Hey there, i am very interested in buying a 2003 cavy coupe, just looking for some opinions on the car.
The biggest thing is that the car a few years ago was written off, so the car has a salvage title, but was professinally rebuilt.
The damage was, hood, fender. rad, rad support, windshield, bumper and air bags... DAMAGE WAS DONE ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO.
The car has 95,000 km, so it has average km, its a good price, just wantted to see some opinions on buying a car that has a SALAVAGE TITLE....., but it should be all good as it was professianlly rebuilt.
The car has a full rk body kit, rk spoiler, magnaflow dual cat back, stage 3 clutch, aftermarket wheel, 18's, sportline springs, cf hood and tint, so it has a good amount of mods, the km are average, its a 2 door 2003 and has a 5 speed, so it would be a dream for me sort to speak as i currently run a 2200 with a 3 speed auto; wich i love as i put 6 years into, but i was thinking of giving the fire to my woman, and me having the cavy; wich is basically show ready wich i enjoy going to car shows wioth my club.
Tell me what you think, opinions appreciated.
Only other thing that worries me besides the fact it has a salvage title, is that it has a check engine light on wich he said is the common evap code p04001 or what ever it is, cant remember the exact code he told me it was...
Tell me what you think, and maby how much you think this year car with these mods and kn would be worth..
Thanks very much guys/gals, much appreciated, i hope to be joing the grop with the ecotecs,lol and 5 speeds...
t
98 j-body sedan
The two threads i have started are not the same, one is asking about problems with the ecotec, and other thread is asking about opinions on buying a car that has a salvage title; yes both related in that i want this car but do not want to get ass raped and buy a lemon; just looking for some insight on anything to watch out for with the ecotec and a car that has a salvage title...
Sorry for the big sig if you are referring to me, will try and down size it tonight or tommorow when i get a sec.
Just looking for some honest opinions here from some people who are looking to help out a fellow j-body enthusiast.
Thanks
98 j-body sedan
best thing you can do is get the vin and carfax it
My co-worker drives a salvaged 97 Cavy, that from the report looks like it was written off in a frontal collision by a young woman driver. It spent about 4 months at a salvage yard before his parents ended up with it, and eventually passed it to him.
As far as how the car survives to this day, I know:
- The front bumper and hood and both fenders were obviously replaced (hasty repaint, stone chips reveal different color)
- The engine was replaced (lower mileage than original)
- There have been no unusual maintenance issues
- The car runs great, drives well and tracks perfectly.
- No unusual wear patterns on the tires
- It's put on about 45,000kms since the accident
In other words, the car has served him well. The only real downside is that the already pathetic resale value goes right to Hell if you want to be honest as a seller. However, YOU can use that to your advantage as a buyer.
As for your potential purchase? Carfax might only give you confirmation that it is, in fact, a salvage - sometimes additional details on the severity of the problem are vague or non-existent. Inspect that car personally for oddities in paint, body, visible frame that may suggest shoddy restoration or patch jobs that need attention. Check the tires for abnormal wear. Drive the thing and make sure it runs right. See if it goes in a straight line whether accelerating, coasting, or braking. If it doesn't, it could be an easy fix, or it could be more serious issues with car geometry (ie. bent frame).
Shop Manuals, Brochures:
www.kenmcgeeautobooks.com
Thanks very much geeky^^^ sorry i dont know your name...
I plan to drive it, and take it to a mechanic to have it looked over.... and i plan on looking the whole body over, under the hood etc....
It is kitted, so i think after it was bought as a salvage, a kit went on instede of oem bumpers, and same with hood etc... but i will check for headlight and fender gaps etc...
Thanks
98 j-body sedan
If you have plans to sell the car within the next few years, don't even bother with a salvage title. If not, then enjoy the bargain you'll get.
Yeah if you get the car just plan on keeping it.
My 04 cavy, that I later passed on to my gf who lives with me (so I still work on the car) had salvage numbers on the bottom it looks like it was rear ended... carfax came up clean. However, it runs just fine, never had a problem with it. Although, I did just find out that the rear end has toe-in of about .33 and .45 from the accident.. so thats one thing I'll have to take care of. But yea, if the car has been rebuilt, its probably fine to be honest. Just dont plan on selling it and it will most likely make a good car. I love the 03's just get an 02 trunk for it.
JBOK.org / J-Bodies of Kentucky
Has the rear end conversion all ready, but it has the cf tyl altezzas, plan to put oem tails in there.
also has an injen intake, but i cant find an injen intake on their site for a 03 cavy....
And it has a stage 3 bully clutch, i dont see a stage 3 listed for the ecotec......
Anyone have a stage 3 clutch on there 03 cavy, and an injen intake?
Thanks for you help everyone...
98 j-body sedan
Don't pay blue book for it, make sure you account for the salvage title in the purchase price. 03s aren't to expensive on their own.
If done right that eco will last a long time so I wouldn't worry about maintenance.
Don't buy it till the problems related to the codes are resolved. If you have an EVAP code and have emissions in your area that will fail you.
I have a fully built engine that throws all kinds of codes, but I've never seen the "common EVAP" code.
Sound like a pretty nice ride, how much are they asking?
-Chris
The evap code its throwing is on the org here and some people had the same code and cant figure it out as it can be one of 16 things related to the evap system, anything from the gas cap to sensors to canister, no major problem as i would only be loosing a few gas vapors, he says he gets 750 km to a tank when driven easy.
The car i can get for $5700.00 cndn, and all the stock cavys and fires in my area of canada are between 5-7 k, with the same amount of km or more, and this car has a full kit, wing, rims, springs, cat back, intake, wheel, tint, stage three clutch, so right there is a few grand in aftermarket parts, so i think it would be a pretty good deal.
I dont have emissions here, just a annual motor vehicle inspection....
Does this sound like a good deal?
Thanks
98 j-body sedan
try to offer 4500, because of the title and see if they'll deal. At that price you've pretty much accepted you'll have this car for till the value is used up anyways.
-Chris
Hey there, yeah the car is all fixed, has been professionally rebuilt 3 years ago, with the amount of mods probally equalling 3-4 k, i am not paying that much for the car; but i may try to go down a bit in price...
Thanks for the advice.
98 j-body sedan
Got a garage to look this cavy over today, needs a ball joint, but the ball joint was just done in august as the car needed in for mvi; so why would this ball joint be gone alreday; anything to do with the accident three years ago?
I am scared to get this vehicle and have something wrong and get uneven wear on the tires etc.... the frame was fixed three years ago as the car was a salvage but it was professionally rebuilt and the frame repaired.
Once the frame is repaired the car should be good forever now?
98 j-body sedan
my Opinion....dont waste of time
you do mean it has a rebuilt title yes?
here in BC salvage means it was writte off and have yet to pass inspections to give it a "rebuilt" title.
rebuilt title cars are ones that have been repaired and inspected after being written off as "salvage"
lol i just bought a rebuilt 03 coupe, i hope it turns out well
