So, I went to check out this car because it seemed to be exactly what I've been looking for. It certainly does look nice from the pictures!

Now, I'm curious what you all expect from a car in "excellent" condition. I would assume no accidents and needing nothing at all as far as repairs go. Keep in mind that KBB says that less than 5% al cars on the road meet this rating...

So, I go to meet this guy and the first thing I notice is that the hood isn't sitting on it quite right (I'm still about ten feet away at this point). The gap is a little different between the fenders so I ask him if the car has been in an accident. He says "Uh, yeah, it was hit in the front".

ok, so much for excellent if I can see this from several feet away.

I pop the hood and start the car up. The engine sounds good enough but is pretty dirty and I didn't really want to poke around too much at the moment.

I look at the inside and it looks ok but is really messy and full of his stuff. The inside looks to be in good condition at best.

Then I pop the trunk latch...

As I'm walking around to the back he says "uh, about the trunk..." at which point I lift the hatch to be greeted by a wall of mold/mildew. There was mold/mildew all over the trunk and no carpeting in there. He proceeds to tell me that it's from the JDM tailights he has on the car. That they don't seal properly or something. As I'm looking at the trunk I see a rust spot about the size of a quarter above the passenger side taillight. As I'm looking at the trunk I'm thinking that something doesn't look quite right to me... so I ask

"Was your car hit in the back too?"

to which he answers "uh, yeah..."

I ask him how extensive the damage was and he says the rear right corner panel and door. I ask him about the trunk lid and he says he's not sure if it was replaced. How can you not be sure if a part of your car was replaced? He says he's original owner... yet he still owes money on the car.

I ask him if he has service records, he says some... maybe. He'll have to look.

Needless to say I didn't even test drive it at this point since the amount he was asking wasn't even going to be negotiable. I stopped thinking about this car until yesterday when I saw it re-listed (it's been a few weeks) so I thought I'd write him an e-mail.

what a waste of my time. I have no problem with buying a car that is more or less a beater and worthy of swapping but not at top dollar prices which is what I'd pay for an accident free immaculate low mile example of an 2000-2001 2.5RS.

I'm sofa king sick of wasting my time... if only people would be honest and upfront in their ads and on the phone... it's like pulling teeth trying to get info out of them about their cars. And I swear, everyone thinks their car is in excellent condition and don't seem to understand the difference between private party, dealer retail and trade in..

*sigh*

So, what would you offer him given the condition?

http://www.craigslist.org/eby/car/71199887.html


Now this guy seems reasonable. I haven't taken a look yet but from his very detailed ad it would seem that he's being upfront and fair.

http://www.craigslist.org/nby/car/71138457.html

 

Kbb with fair at 7.8k. i'll give him 6.8k due the the accidentSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

are you insane? don't buy that car!

 

yah dont buy that car.. dont be dumb man.. if that is what you just spotted in a few min, imagine what you will find in a few months..

 

Given the condition that the front and the rear are some what smashed... and there is mold and mildew (which may even lead to rusting), I wouldn't give him more than 4K. The shell won't be of much use and the engine (depending on mileage) may not be in the greatest condition.

I would check out the silver one. Looks very nice.

Be sure to check under the body too to see if there is any oil leakage (you'll usually see it floating towards the back of the car). I discovered an oil leak on someone's "pristine" 240sx after test driving it, needless to say, I didn't buy it.

My last piece of advice: don't settle for anything less than you originally wanted.

-GDO

 

mold is gross...go with the 4door

 

my sentiments exactly! Thanks all! The body work done was pretty good but I could still tell. The Hood just didn't sit right, it was a little over to the left.

He was pretty offended by my e-mail...

 

So the "option 2" sticker above his exhaust didn't tip you off that something wasn't quite right?

 

lol... I guess it should have! The guy was nice enough but he's just unrealistic...

 

what about this one? I've seen it for sale before...

 

oops

http://www.craigslist.org/pen/car/71145558.html

 

i think with those convertions..
it will be hard to pass smog. (for the yellow RS)

 

very

I just looked at it... fast and fun but it raises too many questions...

 

Roo pointed that ad out in this thread: https://www.i-club.com/forums/bay-area-15/who-does-97836/