Logan Dibble

Hey guys, I found a 2002 Vette that has an r title from being hit in the front passenger side. The guy that owns it supposedly fixed it all up and is selling it for $9k. It has 49,000 miles and is a clean car! Auto trans. He replaced the bumper and fender. What is you guys advise? Should I pull the trigger, and what should I look for? Thanks!!

ArmchairArchitect

Ask for pictures of the original damage to the vehicle. That way you can verify whether it was a small or large accident and what components besides cosmetics it might have affected (frame, suspension, etc. etc.)

Fcar 98

tentuna

I would make sure that was all the damage, bumper and fender replacement and paint would not total a car. I suspect suspension and frame was tweaked.

Logan Dibble

Logan Dibble

He claims the frame and suspension were unbothered

JerriVette

RTake it for a high speed test drive...take your hands off the wheel slightly and see how it tracks...

i think for an extra grand you could find one without a rebuilt title...but if this is the corvette you want and the price is right...for you...why the hell not...

anything can be fixed...

usually that damage shown without frame damage wouldnt get a writeoff ..


but if it tracks straight...the original tires are still on themcar and the wear patterns good...

what the hell...

go for it...

give him sixty eight hundred...

always fun to watch their heads explode

Logan Dibble

I think I’ll offer $7500 to start...

1965markaccount

Before you offer him anything take it to a mechanic you trust and have the car completely gone over or even better take it to a Chevrolet dealer and have them go over it. They, for a couple of hundred dollars give you an absolute evaluation of the car. They do it with the hope that you will bring the car to them to repair anything that they find. Tell the mechanic what you know before they start the evaluation so they know where to start looking. It will be the best money you ever spent.

If they will not let you take to your mechanic that should tell you all you need to know about the car.

Carmine97

For those who think minor, cosmetic damage won't total a car, you are mistaken.

Depends entirely on the insurance company and the owner's motivation.

To the insurance company it's just a 17 year old car worth maybe a couple grand according to their depreciation tables.
To us, it's worth more than that, but, in a surprising number of cases, the owner will take some money rather than pay the deductible to fix the car.

That being said, the before pictures and the opinion of an independent mechanic are all important.

Another helpful hint: Google the VIN. If it's been through a salvage yard, the pictures might be on line already.

DDaaryl

Carefully inspect the panel alignment. Then take it to someone who has a 4 wheel alignment machine and have it checked.

Logan Dibble

He says he has a lift and he will put it on the lift for me to see it. I want to take it to a Chevy dealership to get it checked out, there’s one in the same city.

JR-01

Yes. Or $6500

Logan Dibble

Does the panel look off on the passenger side? Like by the headlight

Phanni

It's really hard to tell from that picture. Make sure both headlights go up and down correctly, with no binding. If there was no frame damage, the fender and front facia are simply bolt on. Everything is in the alignment, both chassis and body panel.

It does look like the passenger side light might be mounted a bit Lowe, no big deal.

Phanni

I just took a closer look a the wreck pictures, and the front crossmembers of the frame took a pretty good lick, look at the dent in it.

STRMLNE

With the force of that kind of hit, I would be worried about what, if anything, was tweaked on the motor that is hard to see. I’m not exactly sure what the c5 market is like right now, but if it were me I would rather spend a little more money up front to get an accident free car rather than pay money on the back end to fix things that may come up from this collision. Mileage is attractive though.

Robrote

Sounds like a lot of $$$ for an R title car.

ArtClassShank

Too much $$$. That front crash bar was clobbered. Maybe that's where the energy stopped, but who knows.

Go watch Rob Dahm on youtube, he bought a similarly crashed C5 and had to take it to a frame shop to get it straightened. That bumper is obviously mounted poorly, so I'd imagine in person, the paint match will also be bad.

~Josh

Aside from that it’s a low option car. Base seats, no hud, auto (doesn’t help resale) and a hard hit.

Pass