Hello everyone,

at the outset, I would like to apologize for any mistakes, but I do not use English on a daily basis. But I hope you will understand everything :-)

I come from Europe (Poland). I fell in love with the Corvette C5 and am looking for a car (targa, manual, <60k miles) in the best possible condition. I am going to import it from the USA, because I want it to be accident-free, and in my country it is very difficult to get such a car. 99% has a slavage title and was imported from the USA with damages and repaired in Poland (repair costs are much lower than in the United States).

This is a very big expense for me, especially considering transport costs, taxes and customs, so I wouldn't want to find the wrong vehicle.

I would especially like to avoid a Corvette with frame damage (also repaired earlier) - I can handle the mechanics.

In this regard, I have a few questions:
1. I know that pure Carfax guarantees nothing. To minimize the risk, I decided to look for cars (CarGurus, Autotrader) sold by dealers. Do you know of any cases of people who bought a used Corvette from an official dealer of the brand (eg Chevy, Ford or Nissan) and it turned out that the vehicle had a previously damaged frame and was sold with Clean Title?
2. Do you know any good company that will be able to verify the technical condition of such a C5 in the USA? I am buying a car through an intermediary who will not be able to inspect it. I was thinking about companies like Lemon Squad, Road Ready, AiM Certify, but they don't have the best reviews ...
3. Is such dealer liable in any way if he sells a damaged (and previously repaired) Clean Title car and did not inform about it in advance?
4. Are there any cases in the USA that it is more profitable for someone to repair a car with a damaged frame than to apply for total loss to the insurer?

I will be grateful for all the answers, this is an important issue for me, and I have a lot of doubts.

Regards!

 

Welcome to the forum! Your english is better than many native english speakers!

1) Carfax is pretty good. If a car has severe damage it is very unlikely that it will not be noted on the report. As you have said, Carfax is not perfect but it is the best we have.
1a) I disagree completely that looking for cars from dealers will reduce your risk in anyway. It would be unlikely that a dealer would even purchase a car with frame damage because they know it will be difficult to sell it and the price they could get for it would be far less than another car they could put in the same spot on their lot. The value proposition for the dealer just would not make sense in this case. HOWEVER, dealers are good at covering up all kinds of annoying and costly issues that could pop out in the first few weeks of ownership. I much prefer to buy my old interesting cars from enthusiasts and I have done so many times with much more success.
2)These inspection companies do exist, and I have briefly looked into some of them while looking at cars across the country, but never actually made any phone calls. If you find a C5 you like in the states, I feel sure if you post about it here or in one of the local forums, a seasoned enthusiast would be willing to go see the car for you. This is a common method for us!
3) Basically, no. If a dealer sells you a piece of junk, that's on you. Some states in the US might offer some kind of legal protection but I am not really aware of anything specific and would never depend on that as a backup. With you being overseas, basically assume if you get a car from a dealer that secretly has a huge crack in the door or low compression on 3 cylinders, you lost and they won. Used car buyers MUST do their due diligence and beyond!!
4)In this case the car will be deemed a total loss by the insurance company but instead of letting the insurance company sell the wreck to recoup their loss, the owner has the option to buy the wreck back from the insurance company and can do what they want with it. Part it out for money, fix it and drive it, etc. If a car has frame damage there will also be so much damage to expensive parts and body work there will be no hope for profit really...

Overall, I think you are sweating this a bit too much. There are TONS of C5s out there to choose from and most of them have no damage at all because most of them have not been driven very much. Of the ones that have been hit, the vast majority of them do not have frame damage. Most C5s with frame damage get recycled into springs, and tshirts, and aluminum cans.

 

I agree with oharal above. A Carfax report combined with a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) should cover your risks. There are many independent 3rd party companies who offer PPI services in each area. When you find a C5 for sale, you can do a Google search for PPI companies in the area of where the car is sold, and have them look over the car. Make sure you read the Google reviews of the PPI company so that you pick a good one.

Always nice to see C5s internationally We hope to welcome you to the Corvette family!

 

Welcome to the forum! When you find one that you're seriously interested in buying, update this thread. There may be someone on here who would be willing to go look at it for you.

Also, just my opinion on cars with previous collisions - When you're looking at 17-24 year old vehicles, there's a good chance of an accident being reported at some point in the car's history. (Maybe less so with a Corvette since they get babied and driven less) If it was very early on and the damage was not severe, I wouldn't be too concerned. A new corvette being repaired through insurance is likely to go to a skilled, certified body shop and receive a high quality repair. If it's been driving around for years and years after an accident, it was probably repaired well. However, if it's major damage and the car is offered up for sale soon after, I would pass.

 

Welcome back,

thank you very much for all the answers - things lightened up a bit. Honestly, I already have an eye on one C5, namely this one:

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...=myATCsavedcar

I already verified her Carfax (everything seems ok), the price is probably not some special bargin, but it's not bad (I hope). I also got some pictures from the dealer (including the chassis) but they didn't add up to anything special.

I have already ordered an inspection of this car by Lemon Squad, we will see if they can verify its accident-free history. Google reviews show that they are not always successful in this area:-)

What do you think about this C5?

 

The add does not mention it, but that is the 50th Anniversary Convertible. It looks like a very nice car. The dealer is about an hour away from me. BY FAR the best Corvette shop near the dealer is a place called Lakeside Auto. If you can make arrangements for Scott at Lakeside Auto to look the car over, you'll know 100% what you're getting. If it checks out with him, you'll be very happy with the car.

 

I bought my 2004 Z06 LeMans from a dealer and the CarFax report said no accidents. Problem was the car had been in an accident (driver's side door), a water funnel had lifted the car. I talked with the seller later and he said he had taken it to the local Chevy dealer to be repaired. The only thing the dealer done was straighten the door out and then repaint. It cost me $4000 to get the door replaced, the original door had three cracks that ran down the frame. So not all dealers are honest nor is CarFax as an insurance claim has to be filled for CarFax to be updated.

 

@MWWarlord thank you for the info, I'll try to get in touch with Scott, unless I get a Lemon Squad report this week, maybe he can get to Richmond Ford West, that's 9 miles from his garage.

@Z06Berlin - these are the situations that I am a little afraid of. I could accept the replacement of a part such as the door, but some damages cannot be repaired so "easily".

 

What do you mean a water funnel lifted the car?

 

I like it. That car looks like it was well taken care of. I hope it works out for you. You will love getting a Vette!!!!! Keep us posted.

 

Body work or frame damage will only show up on a Carfax if the repair was an insurance claim. If the owner paid for the repair, it will not show up on a Carfax.The best place to have an inspection to see if the car had any frame damage or any other body work is a body shop. See if you can get the car to a reputable body shop for an inspection. A good body man will be able to tell you if the car has had any previous body work.

 

@C7sebringgs that's right. Going back to the starting point: have you heard of a case (especially on this forum) where someone bought a car with a damaged frame from a dealer? Is it even profitable (I'm talking about a hypothetical situation, of course) for someone to repair a Vette with a damaged frame and sell it than to claim compensation?

 

Carfax can only see what has been reported/claimed with insurance, if the last time my car was registered/inspected the odometer was at 25K I can easily roll it back and you would have no idea. Likewise if an accident is not reported carfax won't have a clue. It's worth the $40 but don't ignore warning signs just because the fox thinks it's okay. If the seat, wheel and pedals look 200,000 miles and the car fax says 50,000 the fox is wrong.

Most (non-salvage) Vettes are not going to be frame damaged, you are more likely to get burned on electronic issues, clutch, torque tube, transmission.

Dealers are often sleazier than private sellers though for the most part they are sleezy to each other, when they get burned on a car generally they pawn them off at a dealer auction and not to the public... Though I guess you won't be around to give them trouble. Some of them won't even want to deal with you I bet, too much of a liability, too much work to sell a car that is going to sell regardless.

Your best bet is to find a trusted (neutral third party) mechanic and pay for a PPI (though I realize that this can be a logistical challenge). If you find anything of interest in Eastern PA/North Jersey I'd be glad to pre-screen it for you.

This is the worst time to buy a used car from the US. We are in a serious used car bubble and while I think a C5 will hold its value pretty well (they aren't making relatively simple, relatively light, V8 manual sports coupes anymore) They are way too high right now and it isn't going to last if you can wait another year or two. Then again inflation could make these prices normal so *shrug*

Also while normally I would recommend you avoid 'the salt belt' Vettes don't see a lot of winter driving and the bodies are fiber glass which minimizes potential rust.

Lastly you might consider taking a vacation, getting a rental car and scoping a few out. Florida for example tends to have cheap/abundant used cars with low mileage (and is close to East Coast ports), AZ/Vegas is farther but the Grand Canyon is sublime and South West cars are going to be in real good condition (unless they get neglected and sun baked).

 

@LSgoBRRR Thanks for the offer, if I would not buy this 50th Anniversary and find something in your area I will contact you for sure.

The situation is the same in the European Union. Due to increasingly stringent emission standards, downsizing dominates the new car market, vehicles in showrooms are becoming more and more expensive and this translates into the costs of buying used vehicles. Moreover, new cars break down much more often than a decade ago, and are more complicated to handle with.

BTW. Does anyone on the forum live near this dealer?

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=304569722

 

Thank you very much for your offer @LSgoBRRR , if there is an advertisement for a suitable C5 in your area, I will definitely contact you.

As for the Richmond Corvette - I have a Lemon Squad report, it's very weak. They didn't do a lot of the things I asked them to do, I doubt if they did a test drive at all. Unfortunately, this report is not going to help me make my purchase decision ...

 

In all honesty, that car probably doesn't have frame damage if it has a clear title. In the current market, the asking price is a good one. I've given you the name of the best Corvette mechanic in the Richmond area. It's up to you to make the arrangements for him to look at it. Honestly, I suspect this car is going to sell fast. If you want it, you'll need to buy it soon.

 

ill bring another twist to your search.

There are a few reputable intermediaries in Sweden buying and selling corvette, you should have a look.
C5 auto Vette smaland
or dreamfaktory
Dreamfactory

also, the scene or corvette is quite strong in Sweden, and there are regularly C5 on sale, nothing like US for sure. There is a Facebook group.
Swedish Facebook group for Corvette trade

Good luck!
TCFS

 

Hello again, I have one more question: is it true that in the US the seller has a legal obligation to disclose that the frame was damaged?

 

I've not heard that before. However, in the VAST majority of cases where the frame has been damaged, the insurance will total the car. Once the car is totaled, it changes the status of the car title. If the title is a salvage title or a rebuilt title, then there may or may not have been frame damage. If the title is clear, the chances that the car has had frame damage is VERY minimal. It is nearly impossible to have a clear titled C5 with frame damage. In the extremely rare instance that this may occur, the frame would have to have been fixed correctly. In which case it's not really an issue. The car that you linked us to, seems to be in good condition. It has an aftermarket exhaust, and has clearly been well cared for. My general advice is to never buy a used Corvette without a pre-purchase inspection. Bottom line, without such an inspection it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to know for 100% sure if the car has had frame damage or not. So, you either need to find a way to get it inspected, or roll the dice knowing that the frame is more than likely fine. I'm not saying this car doesn't have issues, but frame damage probably isn't one of them.

 

@MWWarlord thank you for your answer.


I found the source of information about the obligation to notify about frame damage here:

https://www.theconsumerlawgroup.com/...ame-damage.cfm

However, I do not know if this information is still valid or if it applies to all states.