biostyle1

Hello all, I am buying my son a car for Christmas. He is in college and will be graduating this year. He is a fan of the s2000s and has told his sister how badly he wants one. Do you think this car is a good buy? http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/2736226894.html. It is cheap because it is salvage title. I've heard horror stories of salvage title cars, however the owner has reassured me that there are no problems. I test drove it and it seems to run fine. The low mileage and year is very tempting. What do you guys think? I've talked to my wife about it and we're really serious about buying this for my son.

danvuquoc

Awesome gift, hopefully he did well and deserved it!

Did you find out WHY it has a salvage title?

chViETnk

looks like a front end accident, bumper is repainted, the front emblem is shaved so it had to have had some work done on the front

the rims dont even match. i cant see the passenger side but for the driver side, the front wheel is ap2v1 (from a 04-05) and rear is ap2v2 (06-07)

if you look closely they dont have the same design.

i would stay away, there are better deals out there.

19wrath85

macr88

It's tough because you could end up spending more and have similar issues with the car.
I'm pretty sure this car has a good bit of bump steer as does every salvage title I've seen. The rear quarter looks like it took a good hit and the guys that buy these cars just get them on the road again bent parts and all.

Your best bet is to find a decent deal and have it checked out at Blacktrax to be sure it's mechanically sound and that there aren't any bent suspension components that will cause future headaches.

TougeHorseman

Go for a theft salvage, not an accident salvage.

slightly2ned

A salvaged title S2K may be more headaches in the end, not to mention may be a vehicle which is more prone to failure or accidents while in use due to the compromised integrity of the vehicle - something I would assume no Father would want to expose their child to; the risk thereof.

I would suggest looking for other S2Ks in the same price range or slightly higher for overall peace of mind & a better driver/owner experience.

What a lucky son! I got a pat on my back & chinese food when I graduated college.

s2kenv

Although cost may be cheaper, always go back to the saying: "You get what you pay for"

Personally, salvage title vehicles is an instant NO in my book.

stacey

Technically I got the same deal, but I actually have to pay up to get the car title. Lol


That said, I wouldn't get that car. On top of what Mac said earlier, the frame may have been tweaked.

thomsbrain

I can speak from experience about how hard it is to truely fix an S2000 that has been in an accident and how few shops are capable of diagnosing and fixing the things that tend to get bent. :/ If the owner has receipts from Blacktrax or Active Auto Body, I'd buy it. Otherwise I'd look elsewhere. It this was gonna be a grocery-getter, it wouldn't matter, but your son is probably going to really drive this car, so I'd look for a straight car.