Debating on new purchase - fire damaged

The body shop that did repairs on my car gave me a certificate guaranteeing his work for two years.

 

Sorry, one more thing.....looking at the damage in the pictures, I do NOT see fire damage (I could be wrong).

That car clearly had a collision from the rear left quarter. That would explain why the rear wheel is askew like that. It also explains why it looks crumpled back there - even the inner rear bumper is bent inwards from the aforementioned (suspected if you will) impact. It would also explain the shattered rear windscreen.

Lastly, I strongly suspect a fire in that location would have likely totalled that car. Of course, there's the possibility that the vehicle that crashed into it might have caught fire while it was wedged into the rear of the Prius, but they must have been quickly separated IF that happened.

Were you ever appraised of the cause / source of the alleged fire in question?

My comments are entirely with added due respect - and purely to assist you, okay?
The final decision is of course, yours.


iPad ? HD

 

I'm thinking a glancing blow by a vehicle with a very low nose. The impact is clearly visible on that solid inner bumper which is bent inwards from the impact in the target area. I suspect that rear tyre took the brunt of the impact hence it looking skewed.

There might have been a fire afterwards (very briefly - but methinks the other car was the source of the fire). Of course I could be wrong - but I'm trying logically to translate the damage I'm seeing within reason.

I can see what looks like heat damage, but NOT fire damage per se - with the Prius being the source.

However; maybe you're right - and the fuel fire was extinguished in seconds by a powerful system in place at the fuel station which doused the flames very quickly. Personally I think there IS collision damage that I can see. That bumper needs explaining.


iPad ? HD

 

With the HV battery being back there, I would be concerned that it could have been damaged by the fire/collision. The body shop should be able to fix the structure without a problem, but the battery is probably out of their area of expertise. At the very least I would get it inspected by a Toyota dealer or someone who knows Prius' and some kind of guarantee from the shop.

 

Salvage title = no warranty.
None.
If the seller "says" that they offer a warranty on the repair, then it's worth exactly the same as the OEM warranty is now.
That's something I would consider before overpaying for a total loss vehicle, especially if I were buying it from somebody who obviously indulges in recreational pharmaceuticals.
I'm sorry to pop your bubble for you on Christmas Day, but a 2013 Prius Five with ATP and 10,000 miles on it lists for about 26K on KBB if it's in excellent condition.
Spoiler Alert: A totaled car isn't in 'excellent condition."

I don't know if the 40-percent discount was the seller's or the buyer's wishful thinking, but it's 100-percent wrong.
If you're deep enough to pay cash for a vehicle like this, then you might drive it for many care-free years before the car's prdigree is obviated by age and mileage, but I'd rather try this in a base model car that will not have as many doo-dads that might break without the OEM warranty.
If you're thinking about asking a real bank for money to cover a loan for this car, then I think I'd get quotes FIRST. Some banks are kinda persnickety about things like lending money for totaled vehicles.
Same with the insurance companies.

Please let us know how it shakes out.
Good Luck!

Merry Christmas!!!

 

Not true. Airbags are set to fire only in the type of collision where they would be useful -- head-on for some, side for others.

And they fire only with impacts strong enough to make them potentially necessary. I did a lot of nose damage to a past car, without firing the front airbags in a case where they totally unnecessary.

On a 2010, it is biased more to the other side, unlike your 2005.

 

You're in Los Angeles. You might as well drive to Mexico and get you a "cut and shut."


You say that you are not an expert on cars. That should tell you that you should run away from this deal.

 

Ah there's the rub. You think your pulling a fast one on a body shop guy. A guy who has ordered a boatload of parts for, has replaced the guts in, and put some sweat and blood into this car.

Trust me...he knows exactly what this car retails for. Your skewing this in your head because you want it. At least be realistic.

If I had $21,000 to spend I'd buy a nice brand new car and drive away happy.

 

As mentioned, $21K is not a killer deal. In my zip it's a $23k car in "fair" condition, just under $27K if excellent.

One thing not mentioned is why wasn't this car repaired by the insurance company? Typically they aren't going to total a car until the repair costs come to something like 75% of the value of the car prior to the accident (it varies by company). This is worth about $27K in excellent condition so this needed something like $20K in damage to total it. That's not $20K in damage, so why wasn't it repaired?

In other words, what aren't you seeing that was damaged and made the insurance company total it?

 

If I'm buying a shovel, I might take the damaged on at the hardware store.

But, on the basis that they current car is a computer and is much more complicated than the cars of the 1960's, I would NEVER buy such a car as the one that you noted.

If I had a car like that and one repaired the same way, I'd sell it, too. Life is too short to shortcut safety and peace of mind for a few thousand dollars.

 

Yeah the last thing you want is a Prius you have a fortune into and its got a electronic gremlin in it that nobody can figure out. The dealer loves those as they really enjoy throwing ecu's at the problem to there hearts content and your wallets misfortune. We have seen that many many times with a just a regular P
rius not even a salvage.

I see awesome salvage deals almost daily on eBay. Much easier fixes than this car that took a really hard whoop in the back.

 

Whats depreciation got to do with it? The car is already depreciated 100% with a salvage title. Why bother even mentioning the word "depreciation?