on Marketplace, I found privately owned with 102,211 miles, a Lexus RX400h for $7K and has Automatic Transmission.
Rebuilt Title ("front fender was damaged" according to the seller). since its a Hybrid, I am little sceptical about the car. looks good from the outside.
gives ~35mpg according to the seller. btw I love what you do for the community. you are really helpful
thank you,
What marketplace? Are you sure the purported owner is not just fronting for a used car lot? (They do that all the time.) You failed to mention what year the vehicle is.
I would not buy an old hybrid unless you're ready to possibly shell out about $5000 for a replacement battery. Scotty has also mentioned that if the generator goes out it will cost about the same to repair. (If the vehicle is just a few years old it would be OK.)
I would also not buy anything with a salvage title. I also would not believe that it was totalled by an insurance company due to just a bent fender. (That's what they used to do with Yugos, but this is a Lexus.) You cannot believe anything a seller tells you.
More details are needed but so far this sounds like a "run away screaming" type of deal.
@chucktobias regarding "fronting." Just watched a Scotty video this morning advising consumers to check to see if the private seller's name matches the name on the car title.
Don't believe one word the seller tells you. Have the car inspected by a mechanic first. Check with your insurance company to see if they would even write a policy for a salvaged title car. What year is it? If the damage was simply to the front bumper, why was the car title salvaged? Sounds pretty sketchy to me.
A rebuilt title generally means that a car was so badly damaged that it was declared an actual total loss (totaled) by an insurance company and issued a salvaged title, but then it was restored to operational condition and issued a rebuilt title. Depending on local laws, the car may or may not be required to pass an inspection before it can be driven on public roads.
I don't think that a damaged fender alone would be sufficient to deem the car salvaged. So I would be very cautious for as @Doc stated, "Sounds pretty sketchy to me" and as @chucktobias advises, "so far sounds like a 'running away screaming' type of deal." Though for me, the "screaming" part would be optional.
You could check with the National Insurance Crime Bureau at NICB.org for a free VIN lookup to see if the car was ever reported as a salvage vehicle by a participating NICB insurance company. And check with your insurance company to ask if they will insure the car.
If you decide to proceed, have the car thoroughly inspected by a reputable mechanic for all condition aspects of the vehicle.
NEVER BUY A USED HYBRID - Scotty Kilmer, Dude with over a billion YouTube views.
In my family, a Rav4 was totaled. Within 8 months, that car, with BENT FRAME PIECES and ALL AIRBAGS DEPLOYED was being sold as a salvaged vehicle. I e-mailed the seller and made notes on the Toyota Owners website and my CarFax account about what was damaged and how bad it was. The Rav4 was beyond repair according to ALL estimates because of some beam on the passenger side (even the passenger side doors had issues opening after the front end collision. I have posted that VIN number with a warning, admittedly at risk of a lawsuit that I would win because I'm factual, but I'm still exposing myself.
Unless you have pictures and receipts and the work was done by a Toyota/Lexus body shop, I wouldn't even consider it. Still, buying used hybrids is a big mess.
the year is 2006, im sorry i missed very important part. thank you for responding to my question. i also have many doubts on this one. i will certainly rethink about it. thank you
Too many red flags. I would pass on it and let it be someone else’s piece of trouble.
