Hi all,

New to the forum, but been reading it for the last month or so. I've been in the market for an S2000, and from what I've read here, MY02 and up is the way to go, especially if you want an AP1.

It just so happens that a local salvage yard has got a 02 S2k with 30k miles on their lot. According to them, the car starts and the engine runs fine, and was untouched in the wreck. The right side of the car was affected - looks like the owner hyrdroplanned and hit something. Cosmetically, the bumper, door, door mirror, and hood are fine. The door lines up fine, and seals properly with the top. It looks like all the car should need will be a new right fender and some work to the right rear quarter panel. The quarter panel has a dent in it, that my bodyman reckons can be pulled.

Mechanically: Needs new airbags. The guys who have the car right now, have replaced the front right wheel and most of the right front suspension - upper and lower control arms, struts, etc. They claim that all that is needed to finish up the job is a new tie rod for the front right suspension, a new brake line, and an ABS sensor. They also claim that there is NO frame damage to the vehicle - frame rails are straight and nothing bent, and that the only thing worthy of mention is that when the right front wheel was pushed back towards the rear of the vehicle during the impact, it pushed back the "shield" behind it that is tack welded to the car. This shield has two layers, and the outer layer is bent, and some of the welds have come off. I spoke to my mechanic about this, and he says that all it does is prevent water from coming inside, and that if properly pulled and sealed, this shouldn't be a problem.

I have both a mechanic and bodyman that are both good friends of mine, that can give me access to their respective shops and do the work for me at a much lower rate than normal. Their estimating that with the parts and labor, I should be able to fix everything for approximately $2500.

My question to you guys is, from what I described, is it worthwhile to go for the car. I should be able to get a good deal on most of the parts, and like I said, labor won't be too bad. I am worried about the "complexity" the car for lack of better description in that it has a "X-Bone" chassis and "in wheel" suspension..

1. Are these components sensitive to repair - xbone chassis, in wheel suspension, etc.? Is the replacement of a lot of the front right suspension components a bad sign?
2. The airbags in the vehicle are deployed? Does changing the airbags also involve changing the seatbelts. On many newer cars, I'm told that special stitching on the seatbelts may make it nesessary to replace the belts as well. Is this true of the S2000?
3. How much should I expect to pay for such a vehicle. It is an 02 and has 30k on the odo. It has a salvage title of course, and will need to be recertified as a rebuilt vehicle.
4. Is it worth the risk!?


For those who made it to the end, thanks and sorry for the long post. This is a big purchase for me, and a big risk at that. I want to make sure, I get all the facts and details before jumping on this one. Any insightful and detailed advice would be appreciated from all. Thanks.

 

That is very subjective but I would say no.

Buying salvaged car is like rolling dice... not worth the gamble in my book. No matter how you've done the math in your head to justify the purchase, most likely it will cost you more. Additionally you won't have the peace of mind.

I recommend that you leave the salvaged cars to the used car dealers and that you take your time, save a little more and buy a good condition used S2000 for under 20K.

I would never buy a salvaged performance car...... if I ever bought salvaged it would be a beater to go from point A to B.

JMHO

Tim

 

Honestly man I would not buy a salvage car if it were me...here are the reasons, and this is through personal experience. There will be lots of little things that keep adding up that your gonna have to fix, and there will be some things that I'm sure that wont work right anymore. In the end when you finally do get everything complete, and yes my buddy had his own brother do the work, he had enough money into the car that he could have bought the exact car with the same mileage for the same. On top of that...the resale is gonna be straight up sh*t, it will be VERY hard to get rid of, especially an S.

And to answer your questions, yes the seatbelts will have to both be replaced, because when you get in an accident they lock up permanently. Airbags will also have to be replaced, and they are not cheap, typically I've seen them run $1000 or more on other cars, dunno bout the S. With this being a performance vehicle, gives you another reason not to do it...there really aren't any pros, except it looks like its cheaper to begin with, but its not. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

 

One word - Resale!

Even if you save a few $1k upfront. The resale is gonna be a bitch. I would only think of getting into something like this if it was going to be a track only car. IMHO.

 

You said that:

The guys who have the car right now, have replaced the front right wheel and most of the right front suspension - upper and lower control arms, struts, etc. They claim that all that is needed to finish up the job is a new tie rod for the front right suspension, a new brake line, and an ABS sensor.

What I'm wondering is why didn't they do it themselves? If they've done some work to it, I'm wondering if they realized it was going to be too expensive and want to sell it off.

 

you did not mention the cost. for a good title 2001 s2k in fine condition 50Kmi i paid $15.5K last year. originally listed on autotrader.com. i had to pick up the car from a nj dealer. it seems this time of year you can get lower prices. because of this i was not interested in a salvage car.

the kbb.com value of the car can be down rated by %50 with a salvage title. it may also be difficult to insure, upon a theft or accident if the incurance company (including the other person's insurance company) totals the car what value will you get with a salvage/rebuilt title. usally the purchase price + the fix up cost is not worth it in my area for premium cars, a 90's nisson sentra is efficent to buy through these channels.

every area differs: as you fix the car save your reciepts, you will most likely need to do an inspection to get the title changed from salvage to rebuilt. in my area they look at safety issues and lights and reciepts.

look for the bags on ebay

set what the seller is willing to note on the bill of sale, other wise assume the worst unless immediate knowledge tells you else.

 

You do have a lot to consider. If, and only if you can get the car for an amazingly low price from the salvage yard you may want to consider. I would try to get the car's frame looked at by an alignment shop. The X bone frame is very strong, but, I would not buy the car if the attachment point for the front suspension was bent. The outer part of the frame (under the doors) should not affect drivability and it does not sound like this part was involved anyway.

Replacing suspension should not be a big deal.

Seatbelt tensioners and airbags might be the spendiest part of the repair.

I will tell you from experience that I crashed my 04 this past year. I needed a new left rear suspension, f + r wheels, brake, left door, left outer frame repair, left quarter panel repair, paint, and lots of small parts. Total bill for NEW parts parts and labor was over $15,000 !!!!!! Thank god for good insurance. The car drives like it always did, no sign that it was involved in a crash. But, the cost for repair was crazy.

So, considering the potential repair cost, I would offer no more than $5,000 IF there is not frame damage and the suspension points.

You may want to look for an undamaged used car. I got my 04 last year used with 10k miles at the dealership for $24k out the door. It was winter in seattle and they really wanted to get rid of this car. You should be able to get a MY02 for a good deal if you look around.

Good luck !!!!

 

Let's say you buy a Salvage title S2000 that was fully restored even. It's still a slavage title. Let's say you want to finance it (if you can get financing) you have to carry full coverage insurance (your insurance company will pay you next to nothing for a salavage titled car in the event of a casualty) Even if the car is tip top, it's not worth the rest of the headaches. You sure are taking a lot of risk.

 

Many of the comments here are a little inaccurate:
Some Insurance companies will pay you Trade In-Value (low book for the car) if it gets totalled again, some will not care and pay you Market Value. Either way, you should be able to complete the car 3-4K below Low Book, so your still making some $ on it or at least breaking even.

KBB does state this, BUT you will not find a legitimate salvage car for 50% off a clean title car (ie. Clean title 04 S2K $25k, salvage maybe 18-19K, no way $12.5K)

You should save at least $4-5K or don't do it!

With all that being said, if you don't have any experience in the SALVAGE car market, don't get into it. You really don't know what your getting into, trust me. I've sold many salvage S2000's w/o any issues, but everytime I sell a UNCOMPLETE salvage car to someone they always come back and say, "it's costing me more to fix it than I thought it would..."

Also, DO NOT buy salvage cars that are not complete for dealers. If they could fix it and profit they would have. There has to be a reason why they don't want to fix it any longer and want to unload it on you. If you are serious about buying a salvage S2000, find someone with a dealer's license that can buy directly from the insurance company (like me ) That way you get the car for what they got it for (+ minimal premimum, usually $500 or so) and you know no one messed with it. I only buy salvage THEFT RECOVERIES and think thats the best way to go if you want an S2000 for cheap. Hope all this info helps you out and sorry if I offended anyone with the above comments

ps. if u are in the W.COAST and need help locating a THEFT RECOVERY holla via PM. I currently have my own S2K (not for sale), an 05, 03, and 02 (in the local classifieds)

 

Sounds too risky for all of the above reasons. Especially that they did not complete the job of fixing it.