2004 wreck what's it worth? salvage title

Fool
No deal.

There's a reason cars are totaled.

Of course, I wouldn't buy any car with a salvaged title to drive in the state of California. Good luck getting insurance and registration after you've poured all of your time and money into that money pit. And it still might not run. This is not an old VW beetle you're repairing in shop class.

 

My car was "front ended". (The guy in front of me suddenly backed up and hit me.)

My car is in the shop. It's been four weeks and I might get it back this weekend.

I needed a new front bumper, new hood and two new headlights. Also the braces that hold the radiator although the radiator itself is fine.

Total? About $3,000.

That car has a LOT more damage.

I count six panels. That could be $800-$1000+ per panel. The doors probably a lot more. I was quoted $800 to replace the back bumper. (I backed into a planter and put a dent in it)

The hood is also askew. That means hinges and possible other support stuff. It also means there could be frame damage.

Then there's the radiator that has been pushed back. It will need to be replaced plus the braces that support it. And who knows what's been damaged behind it? The shields under the front also need to be replaced.

A 2004 with 38,000 miles is probably worth something like $12,000-$15,000 I'm guessing. If the insurance company totaled it that means you'd spend that much or more to have it fixed. Again, the Prius is not the kind of car you can fix in your garage. And it's not just body work.

The biggest red flag is that it won't run. It lights up but won't run. That's bad. Very bad.

If it was local I'd say you could always buy it and part it out and probably make money. But to buy it sight unseen and ship it here?

I've got some swampland in Florida I think you'll be interested in.

 

How much are they asking for it?

There are two things you need to figure out:

1. Can you get insurance for it, and if so what will it cost?

2. How much will it cost to repair it? You need to have someone with body experience look the car over well for you before you buy it.

I say this because my uncle purchased a wrecked Toyota Solara that looked similar to that and had it repaired and have it to my cousin. They would up saving probably $6,000 off what a similar Solara would have cost, BUT:

1. He knew a body guy who looked it over first, and did the repairs cheap.

2. They looked at DOZENS of cars before they found one that would work.

3. It had no salvage title.

So, you gotta really do your homework before doing something like this.

 

By the way, he told you that the air bag is not blown, take another look at the steering wheel pic, that airbag is blown....... it is just all stuffed back into the wheel

 

Our 2005 was totalled last month. The front end was crushed (yeah for crumple zones and air bags--my husband felt no ill effects). The insurance estimate was $18,000. They gave us a replacement value that was $125 more than what we paid for it new in August 2005.

 

I don't think its blown, I think the cover is just scuffed up.It doesn't split in that way. It splits like this : l--l

 

have a close look at the top of the inverter assy it appears to be dinted at the rear part of the cover. IF so there's 4 grand right there. Also the rad support is what supports the front of the inverter and with the rad hanging down like that, did the rad support push the inverter back and damage it? There are a lot of very expensive questions here. Looking at it I don't think I'd spend any of my money on it.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SW03ES @ Feb 7 2007, 07:43 PM) [snapback]386814[/snapback]</div>

regardless I doubt that you'd get any MV inspector to signoff on that

 

Discuss it with Woody, who rebuilds new model Prius:

www.autobeyours.com

 

How do you post pictures??? I have some of my accident that I wanted to post here.

Thanks!

~E

 

Just for some comparison: here is a picture of my Prius when it was hit by an uninsured, unlicensed driver. It was a DARK day Anyway, mine was repaired and the insurance claim was around 13k to repair it. It seems like the damage is just a little less than what you have there. I wish they would have totalled it now. It really has never been the same as before it was hit. To fix it, they had taken my entire dash out. There were more wires in there than I've ever seen anywhere. I wish I would have taken a picture of what is behind the dash. Anyway, ever since the accident I hear all kinds of weird noises; strange beeps, farting vents, and I have an occasional wind noise that comes through a window on the drivers window somewhere. Unless you do the work yourself, REALLY know what you are doing and have Prius technician certification, I wouldn't do it.

 

Take a close look at the driver's front wheel. The trim ring is missing. None of the other wheels are missing one. This is a dead giveaway that the wheel sustained some sort of impact and probably bent the strut.

I'd pass.