davidwagner96
New member
- Location
- Cleveland, OH
- Car(s)
- 92 Miata
Hi everyone! First post, and I'm looking to get a MK7 GTI. Currently driving a '92 Miata, and it's just not cutting it in a lot of ways as I'm sure you can imagine! I've been looking at a number of cars around the $17K price point, and I saw this one, which is VIN # 3VW547AU7HM034799 listed for $16,395. After a few messages with the seller, here's my rundown. Let me know what you think. I'm specifically interested to hear your thoughts on the salvage title and concerns surrounding the mystery damage.
Here's the CarGurus listing.
Attached are the ultra low res images (edit: replaced) of the Carfax the seller sent me.I believe CarGurus compressed these heavily. I've asked the seller to resend them to my phone or email, but haven't heard back yet. I'll reupload easily legible versions once I get them.
Essentially, though, the Carfax looks good in terms of dealer vehicle servicing, but the car was declared a total loss due to some sort of accident that caused $17K of estimated damage.
Here's the salvage auction listing. This listing is somewhat odd, because I don't really see any damage on the car... It also says it runs and drives, and the interior looks clean as well! But it sold for $6725... I'm certainly not seeing $17K of damage in those salvage auction photos. Asking the seller about it, he says he doesn't know the reason it was declared a total loss, but guesses that it was due to enough minor body and panel damage that added up to the $17K estimated insurance bill.
Asking the seller more about the condition of the car, he says it has no mods (ECU, hardware upgrades, etc...), and is in great cosmetic condition. Screenshots are below.
I've asked for the repair facility's name (if he has it) so I can ask them what damage they repaired. What else should I ask/look for/be wary of? You think this is too good of a deal to not be a bag of lemons? Edit: see 2nd post for repair facility info.
Here's the CarGurus listing.
Attached are the ultra low res images (edit: replaced) of the Carfax the seller sent me.
Essentially, though, the Carfax looks good in terms of dealer vehicle servicing, but the car was declared a total loss due to some sort of accident that caused $17K of estimated damage.
Here's the salvage auction listing. This listing is somewhat odd, because I don't really see any damage on the car... It also says it runs and drives, and the interior looks clean as well! But it sold for $6725... I'm certainly not seeing $17K of damage in those salvage auction photos. Asking the seller about it, he says he doesn't know the reason it was declared a total loss, but guesses that it was due to enough minor body and panel damage that added up to the $17K estimated insurance bill.
Asking the seller more about the condition of the car, he says it has no mods (ECU, hardware upgrades, etc...), and is in great cosmetic condition. Screenshots are below.
I've asked for the repair facility's name (if he has it) so I can ask them what damage they repaired. What else should I ask/look for/be wary of? You think this is too good of a deal to not be a bag of lemons? Edit: see 2nd post for repair facility info.
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