Hey guys I need your advice and opinions on buying a used R50 for my younger brother. Here's the situation:

Currently, we are in the process of selling his 2002 chevy silverado lifted pickup for something way more fuel efficient and reliable. He's 21 y/o and will be going away to college here in about 6 months. He's not very well acquainted with the compact car scene, so I've been helping him in the buying process. He has a pretty tight budget, around $7k, so finding a car less than 12 y/o that also has less than 120k on the odometer has become somewhat of a challenge. After days of relentless research and schooling him on whats out there, we've narrowed our search down to basically 3 different makes/models:
2000-2003: BMW 323i, 325i, or 328i
2002-2006: MINI Cooper R50
2001-2005: Jetta GLI (not sure on the years)

A couple of days ago he test drove a 2000 323i with 115,000mi and really liked it, but just couldnt make up his mind so we passed on it for now (Owner wanted $5,900) He really likes my R56 Justa, but obviously something that new is out of the question.

I just happened to be on Craigslist earlier tonight and stumbled across something that caught my eye...it's a '05 R50 with 90k on the clock. Seller has it listed for $5,900. Obviously that price seems to good to be true, but here's the catch. It has a salvage title. Owner said it had damage done to the front right side. In the ad he also states there is no frame damage. I've been thinking about going to see it in person, inspecting it for frame damage, and obviously test driving it to see how it holds the road.

I have never dealt with a vehicle with a "salvage" title, and I was just wondering what exactly that entails...I thought a car was deemed a salvage when the cost to repair the vehicle is greater than the value to replace the vehicle completely, but I honestly do not know how it works...

Hypothetically, say I go inspect the car, find no frame damage, and have a successful test drive, would this be a good deal, or just a massive headache? I need to write out a list of questions to ask him before I go see it in person, like how much of the damage was cosmetic, and how much of the engine was affected, etc...

I know resale on a salvage titled vehicle is pretty low, but its only $5.9k to begin with, so I feel like that argument doesnt really apply in this situation. If anyone out there has bought/driven a salvage title vehicle could you please share your experience (good or bad)?

Here is a pic of the car, if anyone is interested

 

A few things I left out of my original post:

1. I know this probably isnt the best place for this thread, but seeing as the car in question is an R50, I thought I could get better insight from R50 owners specifically

2. Having said that, what kind of issues should I be looking for on a '05 R50 with 90,000 miles? It has a manual transmission, so that should be taken into account.

3. What milestone maintenance procedures should have been done already? That way I will know if the vehicle has been neglected or abused.

Thanks again for your inputs/advice!

 

no personal experience with buying a salvage vehicle (nor do I have an R50) but here are things I would check first:
* ask the DMV about anything you need to know PRIOR to buying a salvage car
* ask the insurance guys about the same
* pay a shop to do a PrePurchase Inspection (I do not have the skills/knowledge/equipment to ascertain frame damage, engine health, etc.)

There is a thread with a link to a service manual, it should specify maintenance intervals and what components are inspected/replaced, etc.

 

Thanks for the info kromdom, I hadn't even thought of the insurance aspect of this. Now that you mention it, I could see rates being higher on a salvage vs. a clean titled vehicle.

 

I have a salvaged mini. I bought it from junk yard and put it back together.

I knew about the damages and I know what I fixed.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ld-thread.html

So bottom line is this. If you know where it was damaged and how it was repaired and how long ago it was done. You can reasonably tell if the repair was a success. Once repair is done right and it has been years that means you can assume with relative confidence any residual effects of the accident would have happened already.

If he repaired everything just recently and trying to sell this, you may be in for a surprise.

There is always an inherent risk buying a car used.

Do the obvious stuff first check the engine for blown head gasket, radiator leak.....

Just because it was a salvage, it doesn't mean they are all junks.

I would check clearance between panels and see if they are uniform. Take it to an alignment shop and see if the car can be aligned to factory spec.

Make sure there is no air coming through weather strips and windshield mouldings.

If those things check out and drive test passes at speed then I would be more confident in purchasing the vehicle.

 

Never mind.