Ok i'm from Washington and I flew down to Houston, TX to buy a 1997 ITR. The body condition is not exactly in the best shape. The owner claims it was never in a front end accident, but i found on the passanger side under the hood there is a weld mark and the bumper does not match up well. Then I found some over spray of paint where they covered up the weld on some wires just near it. The seats are showing some wear and the paint is kinda rough. He is only asking for 12,900 and it has 84k miles on it. I'm down here now and i'm debating weither i should pick it up or not. I have till tomorrow moring to decide. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Help me make up my mind.

 

runa quick carfax, then take for a drive and see if it rides str8 and there no damage that shows. if all is well throw him 12

 

ya... i'd want to know how bad of an accident it was in...
see if ya can get a carfax
my 90 integra was never the same after it got hit....


12 for an R sounds damn tempting tho

 

The carfax is CLEAN. the accident didn't look bad. Looks like no frame damage. But mostlikely the bumper was replaced. possibly radiator replacement.

 

I'd pass on that deal. Buy my gsr for 12k

 

weld mark != minor. At least, I've never seen a minor accident need that work.

-Dave, who's owned a "minor" accident rewelded front right corner'd car before..

 

I would get it. Good luck.

 

try and get it down to 11000!

 

Was there a fixed price agreement before you came? And if you flew all the way to TX just to buy this car and was not aware of the damage before you got there, I'd be pretty pissed. I'd make a pretty big fuss and tell him you'll pay at least $1500 less than you had talked about before if you had already arranged a price. I guess it sort of depends on just how much damage may have occured and if the car drives fine to you. Check it over really well of course, and don't overlook anything.

Otherwise, a 97 R is a 97 R, and a rare find these days. Good luck

 

was there actual welding on the frame? sad thing is, is that you do not need to disclose it has been in an accident . let me know what happens. ill tell u this my first car was in an accident didnt look to bad but needed fram repairing. since you are there be teh judge of how it rides

 

drive it to a body shop tomorrow and ask them what they think happened then work from there.

 

Carfax will probably come up clean. My carfax report on the GSR came back perfect but when I took the bumper off and started to investigate I saw one weld mark then I also found out my hood, front bumper and headlights are not OEM. Don't trust carfax all the way

 

Oh man, I hope this doesn't turn into that red 88 M3 story about that guy that got SHAFTED..

 

its how bad do you want it.
try to talk him down if it has been in an accident. and check the car out completely since he's not being honest with you.

 

if the owner says it was never in a front-end accident and you find welds and off-spray, i'd say that either s/o is being dishonest or you dont know what you are looking at with your very own eyes a '97 is rare and a worthwhile investment, but what else can you go on if you as a buyer can't even trust the words coming out of the seller's mouth?

i'd keep looking. you can usually tell if a used car is *worth* the asking price by some simple little clues and investigating. from the sound of what you just described, you already have doubts-i'd wait.

 

The current owner is a real numb nut. He knows nothing about cars and is ignorant to the fact that its been in a front end accident. I got him talked down to 12,580. I guess its not horribly bad, but its gonna take a little money to get it back to good condition. I really appreciate everyone's input. I'm gonna rescue this R and bring it back to life. I'll have pics up soon.

 

IM his number.... Tell him I'll be down there to take a look at it, possible buy it myself....

 

Woohoo, Marcus trying to get back in the game already

 

Personally, I would pass on it.
I looked on autotrader.com, and there are a handfull of 97's for that price.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by julow &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm gonna rescue this R and bring it back to life. I'll have pics up soon.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

buy it, drive it, sell it if you dont like it.

 

Sounds like a DECENT deal for 12k.

I say definitely bring the price down after slapping the seller with the lies you caught. Then buy it for a really good deal.

Of course, this is after you drove it and it runs good with you. Personally I would use the damaged front as a reason to replace the radiator support/bumper or get a JDM conversion.

 

"Should I buy this ITR" No

Spend more and get a better car- without any BS.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bbasso &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">"Should I buy this ITR" No

Spend more and get a better car- without any BS. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Buy mine : )

 

TAKE IT TO AN INSPECTION IN THE MORNING!!! Tell the guy you're apprehensive b/c it looks like it was in has some damage. Don't specify, just tell him it would make you more comfortable to have a professional opinion, and YOU should choose the shop.

Should run you like 100$