[Pawlin]

No way, 30k for an E92 M3 with 10k miles because of minor cosmetic damage?

Craigslist posting:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/4914186561.html




According to the seller:


He sent me a picture of only the front after the damage along with the original title. With that info, I did some digging and found the original posting:

http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...k-miles-Feeler

Turns out the car was declared totaled from being hit on both ends. The picture of the damage in the front end was from the original posting. I called him back to call him out, he quickly tells me the rear damage was for some reason already repaired by the dealer after insurance declared the car totaled. He became defensive and quickly ended the conversation. Pretty smooth talker but full of bs. Be careful guys!

[Nitrousbird]

30k for a rebuilt title '08 M3 should be enough to steer any sensible buyer away on its own!

[MiniXP]

The craigslist ad says it has a rebuilt title, doesn't look like he was trying to hide that.

[drewnel22]

Originally Posted by MiniXP

The craigslist ad says it has a rebuilt title, doesn't look like he was trying to hide that.

The issue is that he said it was only minor front damage but looking at the pics it was obviously much more than that.

[bimmette]

Good digging

[monkeybingo]

TO BE HONEST.. THE DAMAGE IS MINOR.. no airbags deployed

[monkeybingo]

Also, looks like he did a great job repairing the back panel.. I would pay $30k for that mileage.. I doubt there is anything wrong with the car,

[brewnami]

I mean, unless there was frame damage, that just looks superficial, like only damage to body panels that had to be replaced... Maybe a radiator haha. Still, it's a 2008. 2008's that don't have rebuilt titles are in the low 30's now. Maybe not with 12,000 miles, but certainly not high mileage.

[litxus]

This looks like a total write off, and for rebuilt title even with low miles good luck selling for that much, maybe to unsuspecting overseas buyers will fall for it.

I would avoid salvage cars (unless maybe for track and low price) at all costs, as all damaged / repainted areas will rust faster, plus many other components will start failing shortly, even though it did not show any damage before. And yeah, dealers can refuse any kind of warranty as they will say it was totaled.

[drewnel22]

Originally Posted by monkeybingo

TO BE HONEST.. THE DAMAGE IS MINOR.. no airbags deployed

Repairing a quarter panel is not minor damage. There is a lot of work involved.

[AzureHaze]

Dirtbags like him on the prowl is the reason I avoid Craigslist.

Kudos on the sleuthing!

[monkeybingo]

Originally Posted by AzureHaze

Dirtbags like him on the prowl is the reason I avoid Craigslist.

Kudos on the sleuthing!

I don't think he wants to make a buck.. he prob paid a lot for the repair and not trying to take the hit.. but yea.. shame on lying if he kept the original posts.. effing idiot

[SAADTHESAV]

in other news: i don't know about you guys but it hurts me so much inside whenever i see a really nice car in a car accident /:

[techietaichi]

Pfffft, you can just buff that right out!

[Kevinl]

The entire rear buckled the front may have no frame damage but when the whole back is sagging and the rear quarters are buckled like that the car is screwed

I cant imagine spending 30,000 on a salvage title vehicle I'd rather buy one with 60,000-70,000 for 30k then buy one that should be in a junkyard with 10k

[roo97ss]

We have fixed a fair number of salvage vehicles over the years. mostly body on frame trucks and suvs. we haven't done a bmw yet as the right one hasn't come our way.

When you repair it yourself and are knowledgeable it's fine. The market is however flooded with cars like this where they downplay the repairs. Other thing I've seen is cars and trucks at auction where someone has already pulled and started to straighten the damage so it doesn't look as bad as it is before you pick it up.

The most recent 3 vehicles we bought were probably the new car replacement insurance plan. These cars are low milage one had 483 miles on it, 1 year old and very minor damage.

[litxus]

Originally Posted by roo97ss

We have fixed a fair number of salvage vehicles over the years. mostly body on frame trucks and suvs. we haven't done a bmw yet as the right one hasn't come our way.

When you repair it yourself and are knowledgeable it's fine. The market is however flooded with cars like this where they downplay the repairs. Other thing I've seen is cars and trucks at auction where someone has already pulled and started to straighten the damage so it doesn't look as bad as it is before you pick it up.

The most recent 3 vehicles we bought were probably the new car replacement insurance plan. These cars are low milage one had 483 miles on it, 1 year old and very minor damage.

I have been in salvage business before, but not anymore. If you have a body shop, that might be ok side business, or unless you are in commercial / work cars or trucks then title doesn't matter. Before COPART and online auctions were huge some good deals were to be found. Now, you have blind buyers buying from all over the world by pictures alone and this raises prices to the point of no sense. There are a lot of shady shops out there too that buy junk, and "straighten" the car without unbolting anything to make it look pretty for pictures and then sell back at COPART to unsuspecting buyers. I would personally never buy a more expensive damaged vehicle if I couldn't take a look at it. Seen too many cars bought online show up with missing radios, navigation systems, lost keys (in some cases huge $$$ loss), switched wheels, and worst the engine from some other POS just dumped in the engine bay to make it look like it has an engine.

[ArcticRik]

Here is the Autocheck on it.... Def Salvaged title

http://www.chilsonwilcox.com/autoche...WD935X8PY40910

[888Concept]

good digging and good catch, OP!

From reading the CL description, the seller implied that his car does not have a clean title. However, he did not explicitly say that it's a salvaged title.

[JingChai]

This is why I didn't go on Craigslist to get my 328i. Just the extra 1000 spend was worth the peace of mind. Not only that I had a complete Carfax to go along with it.

[Chrisruf911]

Originally Posted by litxus

I have been in salvage business before, but not anymore. If you have a body shop, that might be ok side business, or unless you are in commercial / work cars or trucks then title doesn't matter. Before COPART and online auctions were huge some good deals were to be found. Now, you have blind buyers buying from all over the world by pictures alone and this raises prices to the point of no sense. There are a lot of shady shops out there too that buy junk, and "straighten" the car without unbolting anything to make it look pretty for pictures and then sell back at COPART to unsuspecting buyers. I would personally never buy a more expensive damaged vehicle if I couldn't take a look at it. Seen too many cars bought online show up with missing radios, navigation systems, lost keys (in some cases huge $$$ loss), switched wheels, and worst the engine from some other POS just dumped in the engine bay to make it look like it has an engine.

This. When I was a kid my father and I used to head to Conyers, Ga and buy wrecked cars from a couple of salvage yards. He just mainly did it because he was a tight ass and we ended up with half of retail in the cars when finished. These were personal cars and not a way to make money. This was in the mid to late 80s before online salvage auctions. Unless you find a rare, super good deal it's not profitable to build wrecks anymore.