Boxster S with a Salvage Title

[mylamb]

I think you are answering your own questions...

[jmatta]

I can't imagine a damaged top would cause the car to have a salvage title (less than 6% of the vehicle value?); must be more to the story.

[Dave S.]

Kind of reminds me of one of those carfax ads where the car was underwater in a flood and the ad reads "new interior".

There's going to be more to that story than you are hearing today. I wouldn't touch it.

[SeanZ4]

The rule of thumb here in KS is a car with a salvage title usually brings about 1/2 normal value. If you could get it for under 10k, you'd probably be doing ok. Keep in mind though, you WILL have a hard time selling it and forget about ever being able to trade it in. Also, I don't know the Cali laws or insurance policies. I have a friend with a salvage titled car that they use as a beater. His insurance company would not put full coverage ins. on it. Have you done a carfax on it? Sometimes they'll give details of an accident or damage.

good luck
sean

[husker boxster]

If you do your due diligence and it checks out to your satisfaction, you better then consider how long you plan to keep this particular car. If you can't keep it for 4 yrs, for whatever reason, you better pass. Trying to resell a salvage title car shortly after you purchase it will be impossible unless you want to take a huge bath. Prospective buyers will wonder why you're selling it so soon and will probably shy away figuring there's something wrong with it (even if there's nothing wrong). If you plan to keep it for a while and it checks out OK, then there's no reason not to buy it.

However, it's still a buyer's mkt and you should be able to find some lower mileage, clean titled cars for an additional $5-6K. You don't have to buy the first one you see. Boxsters aren't rare.

Good luck with your pursuit.

[stephen wilson]

Is Tennessee an area to beware of "flood" cars? I saw an '06S, 30K miles, adv. for $32.500. That seem a bit too low to be true.

[CJ_Boxster]

If you decide to go with the S, ask the dealership that performs the PPI to check for signs of accident damage. If there are signs of an accident and you see a batch of new suspension parts on one side of the car, dont buy it.

[Ofishbein]

I've heard that salge title cars have no real value. Meaning if it gets stolen, the insurance company could get away with only giving token value. I'm not sure this is true but it has kept me from even considering anything with a salvage tile - regardless of how well it may have been repaired.

[fatmike]

The good news is that if you find a problem, Boxsters are easy and inexpensive to fix...

An eight year old Boxster with 75K miles will need work. If it was well cared for, it might still need a lot of things done (standard maintenance and repairs). An 8 year old with 75K miles with a salvage title?

Honestly, I'm not sure I'd take it if they gave it to me for free.

In my opinion, forget it.

[Bladecutter]

Originally Posted by CJ_Boxster

If you decide to go with the S, ask the dealership that performs the PPI to check for signs of accident damage. If there are signs of an accident and you see a batch of new suspension parts on one side of the car, dont buy it.

Words of wisdom, there.

I was looking at an '01 Boxster S in New Mexico back in early February, and I had pulled up a CarFax report on it, before heading down. The report showed that there was an accident reported back in '04 on the car in Wisconsin, which was far away from the owner's state of Arizona.

The car fax report showed that after that accident, it was still used, and had various parts replaced over the following years. In fact, after the accident, it had 60k more miles added to it. So I figured that if that many more miles were added to the car, the damage must have been fixed properly.

When I actually got to see the car, it looked fine from 50 feet.
Once I got up close and personal, it went down hill from there.

The hood, the right front fender, and the passenger door were all replaced.
They took the build sticker from the hood, and badly glued it to the new replacement hood.
The door that was replaced was badly painted, and the paint was transferring off of the door on to the rubber seals.
The front bumper was not properly reinstalled, and was drooping more on the right side of the car than on the left.

Then I actually took the car for a test drive.
To say that the car was in poor shape would be kind.

The shifter was sloppy, and it popped out of gear several times when my friend was driving it.
The top screached and screamed as you opened it, and I was afraid it was going to break during the test drive.
The steering was crap, and off center, and extremely heavy.
The brake pads were recently replaced, but they must have been the cheapest pieces of crap they could find, because the brakes felt like they did absolutely nothing when I stepped on the brakes.
The motor mount was shot, and so was the suspension.

The only thing that felt decent on the car was the engine.

Between the damage, and the over all condition of the car, I put an entry into the CarFax report for that car. Someone has bought that POS, unfortunately. Oddly enough, the other two Boxster's on their lot are still there, unsold. One had a mostly dead battery, and they refused to charge the battery so that I could take a look at the car. The other one was a tiptronic, and I wasn't interested in an auto.

So yes, always look for damage on cars you are buying, new or used.
You never know what happened to that car before it got to that car lot.

BC.

[Brucelee]

Be afraid, be very afraid.

[t2-bxtrs]

folks,
don't mean to be rude or anything, just want to be straightforward and honest. when it comes to cars especially higher end cars. there is no such thing as a good deal especially if it has been deemed "salvage". although it's still a buyers market there are always people trying to pass on this cars as worthwhile investments..
the honest truth is you will only get a good deal if you find the best example of a car that you can afford.. do yourself a favor and save your $10g's or so and buy one when you can afford.. that $10'gs Boxster can turn into a $20 thousand dollar car in no time when you factor in repairs/part/replacements etc... aside from the inconvenience, your safety, and countless sleepless nights !
thank u,

[mptoledo]

Originally Posted by t2-bxtrs

folks,
don't mean to be rude or anything, just want to be straightforward and honest. when it comes to cars especially higher end cars. there is no such thing as a good deal especially if it has been deemed "salvage". although it's still a buyers market there are always people trying to pass on this cars as worthwhile investments..
the honest truth is you will only get a good deal if you find the best example of a car that you can afford.. do yourself a favor and save your $10g's or so and buy one when you can afford.. that $10'gs Boxster can turn into a $20 thousand dollar car in no time when you factor in repairs/part/replacements etc... aside from the inconvenience, your safety, and countless sleepless nights !
thank u,

That wasn't rude, on the contrary it was informative and very correct about possibly turning into a money pit. Unfortunately you almost never know the whole truth about a salvaged car. I myself would be very leary and most likely wouldn't buy one, unless it was damn cheap, like over 50% off, and I had a ppi(inspection) from a reputable mechanic. Now if your a mechanic yourself you can really find some steals out there.

I figured for 13k on a 22k booked second car(clean title), I am willing to take a chance as its my weekend driver. My worst fear is the "ims" failure. I just cant see putting 14k in a new engine. I have already done the ignition switch myself, and will be doing the plugs, belt, fuel filter thursday and getting the oil done. By doing this myself It really saves time, money and you really bond with your car. I also know it will be done right, as I am anal about that kind of stuff. I know it sounds wierd but hey a mans second best friend is his Boxster