I've been looking high and low for the past 3 months for the perfect G. I'll find the perfect one and then it will get sold so I'm trying to act fast but smart this time, so anyone's insight or experiences would be great.

Recently I came across a 2009 G37S online. Automatic with paddle shifters. Car looks basically brand new and only has about 3k miles on it. The thing that tipped me off is it's listed at 26,900. Which seemed to good to be true. After speaking with the sales rep he says all the cars on the lot are flipped. In that they were totaled by the insurance co and then rebuilt. The car in question was fresh water flooded. from the pictures it looks like they did a good job, obviously i'll have to look at in person. Of course the sales rep claims there's no rot/mold or electrical problems which remains to be seen.

Now the place closes early on Saturdays and doesnt reopen until monday morning so I can' go look at it now. But on top of all that they are getting a 2010 in on Monday. The sales rep told me the 26.9 is non negotiable however when the '10 comes in he is considering lowering the price on the 09 (I was originally looking at spending no more than about 25).

So with all that said does anyone have experience or know of anyone whos been in this situation or purchased a car like this? What specifically should I be looking for when looking at this car? Is this a good price? Any insight would be great.

 

Ummmmmm a car that has been in a flood I would stay away from....... Plain and simple!!!!

 

Right I would say no to a flooded car as well. But why? If all of the upholstery has been redone, cleaned of mold and rot and no electrical problems. What other factors could deter? On paper it sounds bad but if a professional went through and cleaned it up is it still as bad as a car that got flooded yesterday? Like are there certain things you just cant fix?

 

My opinion is that it depends on the flood line of the vehicle. Like if the trunk got rotted out and the undercarriage had gotten rusted. As opposed to the entire engine was flooded and all the electrical was warped that's two separate things to look at. Looking for well thought out opinions thanks.

 

In terms of your investment, ANY vehicle that has any salvage history (flood, wreck, theft, etc.) will have a salvage or rebuilt title, or it will at least show up as such in a carfax report. In terms of resale value, it's really only worth maybe a little more than HALF of whatever retail value is on the car, plus it's illegal to not disclose the salvage history.

So, what that means to you is that if you buy the car, then you will most likely own it for a very long time, whether you want to sell it or not. Be sure to let your bank know that it's a previous salvage vehicle, and see what their reaction is. Many lenders won't loan money at all on such a vehicle, because they know that the vehicle's resale value is pretty much destroyed by the previous damage noted on the title or in the vehicle history.

Beware! Beware! Beware!

 

I agree with staying away from flooded cars, there's going to be stuff that you won't be able to spot but my neighbor just bought an M3 for dirt cheap cause they bought it off an auction. The story was the previous owner only had liability and so when he crashed it the insurance company wrote it off as totaled and the car was given a salvaged title. From there they got it fixed and and they said they got a state inspector to look at the car and issue a new clean title. So in the right situation I think that it could work out really well, but I would be skeptical of most places that flip cars.

 

up to you if you wanted to waste your money...

 

Thanks for the replies. I did some research and I kept up the search. Tomorrow I am buying an 08 G37, clean title, with 29k on it.

 

nice, congrats man

 

also for anyone else getting or thinking about getting a salvage title, many insurance companies will not cover you!! You may be stuck with liability only, which means nobody would lent you money for something without full coverage. If you really wanted it, you'd have to pay cash and run with liability only unless you can find somebody to cover you on a salvage title.

That's messed up you can convert salvage back into a regular title - and unleash it on some poor unsuspecting person.

 

Actually from the research I've done you can't get the title changed so I'm not sure what he did.. it looks like you can only get it changed to a rebuilt/salvage title

 

A flood salvage is the worst car to buy . Problems can always happen and usually always do happen down the road . Yes it would also have a rebuilt title nott a clean one . Also even though it was issued a rebuilt title doesnt mean it was rebuilt right . With flooded cars theres a high chance to losing all your money and its tricky because it can look fine from the outside . Most of the problems will be in the inner workings like say corrosion starting inside modules and circuit boards which is going to be impossible to diagnose in most cases .

 

I wouldn't necessarily shy away from a salvaged/rebuilt car, but it all depends on WHO did the work and HOW good was the work done?

A buddy of mine owns a collision/repair facility, and he said that if the folks who had the work done on the car should be willing to show you all pictures, receipts, documentation, etc.

That's what I would look for (or just take it to a reputable rebuilder)

Good luck.

bryman