2014 salvage/rebuilt
 

Hello....long time x-type owner here (I know, I know...was a great car until I sold it). I'm going to be checking out a REBUILT 2014 BASE F-Type today. I can't imagine the damage it suffered caused a total loss (here for pictures from the auction https://stat.vin/cars/SAJWA6E76E8K01962 ). Looks like just skin damage, nothing structural? Sold at auction for $14,700. Local dealer rebuilt it and is selling for $24k. Very tempting to replace my Miata (which sold for a RIDICULOUS amount last week). Thikning I can get them down to $22K out the door (8% sales tax in AZ USA).

Thoughts?

Thank you!

I normally would stay clear of any salvage title car. Typically I have seen them for sale and they aren't much less than a non-salvage vehicle and maybe at best 20% less which to me isn't worth the gamble. If you do consider it, I would have another Jaguar dealer look it over and keep in mind if you did buy it that there may be things that still need to be done to it and it will be harder to sell down the line. I am not sure what the Blue Book is for a base 14 model but seems not a bad price but again I steer clear of any salvage vehicle. That is just my personal stance.

It is not worth the risk.
Insignificant savings and too much down side.
Do you even know why it was salvaged?
Could have been flood damage that will continue to show problems for the life of the reincarnated car.

From the pictures, it looks like it has potential. The mileage is on the high side for a F-Type, but not excessive.
Make sure you get a PPI from a good shop to make sure there's not more going on than meets the eye.
I'd consider it, if it checks out - but only if you plan to keep it for the long haul. Selling anything with a salvage title is a bitch. To some degree, if you've
owned it for several years, it helps convey that the car is OK (and amortizes your investment).
Also, you should easily be able negotiate the brakes as part of the purchase, if they haven't already attended to them.

At $22k, you'd have a fun ride.

From my own ignorance, I wonder how you are planning on repairing the aluminum parts? Bonnet [hood} is $4500.00, and has a possible availability Feb, 2022! Please educate me in your process! Thanks, and good luck! :icon_beerchug:

He says the local dealer rebuilt it - what's to repair?

Oops, missed that most important part! :D :icon_beerchug:

Thank you all...I am still torn. It's a pretty decent discount, and I do have the means for larger repairs if they crop up. Seems like the going rate for a base one is $36-$40, so this comes in almost half off... It's kind of a gamble, but I like some comments encouraging me. Hehe. I will def. get a PPI from a Jag certified shop.

It looks like the car went sideways into a curb since the front wheel looks kind of bent under, You will really have to do your due diligence in having it thoroughly and carefully inspected. While 24 K is a good price for a F Type, it is still a big chunk of cash. If you can live with the car having a salvage title that's one thing. Just be sure never to tell anyone else about it. ( Until you disclose it upon the next sale). Your "friends" will always be picking it apart looking for defects and attributing any future issues to it's salvage status.

Ah....didn't notice that. Perhaps that explains it being "totalled" with what appears to be sheet metal issues (granted, that can be expensive, but not $40k).

Check with your insurance carrier to see if they insure vehicles with a title marked as Salvage. Many carriers won't.

Body looks to be in $10k range so must have more to be totaled.

Isn't this what the (restored) car looks like now?

https://plc.ua/en/auctions/lot/jagua...ery-2644183-15

Yeah, buying any SALVAGE car is a risk...and with that title, you would never get an equal value as on a non-salvage car.

That said, there are folks that buy salvage cars and are content. (Notably Rob Siegel, the Hack Mechanic of BMW CCA fame, who bought his wife a salvage Honda Fit)

While it is tempting to go with a car that has an attractive price.. you could easily become upside-down with it, for all the issues that are there, but you can't see them. Buying a 'used' car is risky enough without adding all the issues that you KNOW this car has. There could easily be frame/chassis issues, transmission concerns, and maybe none of them are apparent at this point. It is somewhat similar to when I was looking for an E-type to buy many years ago. I could buy one at half the price of another one I was considering, but there were so many obvious things wrong with it, once I added them up... it was 'less expensive' to buy the better one. Which, BTW, now in my ownership for over 30 years, turned out to be a wonderful car. I know you really want an F, but the one for you is still out there.... be patient and you will be rewarded and you will know it is then, the right car for you. Don't throw away your money on this salvage vehicle.

Salvage titles can be hit or miss. I have several friends who have rocked salvage titles from various types of vehicles. Most of them are extremely handy with wrenches so they aren't concerned if there are issues but they have not had any big issues. However, I know some who have had never ending gremlins. Not everyone who fixes a salvage is going to be as meticulous as someone like a
Tavarish so just go into it knowing YMMV. The other thing is that it's unlikely you'll be able to resell it for a higher or similar price to what you paid so don't go into thinking if it becomes a problem, you'll just get your money back out of it by selling it.

A salvaged titled vehicle such as this with 60k miles I would avoid like the plague.... As mentioned above, the pitfalls are many and unless you are handy and well versed in all things Jaguar I would steer clear of this. As Valerie suggested, be patient, look around and an F Type will come around that will give you better odds at a better car for not much more than you are paying here. Incidentally, what dealer are you talking about? I have a hard time fathoming that a Jaguar dealer is selling a salvaged title vehicle.

As previous, I think this is very risky way to save $10K but at the very least you should find out exactly what happened to cause this vehicle to be scrapped.
Then you might be better able to assess the repairs. The insurance company obviously thought it not worth repairing.

If that car went sideways into a curb I sure wouldn't touch it. The dealer may have repaired just the most obvious cosmetic damage but it could have serious damage to the underside of the monocoque structure too. As tempting as buying a car like an F Type for what seems like well below market value is, you could end up spending a lot of money to try and make it right and never get that money back out of it.
Plus you will need a carton of Excedrin in the 100 count bottles.

That's it! Good sleuthing!

Thank you for the wisdom of the masses! For more of the story...we just sold our 2012 Miata for a ridiculous $20k (we bought in February for $11k) and were planning on just waiting out the weird used car market. Then I saw this and thought, Hmmm, that's almost an even trade..woohoo. It would be the weekend driver/play car...no commuting or need for it. My son is handy with a wrench, so I thought if we do run into issues, we could work our way through them. I also think it's a crapshoot buying someone else's used car, salvage or not. You never know when the diff, supercharger, or injectors will decide to give up the ghost on any car.

I understand the value is an issue...not a lot of people willing to buy a salvage car. Unless the price is right. Would I be able to turn around and sell this for what I pay? That's the acid test for whether you got a good deal or not.

Sleuthing the auction sites, I see the dealer paid $14700 for it from IAA (Southern California). Tax and fees probably made that $16k. Now he fixed it and is marketing it for $24k (OTD)... So, he fixed the sheet metal and brakes for less than $8k. I would assume his profit expectation is $5k for a boutique used car dealer. So...$3-4K in repairs?

It's all kinda mysterious to me... I may go drive it and poke around underneath and if it feels/sounds solid pay for the PPI.

What is my aversion to risk.....