafe without knowing the whole story

just curious but, what qualifies him to be a professional rebuilder? Licensed bodyman i assume?

good point. I`d rather drive a rebuilt c300 from a good rebuilder than a smart car, fiat, etc. I wonder if these same people will criticize someone for buying a brand new car without the best safety rating? How dare you not buy her a Volvo?!!? You saved a few bucks and bought her a ford!?!! :concentrate:

I guess you must know the father-in-law? you seem to know what would make him happier? lol. He must be sickened that his son in law is buying a car for his daughter that he rebuilt by hand to save a few bucks.

I'm gonna follow your advice. I'm going to buy a military tank for my family members to drive in. You are right it doesn't matter how much it costs. safety first!

If i could i would but I'm pretty sure you know what i really mean.
Since it's his father in law and it looks like he's set into buying that rebuilt titled C300, then that's that.

I went a little off topic towards the question and my bad on that part so no offense to anybody especially the OP.