Hi i saw an ad for a salvage title low mileage 2014 s. Don’t want to get into the morality of a salvage title lol but this was fresh water damaged years ago and apparently running good ever since except for the following listed below. I would really be interested in knowing what if anything links paddles and convertible top not working if everything else does? Am I looking at ecus and if so are they transferable/switchable?
thanks so much.
THE THINGS THAT DON'T WORK :
SPORT MODE
PADDLE SHIFT
AND POWER CONVERTIBLE TOP DOESN'T GO DOWN

 

I would avoid any issues with water damage. Just too much to go wrong. There are other cars on the market,

 

If you do purchase please keep us posted.

 

Some folks have had issues with the roof motors becoming waterlogged because the drains became blocked and flooded the area the motors sit in. I guess rainwater is fresh?

 

IMO the insurance company would not salvage the car unless it had undergone some traumatic event.
Only relatively minor apparent problems should not be seen as a big positive.
Unless you can get the car for a song and are expert at fixing complicated vehicles, I would not touch it.
"Freshwater" damage likely means it was at least partially submerged. And who said it was "fresh" water?

 

My only experience was quite the contrary. My buds Nighthawk S was rear-ended with he and his wife on it. The front forks were bent and the rear seat mount tubular supports bent. It was totaled simply due to cost of repair vs. value. I was led to believe at the time that was common. The issue becomes they won't register salvage title vehicles. They must be reclassified.

The state of Florida didn't want to allow me to have it become a rebuilt title because at the state level they assume exactly what you purport (without evidence to the contrary). The hardest part was reaching out to the prior insurance claim agent and convincing her to state in writing the simple fact no structural damage per se, simply bent struts and seat supports. I was able to convince that claims agent to declare they had salvaged it solely based on repair cost, not structural concerns. Once I got that letter, the State then agreed I could rebuild it. I did so, submitted all paperwork as a rebuilt vehicle for them to retitle as 'rebuilt', then enjoyed the bike for many years.

 

I do not thin we are really in disagreement.
You always have to ask whether the insurance company knew more about the true condition.
It is what you do not know or can't see that will make the difference between a cheap car and a crazy expensive nightmare.
They did not salvage it because it was easy to fix. They figured it would cost more than it is worth.
Then even if "fixed" you still need to convince the insurance and the state registry that it is good.
Lastly with an "exotic" car like an F-Type it is not easy to get matching parts, especially for a 2014.

 

If all the above doesn't give you pause, the resale value years from now definitely should.

 

The F has so much electronics that I would not consider a car that might have been flooded. Full disclosure, I'm not a car "trader" (my F is the first used car I've bought in 30 years), and I'm risk averse on this kind of stuff. That said...

At a minimum I would want to have the original paperwork/estimate/etc and description of the damage from when it was damaged, along with the full details of how it was repaired. And I'd want the full repair and ownership history.

If that looks OK then...

1. Inspect a known good comparable mileage F to give yourself a benchmark.
2. Then inspect this car yourself. Rust, mud, etc? Take things off/apart, look for what you can't see unless you look under/behind stuff. How does it look compared to your benchmark?
3. Take it for a LONG drive and try/test everything.
4. Then immediately run a complete OBD scan yourself with a scanner that knows JLR codes.
5. Finally get a thorough inspection by a pro

If that all looks good I might consider buying if the price is at least 30% off from an equivalent non-salvage car. That title will depress your resale value down the road even if the car is trouble free for years.