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Old May 17, 2025 | 01:53 PM
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Default Frame Damage?

Hi everyone,

I am about to check out a c7 z06 with a salvage title. I just wanted to get opinions on whether it looks like it could have had frame damage or not. Or some places I should look when checking it out.

The owner said no frame damage, but I want to be sure. It has since been rebuilt and has drove 14k miles.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.



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Old May 17, 2025 | 03:33 PM
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the first pic haas definite frame damage at the pass side. the frame horn is designed to break and can be replaced but the frame its welded to is bent badly. how it was repaired is another conversation
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Old May 17, 2025 | 06:29 PM
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It all looks great till you get into it, not my way of getting into a ride. Good luck if you purchase.
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Old May 17, 2025 | 08:02 PM
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Any pics of it in its current condition? Looks like the back was tagged a bit too
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Old May 17, 2025 | 08:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Citation
We have repaired some of these. Our shop is certified. Are you equipped for heavy aluminum welding? That repair is possible but you may not have the tools or training. You can buy the frame section. Might require pulling the engine. If the frame is bent behind the engine there is no cost effective repair.
I have learned the hard way to assume the PO is either lying and/or clueless so I would discount whatever the PO says and have it verified. That said, is it an easy task to find a body shop to do a frame check these days? I've never asked that question. Seeing as how it has a "SALVAGE" title, wouldn't that make it harder to move in future? My other question is that while your are certified to do that sort of work, I don't know if that extends to the body shop that did the work on that car. Could be a hack job which makes things more complicated.
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Old May 17, 2025 | 09:44 PM
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Look at how the back corner, passenger side) of the roof aligns to the car. It could very well be straight now but it sure looks like it got tweaked pretty good to me.

Having said that, any competent body show can check it to see if it's now straight. What's not economical for a shop to repair is often more easily addressed if the flipper has stripped the car down so the shop has easy access to do what they need to do.
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Old May 17, 2025 | 09:46 PM
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JMO, but with a salvage title I would walk away (unless it just an incredible deal and you plan on keeping it for a very long time). If you want to know if the frame has been damaged, you need to find a Corvette repair shop that is certified on the C8.
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Old May 17, 2025 | 10:37 PM
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Originally Posted by 96GS#007
What's not economical for a shop to repair is often more easily addressed if the flipper has stripped the car down so the shop has easy access to do what they need to do.
IDK. With the "SALVAGE" title, it will be worth much less. IDK if any amount of repair can remove that mark of damnation. Flipper would have to figure his time wasn't worth much by the time he stripped everything down for the body shop to reduce the money paid out.
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Old May 17, 2025 | 10:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Vetteman Jack
JMO, but with a salvage title I would walk away (unless it just an incredible deal and you plan on keeping it for a very long time). If you want to know if the frame has been damaged, you need to find a Corvette repair shop that is certified on the C8.
I would say it has to be one hell of a deal for maybe a Father-Son project to be given to the son?
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Old May 17, 2025 | 10:58 PM
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Originally Posted by aklim
IDK. With the "SALVAGE" title, it will be worth much less. IDK if any amount of repair can remove that mark of damnation. Flipper would have to figure his time wasn't worth much by the time he stripped everything down for the body shop to reduce the money paid out.
What’s your point? Plenty of people pick up cars from Copart and rebuild them as a hobby. A buddy of mine is like that. As long as he breaks even from a cash perspective he’s happy. His labor is just what he does for fun. If he makes a few bucks, all the better.

For a buyer, it’s a great way to get an otherwise stock track day car or just have something to mess around with.

Not everyone is in it to make a living and not all buyers care about future value.
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Old May 17, 2025 | 11:47 PM
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Originally Posted by 96GS#007
What’s your point? Plenty of people pick up cars from Copart and rebuild them as a hobby. A buddy of mine is like that. As long as he breaks even from a cash perspective he’s happy. His labor is just what he does for fun. If he makes a few bucks, all the better.

For a buyer, it’s a great way to get an otherwise stock track day car or just have something to mess around with.

Not everyone is in it to make a living and not all buyers care about future value.
Agreed. However you did say
What's not economical for a shop to repair is often more easily addressed if the flipper has stripped the car down so the shop has easy access to do what they need to do.
which has me confused. What exactly is a flipper, in your opinion? I understand it to be someone or a group of someones who are there to make money and not break even.
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Old May 18, 2025 | 12:55 AM
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Originally Posted by aklim
Agreed. However you did say which has me confused. What exactly is a flipper, in your opinion? I understand it to be someone or a group of someones who are there to make money and not break even.
Flipper.....someone who buys and sells....ie Flips. Doesn't mean they make a living at it. My buddy flips a couple cars a year. Does it out of his garage. Buys them with the intent to fix and then sell. Flips.
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Old May 18, 2025 | 09:16 AM
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Originally Posted by 96GS#007
Flipper.....someone who buys and sells....ie Flips. Doesn't mean they make a living at it. My buddy flips a couple cars a year. Does it out of his garage. Buys them with the intent to fix and then sell. Flips.
I apologize. I went off THIS. I guess Wikipedia needs to be corrected as does THAT in the dictionary, item 6.

to buy and sell (real estate or another asset) for a quick profit:The buyer flipped the house for double what he paid for it, just nine months after renovations were completed
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Old May 18, 2025 | 09:53 AM
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What's interesting is that most of the replies ignore that the car has already been repaired and driven extensively. All the OP has to do is have it inspected and make sure he's buying it cheap enough. If the PO was the one who had it repaired get the receipts to show a shop.
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Old May 18, 2025 | 09:55 AM
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Originally Posted by aklim
I apologize. I went off THIS. I guess Wikipedia needs to be corrected as does THAT in the dictionary, item 6.
Great. You proved my point. In the case of my buddy, he buys a car, fixes it, and then sells (flips) it. If he makes a $100 or $10,000 he's happy. Ergo he did exactly what your lovely reference said. If he breaks even, he's happy too since not all flips are "successful". So if a person sells something at breakeven and something else at a 50% profit, did they not flip the first item?. Nowhere does your lovely reference say the person needs to make a living at it.

Give it a rest. Go play word games with someone else.
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Old May 18, 2025 | 12:10 PM
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Thats bad Time to move on !!!!!!
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Old May 18, 2025 | 12:22 PM
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Originally Posted by 96GS#007
Great. You proved my point. In the case of my buddy, he buys a car, fixes it, and then sells (flips) it. If he makes a $100 or $10,000 he's happy. Ergo he did exactly what your lovely reference said. If he breaks even, he's happy too since not all flips are "successful". So if a person sells something at breakeven and something else at a 50% profit, did they not flip the first item?. Nowhere does your lovely reference say the person needs to make a living at it.

Give it a rest. Go play word games with someone else.
I guess that means I get to call myself a businessman and also a flipper since I have done both. I bought a car and a few months later, flipped it, albeit for a loss. I also bought something for someone on a discount and sold it for full price.
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Old May 18, 2025 | 01:08 PM
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Originally Posted by 96GS#007
Great. You proved my point. In the case of my buddy, he buys a car, fixes it, and then sells (flips) it. If he makes a $100 or $10,000 he's happy. Ergo he did exactly what your lovely reference said. If he breaks even, he's happy too since not all flips are "successful". So if a person sells something at breakeven and something else at a 50% profit, did they not flip the first item?. Nowhere does your lovely reference say the person needs to make a living at it.

Give it a rest. Go play word games with someone else.
Originally Posted by aklim
I guess that means I get to call myself a businessman and also a flipper since I have done both. I bought a car and a few months later, flipped it, albeit for a loss. I also bought something for someone on a discount and sold it for full price.
Guys, let’s both give it a rest. Its not unreasonable to assume a flipper isnt going to flip much if he’s essentially breaking even but that rarely rises to the level of making a living so this squabble is pointless. Move on. The OP isnt interested in these semantics.
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Old May 18, 2025 | 04:29 PM
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Originally Posted by 96GS#007
What’s your point? Plenty of people pick up cars from Copart and rebuild them as a hobby. A buddy of mine is like that. As long as he breaks even from a cash perspective he’s happy. His labor is just what he does for fun. If he makes a few bucks, all the better.

For a buyer, it’s a great way to get an otherwise stock track day car or just have something to mess around with.

Not everyone is in it to make a living and not all buyers care about future value.
Bingo.

People get hung up on resale value when it comes to salvage title cars, but they seem to have amnesia when it comes to the purchase price. It's like they forget it was lower than a clean title car. The resale might be lower, but the buy in was lower.

If you can find a Z that's been smacked around a little and repaired correctly, it's a hell of a deal.
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Old May 18, 2025 | 04:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Tranz Zam
People get hung up on resale value when it comes to salvage title cars, but they seem to have amnesia when it comes to the purchase price. It's like they forget it was lower than a clean title car. The resale might be lower, but the buy in was lower.

If you can find a Z that's been smacked around a little and repaired correctly, it's a hell of a deal.
Do you need every obvious fact to be mentioned? Obviously the buy in is, and should be, much lower. Would you buy that car knowing after seeing that bunch of pictures of what it went through for say 10% off? 20%? What would make you buy it other than to strip it down for parts or maybe just an autocross only car?

Yes. If it is damaged body panels. You slap on salvage panels and the color matches, I got no problem. What the pictures show won't buff out anytime soon.
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