I found a deal but there is a catch. 2005 Chrysler Crossfire base with 129k miles and a REBUILT title. For $4500 and possibly lower. I have no experience with crossfires except it has been the car I have always wanted and now I have the opportunity to. Should I skip this deal or go for it? Car was crashed but engine was still intact so he fixed it up. It was all cosmetic. The car looks brand new and everything is working and smooth. However, I am hesitant because of the miles. I don't want a car that will constantly break down on me and will cost me triple what I bought for it. So, go for it or skip?

 

Just a little general knowledge I can give you as I don't own an xf just yet
The amount of miles doesn't always matter , its how the owner/s drove the car in those miles , questions to ask yourself are things like;
Was it driven as a daily driver or a weekend cruiser? Was it driven as a city car or mostly highway miles?
Little things like that make a difference in terms of trans conditions
But I can't tell you if its a deal or not , just wait for others to chime in
Just remember you get what you pay for , if you have the money I'd say wait till you find a better one , that's what I'm doing and why I don't own one yet , gotta be patient , good luck

 

Well thats the thing. I don't have the money for a nice one and I thought I wouldnt be able to get it. With this deal I can but if not I wont be able to get it. Poor college student with limited income. But thanks for ur input that makes sense.

 

If you really want it I would say go for it , but with a rebuilt title you are prolly gonna have headaches in the future

Don't worry man I know where your comming from I'm also a poor college student but I've been saving my money for a while to get one now I'm just looking for a nice enough one and maybe ask for a little help from my parents since I recently lost my job
But being a rear wheel drive sports coupe the price on these cars plummet about 1k to 1.5k over fall and winter so if you can save money you may find a better deal, but in the end It's your choice

 

First, congratulations on being a poor college student... this is THE way to start out right in life. Don't let anything get in the way of school! The good times will come later, keep your eye on the prize.


Now, as to a rebuilt title... be careful. Cars that have been wrecked and have issues that don't show up right away. I'll let others who have more knowledge chime in and give specifics. I just wanted to encourage you in your "poor college days".

 

If it drives and looks fine, get it. Keep in mind, the rebuilt title will affect resale, but that's the point of buying it (it's cheap). Send me the VIN and I'll run it through Carfax if you'd like. That is if it's listed on ebay, otherwise I can't.

 

Rebuilt title usually means it was written off by the Insurance Company, and someone picked it up for a song and fixed what needed to be fixed. Probably best to take it for a nice long drive; could be frame damage and you'll get a shimmy, wobble, steer wander, however slight that cannot be "fixed", that the seller will try and pass off as wheel alignment, tires etc. Get a mechanic to go over it if you have taken it for the test drive and still want to make the purchase. I almost purchased a pristine 944s2 cabriolet, untill I took it for a drive. Above 40kpms you would get a bad wobble from the rear. The car hadnt been on the road for 2 yrs and had no Carfax info for that time. I brought it back and the owner says..oh ya probably flat spots from in the garage. Its still for sale months later. It may be a good buy, or it may be too good to be true. Good luck and get a nice one cuz you're going to be upset later if you get a lemon. There's one currently on Kijiji.ca for $6500 and states "other than some frame damage".... I shopped for months 2004 Silver Blue 6spd Coupe. Annnnd......Loving it!

 

The Crossfire gets "Totaled" very easy. Not because it's not built well, but because of how much time and money it takes to replace the damaged parts, and the relative low resale value of the car. It's easier and sometimes cheaper for the Insurance companies to just right it off. In other words, sometimes they really aren't hurt that bad.
If you can find out exactly how bad the car you're looking at was damaged, you could go from that when making your decision to buy it or not.
A $4500 XF that looks, and drives as nice as any other one with that many miles sounds like a bargain.
As long as they aren't trying to sell you a salvage titled car with a "Washed" title, everything sounds like it's on the up and up.
Take it to an independent mechanic and have it checked out before any money changes hands.
Good Luck.

 

Well here goes kid...I am putting on my "father hat". First and foremost, you don't have a lot of money for repairs IF the car needs something. 2nd, if it is a lemon, with a salvage title, you won't have much luck getting your money back. Why, because you just bought it, and now are trying to resell it. 3rd, you really, really need to know why it was totaled, what damage it sustained. Or, was it water damage, which is a real no, no with the electronics in this car. I will stop there for now, but I have bought salvaged vehicles and have had good luck with them, but you just have to know what to look for. Offer them $3500.00....and take it for a long test drive, take note of the tire wear....this is a clue to alignment...look for leaks, oil, water etc...gaps in the door/fender alignment for body panel replacements. Good luck kid....

 

i would never buy a crossfire with 129,000 on it there are to many low mileage beauties out there keep shopping...

 

Are you bragging, or did you miss the "poor college kid" part? Not everyone has deep pockets.

 

Aside from all of the potentially bad things, its very hard to resell a vehicle with a salvaged title. If you're getting this car and plan on running it into the ground and owning it until it blows up or falls apart, not a bad deal. If this is a temporary vehicle until you can resell it and get something "better", you'll probably lose a lot of money.

That being said, $4500 isn't a ton of money that you'd have to recoup if you sold it down the road... follow the advise listed by others, figure out what your intentions are for the car and go from there

 

Thanks so much for the help guys. I really appreciate it u guys have helped me a ton. Still tryin to decide and will probly test drive it in a few days.

 

If you can get it cheap enough it may be worth more in parts.

 

haha anthony btw thanx for the gauge pod looks great...i understand the poor college kid stuff. And to you Crossfirees i just dont think an xfire with that many miles will have that much life in it before you run into problems and when you do the $ adds up fast for repairs...unless your gonna pay cash and by it straight up and fix it up and mod it i wouldn't buy it i would save more money or try to get a loan for a better one, but you are entitled to do whatever you want just my opinion...

 

Well, that poor college kid wll get another 100k out of that motor with not a problem...these weren't made in Japan, or Destroy, eh Detroit...lol

 

Actually Doc, the last two Civic's I owned had over 200,000 miles on them before I replaced them with..........(wait for it).........another Honda.
My current 02 Civic only has 176,349 miles on it.
So I totally agree with you, a Mercedes engine should last at least as long.
Oh yeah, my 1999 Chebie Van only has 273,874.

 

Honestly, I'd pass if I were you. The probability is high that you're going to have some problems associated with the title issues. This is a Mercedes so any repairs are going to have a Mercedes price. You're going to be hard pressed to spend under $1K just to replace the tires.

I'd focus on finishing your education, get your first job and then search for a low mileage garage queen. I have no doubt you'll find one. There are plenty of owners out there like myself that only drive their Crossfires on weekends and special occasions.

Just my $0.02. Good luck!

 

 

Sorry, as I do like some of your collection, but unless it has two wheels, it is not a Honda I want....I don't care if it runs 300k....