by "wpudvah: GTI, Super Beetle, now with more 80-Series" (wpudvah)
Published 01/03/2017 at 17:37
by "wpudvah: GTI, Super Beetle, now with more 80-Series" (wpudvah)
Published 01/03/2017 at 17:37
Tags: Craigslist
STARS: 0
Just came across a surprisingly clean ‘97 Pathfinder LE (auto) w/ around 170k miles on my local CL for the low price of $800... or best offer! He said he’s motivated to sell, so I was considering low-balling straight cash and seeing what I can get. However, it has a salvage title due to some front end damage on the right side, but it really doesn’t look that bad at all in photos (see photo). This would strictly be a winter beater/summer hauler, and I wouldn’t go more than $600 if I could. I know salvage titles make it hard to resell, but I’m not really concerned about that (it’s a $600 beater...).
I live in MN so 4WD is almost a necessity, I put Blizzaks on my Abarth for the winter and traction is great but the car reeeeeeeally doesn’t like driving when the temp is cold and takes a reeeeeeeeally long time to warm up. Having something like this could be a lot of fun, plus I’ve had that Craigslist itch for a while now.
Thoughts?
ETA: texted him about how the damage happened, got “not sure - it was like that when I bought it” in response... -_-
"Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras" (jegoingout)
01/03/2017 at 17:38, STARS: 2
i’d ask my insurance company first
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
01/03/2017 at 17:39, STARS: 0
Came to post this— solid advice, some won’t insure it.
"wpudvah: GTI, Super Beetle, now with more 80-Series" (wpudvah)
01/03/2017 at 17:42, STARS: 1
emailed my agent!
"Future next gen S2000 owner" (future-next-gen-s2000-owner)
01/03/2017 at 17:47, STARS: 1
For that level of cash, you can’t go wrong. Enjoy your purchase!
"jkm7680" (jkm7680)
01/03/2017 at 17:55, STARS: 1
No. Likely a massive piece of shit, and if you have state inspections/emissions then you aren’t going nowhere.
"wpudvah: GTI, Super Beetle, now with more 80-Series" (wpudvah)
01/03/2017 at 18:02, STARS: 1
you and JKM seem very OPPOsed on this...
"Future next gen S2000 owner" (future-next-gen-s2000-owner)
01/03/2017 at 18:04, STARS: 1
"wpudvah: GTI, Super Beetle, now with more 80-Series" (wpudvah)
01/03/2017 at 18:05, STARS: 0
not sure about MN inspections/emissions, I would assume fairly lax on both to be honest.
"CodyVella" (codyvella)
01/03/2017 at 18:20, STARS: 0
It all depends on your local regulations. Where I live in Ontario, it’s next to impossible to insure a vehicle on a salvage title. My ‘02 Xterra is on a salvage title. I pay about 40% more on insurance than a non-salvage example. But 9 out of 10 times, the vehicle has to be re-inspected before it can be driven again. So if it’s been branded as salvage, then it’s likely been re-inspected and deemed fit.
Just a side note. There’s a recall on that generation of Pathfinder, as the front strut towers rot from the inside out, and collapse without warning. If there’s any evidence of rust at all, Nissan will write the truck off and deem it unfit for road use. It happened to my ‘00.
"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
01/03/2017 at 18:36, STARS: 0
It’s not uncommon that people buy cars with branded titles and don’t know the history...
I’d do a really hardcore review, but it’s possible that it’s a decent deal. It’s not like a 1997 would be very safe in an accident to begin with, so you’re not really losing that. I’d consider it as risky as any used car with that many miles, depending on how long they’ve owned it.
I would not believe that it’s just the tiny bit of visual damage. To total a car, particularly from that era, would require a pretty serious hit. You will want to ensure it tracks well, that the body/frame isn’t tweaked, etc.
I don’t know about laws in MN, but you could buy and drive cars with salvage titles indefinitely in CA as long as they passed the initial review and were considered roadworthy. So if it already has a title, you can usually transfer and drive it without any special effort.
"Frenchlicker" (frenchlicker)
01/03/2017 at 18:50, STARS: 0
Many companies won’t insure salvage titled vehicles. That may be a deciding factor there.
"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
01/03/2017 at 18:59, STARS: 0
See if it can be insurded, then check it out for yourself. If its rusty/badly damaged, nah. If its just a littke tweaked, then it was probably written off because the repair cost was more then the car (1500 isnt hard to get with a car or truck). Might be worth it
"deekster_caddy" (deekster_caddy)
01/03/2017 at 19:36, STARS: 0
It’s about right for a pure winter beater, but expect it to have a crapload of problems very soon after you buy it.
"Pyrochazm" (pyrochazm)
01/03/2017 at 21:32, STARS: 0
I’ve had a couple if salvage beaters and they both were fine. Generally, if the price to fix the damage is more than half the value of the vehicle the insurance company will declare it totaled. On older vehicles this can mean rather minor or even purely cosmetic damage.
I say go for it!