2013 VW GTI with Diesel asking $7800 or best offer. Rebuilt Title will let me take it to a mechanic. with 87000miles. I know you dont like rebuilt titles. this was a crash in the front of the car. If it checks out with mechanic and Vin what if anything would you consider a fair price?
This is a really interesting question. The usual car valuation services (eg, KBB) aren't going to work here. And with a rare car like that, you aren't going to find too many comparable listings.
Now, you are talking about a dieselgate-era VW with a salvage title. The objective value is zero. The problem is that the expected cost for maintenance and repairs on a car like that is going to be very high, easily greater than the initial sales price. There is no sales price at which you would not be better off buying a good car to start with. The only monetary value it has, really, is whatever you think you could flip it for to an unsuspecting hipster.
I suppose that any car that runs and drives and stops and goes can sell for 2 or 3 grand. If you have some sentimental reasons for wanting it (which is fair, we all have cars that appeal to us on a subjective level), that's what I would pay for it. But realistically, if the guy (or gal) is asking $7800, they probably have too much invested in it. You're too far apart, and making a massively low-ball offer would probably just make them mad.
If that's the kind of car you really want, I would be patient and keep looking until you find a better one (low mile, well maintained, clean title) come up for sale.
I suppose I am a bit confused. If rebuilt title vehicles are essentially worthless why would anyone spend the time and money to rebuild them?
There's a sucker born every minute, and two to take him.
Not all rebuilt titles have zero value, but that severely limits the max value it can have. A rebuilt title car will always be less than a car with a clean title because many buyers won’t buy them (ie, demand is less), and the people who do will expect a big discount, even if all the repairs were done correctly (which they rarely are). It would be one thing if it was a particularly desirable or collectible car, which would have value with a rebuilt title, but not this one.
With this specific car, the reason I think it has only nominal value , in addition to having a rebuilt title, is that it is a VW diesel. VW has developed a reputation for low quality in general, and the diesel scandal casts a major cloud over the entire product line.
So there are very few buyers who would want that car, and the ones who would would only want it if they could get it cheap. Which is why I think it really is only worth the nominal value for a running and driving car, and not much more.
I would also take a hard pass. You shouldn't buy a car with a rebuilt title. It was issued a salvage title for a reason. There is no separate frame in a modern car, the body is the frame. It was designed from the factory with certain weak points, so they can collapse predictably, sacrificing the car so the driver can walk away. You can't pull dents out unless they're superficial. Catastrophic damage? Forget about it. You'll wind up making the metal stronger, unless you anneal it-which is the exact opposite of what you want it to do.
Front end collisions can be extremely damaging. If that thing was hit hard enough for an insurance company to total it there is a very high probability that sensors, wiring, and suspension will never be right. I'd call it a hard pass.
If you have photos of the accident it might be helpful
