$14,900. needs engine.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chrys...92710950QQrdZ1

 

I noticed that car last night, I sure would like to have someone who knows what they're doing check it out before I made a bid on it. If the water was high enough to get sucked up into the engine, I would think it was high enough to be considered a "flood" car. In other words, high enough to get into places water should never go.
If the water only killed the motor, and did nothing else, and they're willing to let it go for a little less than the "buy it now price", it might just be a good deal for a back yard mechanic.

 

Hardly a bargin IMO, in light of the current low resale price of a used Crossfire. Why bother with it?

 

Don't ya think it would be worth at least 10k?

 

Sounds like a scam to me. The insurance company paid to have it torn apart and found no damage... why is it not running then? Surely not enough to total the car. And I agree with a previous comment, water had to get into places it shouldn't have, that's probably the real reason for the Insurance total I would bet. Still in all, a price of $10 - 11,000 would be worth putting the hemi or the Kleeman s/c maybe, $22,000 all in? Not bad.

 

as much as i hate to admit it... 10 years ago...i drove my wife's honda accord thru a flooded roadway. the water got into the intake and destroyed the entire engine. the car didn't end up totaled or getting wet inside...they just replaced the engine. all was great...not an ounce of problems afterward.

my guess is...a new engine is nearly 10 - 12k to replace (m/b parts & labor) and with the cars current value (19k)...it may have been cheaper to just call it a total loss. once again...just a guess.

as for the "so called" light scratch on the rear bumper... the picture reflects a much different story...look at the exhaust. run don't walk.

 

i think 10k would be fair value.

 

No need to put any type of engine in the junk if you cannot get a clean title for it... the title that is coming with the car will not get you insurance, or a tag. Could only show it off behind the Barn, on the back Forty. Would be a great deal if you could get the body for free with the trans and etc, I would really enjoy placing a real engine under the hood, would kick as* on the street, I'd go muscle car a huntin... but the title is a real problem.

hooah

**note - buy it for parts would be the only way to win with it.

 

A salvage title is not a problem to insure or to get registered - at least in NY. All it takes is an inspection to get plates. As long as the engine is running and all normal operations are working - it would pass.

I picked up a new 2005 crossfire that was in a hurricane in Florida, it had a few minor scratches (wind damage) on it - no water damage - got it for 12k less. it has been great!
The insurance co. wrote it off because of the scratches and a salvage title was issued.
The new vehicle warranty was void but I figure I can fix quite alot if needed, and still have money left for gas.
I plan to keep it, otherwise resale with salvage title could be a problem.

 

FirebaseD...I'm not sure what the laws are in your state, but here in Ohio, if you buy a car with a "salvage" title, all you have to do is keep all the receipts for all the parts that you used to fix it up and make it "road worthy" again. Then you take it to your local Highway patrol Inspection station where they climb all over it trying to find "stolen" parts that may have been used in the cars rebuild. If they are satisfied that everything was done legally, they issue you a certificate to get a new title, but it very clearly shows on the title the car was a "salvage vehicle". Certainly the cars value is highly diminished by such a document, but you can still get insurance on it.
Of course every state is different, and unfortunately there still are some states where a cars salvage title can be "washed", and it looks like a "clean" title when they are done with it. I don't know which states, since I'm not in the business of ripping people off.
My nephew had a body shop about a year ago, and repaired dozens of salvage vehicles and sold them to some very happy customers. Even though the cars had salvage titles, they still looked brand new, and the people bought them for a fraction of the cost. Naturally the factory warranty is null and void, but that doesn't matter to some people. Their neighbors thought they had a brand new car in the driveway. For example, he sold my daughters friend a Pontiac Sunfire with only a couple 1,000 miles on it, and less than a year old for $5,200. A tree fell on it. All he had to do was replace the center roof panel, windshield, and hood. After he painted it, it looked like it just came off the showroom.
That's why I think the XF on ebay could have some future, as long as water didn't get into the interior where it would probably smell like a sewer. Not to mention any electrical connections that could be ruined. As for the exhaust being crooked, could that be caused by the exhaust manifolds being separated from the heads, since they opened up the motor?

 

very true... i never thought of that.

 

The following statements do not in anyway constitute that my original statements were wrong (it appears the information concerning insurance was wrong, I hate being wrong). hooah

fireamx - The only reason I felt there would be a problem with the title is because I knew a gal here that purchased an automobile from the "yard" and had a very rough time trying to get a clear title for it, she eventually turned it back over to the yard, and got her money back. So I'm only speaking from 2nd person knowledge (2nd only because I was not the one with the car).

Insurance - Your right I spoke out of school. Thank you guys for correcting my input.
As for the exhaust, yes, that is what I was thinking.


*note - Information Purposes Only - there is no uniformity among the states and each state has its own standards for determining when a vehicle must be salvaged. Iowa sets its damage threshold at 50% of the value of the vehicle. Oklahoma's threshold is 60%. Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska and South Carolina's are set at 75%. Vermont mandates issuance of a salvage certificate if the damage requires replacement of 5 or more specified component parts. Hawaii issues a salvage title when there is material damage to the structure or suspension and the vehicle is declared a total loss. Some states, like Massachusetts, Nevada, and New Jersey, are referred to as "total loss states" because they have no threshold. Instead, these states typically defer to the insurer, mandating that a vehicle be issued a salvage title if the insurer feels that it is not economically feasible to repair. Michigan adds to the confusion by requiring the issuance of a salvage title when a vehicle sustains damage between 75% and 90% of its pre-accident retail value. Unlike the majority of other states, vehicles issued a Michigan salvage title are not deemed to be total losses. Only when a car or truck sustains damage of 91% or more of its pre-accident value is it considered a total loss, and Michigan then requires a "scrap" title to be issued.

 

FirebaseD... It's really too bad that all the states can't get their act together and come out with some sort of standard or uniform policy to cover auto titles. As you so eloquently pointed out in your post, every state has such different ways of determining just what qualifies as a "salvage vehicle" it almost becomes a bad joke. It certainly creates an atmosphere conducive to the invitation of fraud, and the ease of misrepresentation.
As for the insurance question, all I know is that you should have no problem getting liability. As for collision, fire and theft comprehensive, I'm not sure. Maybe the insurance companies would go by "appraised value" in that area. My friend Pat (who is in the insurance biz) hasn't logged onto the forum yet today, but I'm sure he could give us all the required info. we need to be "informed consumers".

 

So, this car ingested some water, and the guy selling it makes it sound as if the apparent engine damage is the only problem. I disagree. To ingest water, the intake needs to be submerged (you can't suck up water without vacuum). That's one deep puddle. It's impossible to ingest water, without having at least the nose of the car deep into water. So, I am confused by the seller insisting that it is otherwise not a water damaged car. Well, at least not that he knows of. Think of all the under hood wiring, the controller, the distribution box, the various sensors for ESP, air bags, etc that could have gotten wet. Now, consider that this stuff normally stays pretty dry, and might not have the amount of protective plating or silicone potting necessary to keep it dry and/ or corrosion-free during an underwater journey. Seems like a recipe for corrosion, and electrical problems down the road.

A stratus we had at work a couple of years ago ingested water, and bent a connecting rod. The engine was extensively rebuilt, and the car was put back in the corporate fleet. However, the car just never felt right again, particularly when you cranked up the AC or heat and got a blast of mildew whiff in your face. The interior stayed dry, but water somehow got into the HVAC system.

Yeah, it would be feasible to get this car back on the road. But, buyers beware of what lurks under that skin (that you don't know about)!

 

i tell you this happened to me in my wife's honda ’91 accord in the past...no damage beside the engine. it was a fairly flooded road (raining so hard I couldn’t see the road 10 feet ahead)...the water was up to the front bumper (but never coming into the car). due to the cars momentum...the water was forced into the grill area/intake. i drove in and out of the flooded roadway...then the knocking set in. i drove it home knocking all the way. after turning the car off...it won't restart the next day (just cranked over). had it towed to the dealer for their findings. an engine replacement. we had the car for 2 more additional years without any hiccups. the car was not listed as a total or savage. the insurance company just paid for a replacement engine.

hope this info is helpful.

 

Problem is usually a wave in front of the car cause but going too fast or an SUV charging down the other way.

Saw an SLK350 killed when we had flooding in the early part of the year, was almost brand new and the driver when through a stretch I thought about twice in a 4x4.

 

Andrew, I have no doubt that your Accord was okay.

But, I think you were lucky. All I am saying is, if it was my ten grand on the table for that Crossfire, I would put it back in my pocket and walk the other way.

Ten thousand dollars can buy a very nice, sorted performance car with few problems. Add in the other multiple thousands that it would take to shove a replacement engine in that Crossfire (OEM or otherwise) and you could have had a nice performance car with much less risk involved. Think of the Porsche 944 that kind of money could buy, or the lightly used Mustang that kind of money could buy, or even the garaged C4 Corvette you could happen upon.

 

Either way, $15K is way too high for that car, especially given it's a salvage title. Resale value is much lower on a salvage titled car. Even if that car was $10K, it's going to cost what...at least $18K total with a new engine? So you've bought yourself a salvaged Crossfire with no warranty for close to, if not $20K all said and done.

 

No doubt, and for right around $20K, you can pick up a used one on E-Bay. I've seen them go that low.

 

I paid $19.9 for mine with 6,500 miles from a Chrysler dealer!