LonnHawkins Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Hi, New poster. I'm checking out a blue 04' 350z coupe going for $5,950.00. Its a collision thats missing the front right fender, part of the bumper, and the hood itself is crumpled. WW AUTO.350z.Salvage It LOOKS promising, I'm not so sure about the price tag on it right now but I want to get some feedback on what readers think as far as the price, the damage, and maybe what its going to take to get this thing straight again to see if its worth it. Just so I can hear some opinions. Love all the work I see on the forum overall and really hope to become a permanent resident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Are you going to do the work yourself? If you are going to pay a shop to do it and you don't have the required skills definitely pass. This car won't be worth much after it's repaired either due to the salvage title. There have been some excellent deals on salvage cars that have been repaired, and I pass every time. Figure that car is worth 13-14k if it were not crashed. Says airbags were deployed, you will need to replace them. I cannot tell, but there are airbags in the seats too, on the outboard sides that may have deployed. Need to reupholster the seat to fix that. Welcome. Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZ33 Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 the seats in that z are not the ones with airbags, but the bags alone will cost a pretty penny... if you can check it out in person, make sure the frame isnt bent, in a couple of the pics it looks like it might be which again will be hard and costly to fix... depending on who does the work and what kind of deals you can find this COULD run you the price of just buying a used '03 for 10 or 11K... not saying it WILL just saying COULD.... its a perfect candidate for a lot of fun options if its straight... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LonnHawkins Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 I see. Well, I'm keeping in contact with the company and just shooting them emails asking about its condition and trying to really get an idea of cost. But I'll definatly need to drop in and actually look at it to really see whats up. I'll use this thread to get more feedback. Anything else you guys might foresee costing a bit to replace, other than the obvious exterior stuff? BTW, thanks for your quick replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZ33 Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 Im hoping there is not a lot of hidden damage, like suspension or undercarriage or even the bottom end of the engine... its just things youll have to get under it to see you know? I have a 350Z and i was looking for something like this to rebuild at first.. but i decided against it in the end... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexPie Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 If its Uni-body I wouldn't even touch it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I came across this exact same type of deal a few months ago - damage looks almost identical except mine had a dent in the roof area as well. IIRC, my estimate was around $3k-4k in parts, but that included getting all replacement parts from the junkyard (including dash and steering wheel from airbags) and doing the work myself. With other hidden / misc costs, I decided to pass. It was an '07 and he was asking around $5500 with salvage title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt K Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 My daily driver is a G35 that's a salvage from a similar front end collision. It isn't completely perfect fit & finish, but in the 1 1/2 year of owning it & driving it all over the country, I have no complaints. I traded another car for it, so it's cost me nothing. I personally don't care about the salvage title, I'm not planning on getting another car anytime soon, don't want a payment. A car like this is a great way to save money if you want something nice but don't have the coin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xonix_digital Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 The front end collisions I've seen on 350zs were similar to that one and the unibody was crumpled in the front. If you haven't already, go check it out in person and see if the parts where all the sheet metal comes together in the front and where the suspension system mounts to the car is all straight. If there was a lot of damage to these areas I would pass. 2003 cars with no damage can be found on my350z.com all day for $10k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zBoy Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 My thought on buying slavage vehicles from places like that and copart is pretty simple. Someone would have picked it up earlier to make some coin, whether that be original owner, insurance agency, or repair shops that normally do the inspection after an accident. It is a lot of work to maybe save 1 or 2 thousand dollars and at what costs. Lets face it, it is now a less safe vehicle and resale value is in the pooper. Now if you have the opportunity to buy a vehicle off of someone before it hits a place like this on a deal than I would say go for it. But if it were me I wouldn't unless the vehicle was going to be used for parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greghassen Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 i've done about 10 rebuilders in the past. i never kept track of how much it costed to do one. I did it for the challenge and personal satisfaction. From doing so many i did learn a few tricks to saving money on rebuilders. What really helps is if the seller is also a wrecking yard or they can get you the parts you need at their wholesale prices and sell it all to you as a package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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