Hey guys,

I’ve been working out a deal to purchase an 01 turbo but looking for opinions from those who currently own these cars. The car has 130k miles, a known track history, but has just been gone through by John Bray at EvoSpec, including heads/motor, etc. I spoke to John who vouched for the car mechanically. Needs a few cosmetic fixes, but nothing astronomical. I just found out there was a wreck on the Carfax around 2006 with moderate to severe damage reported. Also, now shows a branded title with not actual mileage listed. At $35k I’m not opposed to purchasing the car, but I don’t want to get stuck with the car if I ever decide to get rid of it. Thoughts????

 

I havent been following the market super closely lately but branded title with 130k miles, 35k seems like a bit much. On the other hand if youre looking for a track car and its been well taken care of in that regard, maybe not the worst deal?

 

35k for a branded car with 130k miles.
yeah pass.
"Moderate to severe damage"
for 7k more you can literally get any other 60k mile 996tt with no stories.

 

forgive my ignorance, but is "branded" like a "salvage title"? never heard the term before.

i'm not one of those that swears by, or would require documented history/maintenance records, but that car?

sounds as if the missing info could bite you later. plus it's a bit overpriced. high mileage kills "value" on these cars, as you know. though it shouldn't.

says the guy with a mechanically near perfect 170k mile turbo, that's worth peanuts lol

 

yeah, branded is basically an umbrella term for any title that isn’t clear: salvage, not actual mileage, theft, etc.

I talked to the owner today who claims it’s a clear title, so not sure why it would show on Carfax. A credit union holds a lien, so it’s an electronic title until paid off. I spoke to their representative who confirmed it’s a clear title, but waiting for some kind of visual representation to confirm.

 

I'm not sure where you live. But here is a really nice car for just a bit more. No stories just a clean well modded car by a very reputable tuner.
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...tive-mods.html

 

$35k is about what a clean title with an accident car should fetch with over 100k miles...

if it's mechanically sound and you want to continue to pursue this car, i would get the price under or at least closer to $30k... the good news is that with the accident and rebuild so long ago, if there were any issues with the repairs that were done, it should have flushed itself out over the last 14 yrs... if for some reason you have to sell the car in the future, know that you will easily take a 20-30% hit on price compared to a clean title car...

for reference i bought my '01tt back in October... 79k miles for $35k... it is a clean title car and had a minor accident on record from 2009... it needed a few k worth of work so i negotiated that into the price...

 

The car is only worth about $25,000. I would never pay $35,000 for that.

 

Agree with others, look elsewhere

 

Even now that it’s been determined to have a clear title? A 130k mile car with an EvoSpec motor build in the last year?

 

but has it really been determined to have a clear title? there is only two reasons i know of that you would find that record on carfax and now it has a clear title... the first possibility is that it was a clerical error... if that's the case, i would see which DMV branded the title and try to followup with them if possible, highly doubt this is the case... the other possibility is that the title was washed through another state before the write off record caught up... does the carfax tell you where the damage is? if for some reason you feel inclined to move forward with this vehicle, it might make sense to have a full PPI to check the damage in the area the carfax reported damage... you may also want to search the VIN to see if there is any online record...

remember these cars aren't limited production... if for some reason this one doesn't tick your requirements, be patient and keep looking... or do you like the fact that it has a built motor?

 

John Bray has the car currently and is doing a full inspection. He said there are no indications the car was in an accident. Everything is clear from that standpoint.

The only potential title branding is from the odometer mileage that was reflected on the Carfax. I spoke to his credit union who holds the lien. They state they never would have loaned on a branded vehicle. The branded title would have passed directly through their hands. But he’s going to the dmv on Monday to see if there’s anyway to acquire a copy of the title for verification purposes.

I like the fact the car has extensive performance upgrades and an overhauled motor. A clean 30k mike car could have an engine that’s a ticking time bomb, and that’s where significant expenses arise. I don’t mind dropping a couple grand into refinishing wheels or paint correction if the motor is bullet proof. I feel confident in the car from a mechanical standpoint. I just don’t wanna get burned if I decide to sell it in a year or 2.

 

Also, I did see the lapis blue car on pcarmarket.com, and I’m kind of obsessed with that one, depending on where the auction goes. It’s a little more than I wanted to spend, but I’d rather buy a more expensive car that would retain its value vs. a cheaper car that’s gonna bottom out when it comes time to sell.

 

thanks for the upthread clarification. i get it now. "branded" as in that chuck connors tv show from the 60's or what those misguided women in that weird nxvium(sp? ) sex cult allowed to have themselves imprinted with..

i don't know anything about the evospec build you alluded to either. but at 130k miles, that the car required(?) internal surgery ( unless of course it was elective? ) is only one more reason to be circumspect about this particular specimen. any rebuild would be wholly unnecessary and overkill, unless one wanted a track car. even then that would be a 3.8 or dare is say? a 4.0 "build". the stock mezger motor, properly maintained, is good for several hundred thousand miles. with both care, and commensurate near daily flogging.

for reference and balance. my current 96t was once tracked fairly regularly at willow here, and now as the old girl enjoys her later ( but not declining ) years in quarantined pastures is worth +/- 28/30k ( tops ). bearing in mind. it's maintained regularly and as fast any old "bolt on" equipped ***** can be.

given the title seems clear? offer them 29k ( 30 tops - provided no structural/frame damage from the "mystery incident" ).

or find another car, would be my advice - and good luck.

 

sounds like you are already doing your due diligence and covering your bases... as long as you can sleep at night with what the inspection comes back with and you are happy with the price, at the end of the day it's your money... strangers can tell you what they might or might not pay for a car but at the end of the day the value is in the eyes of the buyer... i understand what you mean by not wanting to get burned if you have to sell the car down the road, but just consider the effort you had to go through as a buyer. not everyone is going to want to have to go through that and may just add 7-10k on their budget to find a car with less question marks... will you be ok with that on the other side as a seller having people low ball you?

my friend that bought the questionable NSX doesn't ever have plans of selling it because it's his dream car... it was an easier pill for him to swallow because he didn't care about resale value...