I'll sell you a clean-title, 1-owner 2003 w/ 42k for only a little more than that.
I'd probably take you up on that, but it's got to be a California smog-rated car...which I doubt yours is.
I'll sell you a clean-title, 1-owner 2003 w/ 42k for only a little more than that.
Here is the deal on the car, by the way: 2003 P5, 37K for $7500...I would try to get the guy down to $7000 though. What do you guys think?
My testimony:
I live in Northern California. I have a 2003 p5 with a salvaged title. I bought mine in september of 2006 for $7500 with only 18k miles. I now have almost 40k miles and haven't had any problems at all. Still has the original tires on it.
Here's my secret to buying salvaged:
-i found pictures from the online auction site that the car was auctioned from. These pictures showed the damage to the car and why the car was salvaged.
- The pictures showed that the car was salvaged at only 10k miles so i know there couldn't have been any neglect in maintenance by the original owner.
- Neither air bags were deployed from the accident.
- The frame did not appear to be bent
- The suspension did not appear to be altered.
- there was a sizeable dent above the gas filler on the 1/4 panel that needed to be replaced.
When i looked at the car in person, i was able to see the type of work that was done. The car drove stright and sure enough, the frame was not bent. I do have quite a bit of knowledge with cars and repairing cars, so i was able to inspect what was visible. Also, the seller of the car was a mutual friend of mine and i trust his reputibility.
Buying salavaged requires strict attention, however, my experience has proven that simply because a vehicle has a "clean title" does not mean the car is accident-free. I have seen some pretty gnarly cars that have been chopped and clipped together worse than some salvaged titled cars. The insurance companies in California assess a wrecked car...if the total repairs are more than 60% of the total value of the car, they will total out the vehicle. some clean titled cars have even been in multiple collisions with repairs of nearly every panel of the car. In addition, buying from a dealership does not guarantee any mechanical reliability. Most dealerships do not carry any history of the car. Some negligent car owners may drive their car to 50k miles without even changing the motor oil.
I say all this to conclude:
Always do your homework. whether you are buying clean or salvaged...study up. know what you're getting.
Thanks for reading.
-wes