There’s a clipped Lexus ‘95 SC400 on sale for 12K, 10K below NADA book
value.
My dilemma is that I love this car and the dealer will not let
LemonBuster’s on their site. They recommend inspectors that they
know, but what good will that do me? They’ll only go with the opinion
of the dealer who gives them work.
The trade-off of 12K to 22K is major to me…not willing to sink 22K
into a depreciable asset that I will use once a month(I live in NYC).
Am i throwing 12K down the drain?
Are there any clipped cars on the road that are success stories?
All opinions very welcome, especially the mechanically inclined type.
Thanks.
bra…@hotmail.com (Brad Marker) wrote:
>There’s a clipped Lexus ‘95 SC400 on sale for 12K, 10K below NADA book
>value.
>My dilemma is that I love this car and the dealer will not let
>LemonBuster’s on their site. They recommend inspectors that they
>know, but what good will that do me? They’ll only go with the opinion
>of the dealer who gives them work.
>The trade-off of 12K to 22K is major to me…not willing to sink 22K
>into a depreciable asset that I will use once a month(I live in NYC).
>Am i throwing 12K down the drain?
>Are there any clipped cars on the road that are success stories?
>All opinions very welcome, especially the mechanically inclined type.
In the NYC area, if that car’s at a price that’s 10K under NADA book,
there’s an expensive reason. RUN, do not walk, in the other
direction.
—
My email address is spamblocked. Remove SnowFromDriveway to reply
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:38 pm
What is a "clipped car"?
Only time I have seen that term used is when someone removes
one side or the other due to driving too close to the
concrete median… or another car.
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:38 pm
py…@texas.neXt wrote:
> What is a "clipped car"?
> Only time I have seen that term used is when someone removes
> one side or the other due to driving too close to the
> concrete median… or another car.
I think he means that it was in a wreck, and had to have a new front
clip put on (probably from a junkyard car.)
If it was done right there should be no problems. But there’s a lot of
stuff that can be screwed up… check everything electrical for proper
operation. If there’s anything funky, run away. Look to see if you can
detect any signs of repair (underneath the car and under the hood If
anything is wrinkled, cracked, or has 8 layers of fresh undercoating on
it, run away. Also you might want to have the alignment checked. That
should show if the chassis straightening was done in a sloppy manner.
If the alignment is out of spec, or if the car pulls or dogtracks when
you drive it, run away. If the car seems to overheat, run away. (if it
was left running with no coolant after it was wrecked, it’s highly
possible that a head gasket is blown and/or the engine internals are far
more worn than mileage would indicate.
Don’t get too attached to the car. I bet for that price there’s a
reason someone wants to unload it quick. You *might* get lucky, but
never bet on it.
nate
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:38 pm
My ‘98 GS400 has the VIN printed on non-removable stickers on all major
panels, if they did it on that model/year, it’s easy to verify what has been
replaced. I also did a carfax check on my purchase, came up with lots of
interesting details. (nothing bad though, just good to know).
Good luck!
Mischa.
"Brad Marker" <bra…@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:cc0a5a9e.0106030948.20d4c108@posting.google.com…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> There’s a clipped Lexus ‘95 SC400 on sale for 12K, 10K below NADA book
> value.
> My dilemma is that I love this car and the dealer will not let
> LemonBuster’s on their site. They recommend inspectors that they
> know, but what good will that do me? They’ll only go with the opinion
> of the dealer who gives them work.
> The trade-off of 12K to 22K is major to me…not willing to sink 22K
> into a depreciable asset that I will use once a month(I live in NYC).
> Am i throwing 12K down the drain?
> Are there any clipped cars on the road that are success stories?
> All opinions very welcome, especially the mechanically inclined type.
> Thanks.
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:38 pm
"Larry Smith" <lar…@online.no> wrote in message <news:GsGS6.6111$lM3.117163@news1.oke.nextra.no>…
> Just my opinion….
> Forget it. I think it is a nightmare in the making.
> To put these back together correctly takes time and talent. You can easily
> end up
> with a piece of shit. Nobody is going to give you all the new or wrecking
> yard parts
> to fix it back up, and some could be hard to find.
> 12K is far too much to pay for a corpse. An aging corpse.
> These things often sell at auction for some hundreds of dollars, not tens
> of thousands.
The ‘95 Lexus is clipped, meaning a salvage and rebuilt auto with two
seperate halves joined in the middle. I suspect it can be a crap
shoot if not done properly. It has been on road for three years in
this condition.
Thanks for everyones advice. I had also hoped for someone to chime in
who has had experience with a clipped car.
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:38 pm
Brad Marker wrote:
> The ‘95 Lexus is clipped, meaning a salvage and rebuilt auto with two
> seperate halves joined in the middle. I suspect it can be a crap
> shoot if not done properly. It has been on road for three years in
> this condition.
Any way to speak to the person who’s driven it those three years? If I couldn’t talk to them; it’d get
crossed off my list right quick.
Rich
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:39 pm
In article <cc0a5a9e.0106030948.20d4c…@posting.google.com>,
bra…@hotmail.com says…
>There’s a clipped Lexus ‘95 SC400 on sale for 12K, 10K below NADA book
>value.
>My dilemma is that I love this car and the dealer will not let
>LemonBuster’s on their site. They recommend inspectors that they
>know, but what good will that do me? They’ll only go with the opinion
>of the dealer who gives them work.
>The trade-off of 12K to 22K is major to me…not willing to sink 22K
>into a depreciable asset that I will use once a month(I live in NYC).
>Am i throwing 12K down the drain?
>Are there any clipped cars on the road that are success stories?
>All opinions very welcome, especially the mechanically inclined type.
If they won’t let an independent mechnaic check out the car, they must
have something to hide. I would not risk it. Sounds fishy.
—————–
Alex __O
_-\<,_
(_)/ (_)
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:39 pm
Richard Hutchinson <richard.hutchin…@bms.com> wrote in message <news:3B1BC507.B28069C3@bms.com>…
> Brad Marker wrote:
> > The ‘95 Lexus is clipped, meaning a salvage and rebuilt auto with two
> > seperate halves joined in the middle. I suspect it can be a crap
> > shoot if not done properly. It has been on road for three years in
> > this condition.
> Any way to speak to the person who’s driven it those three years? If I couldn’t talk to them; it’d get
> crossed off my list right quick.
> Rich
Rich,
Her name is on the title but I couldn’t find her in any internet
directory. She wasn’t listed in information either. It was a lien so
she may have been thrown out of her house as well. The dealer is a
member of the BBB if that helps. I’m still undecided.
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:39 pm
In article <cc0a5a9e.0106041500.79a69…@posting.google.com>,
Brad Marker <bra…@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Her name is on the title but I couldn’t find her in any internet
>directory. She wasn’t listed in information either. It was a lien so
>she may have been thrown out of her house as well.
Someone who was sloppy enough with car payments to get the car
repossessed may have been sloppy with car maintenance as well.
–
————————————————————————
Timothy J. Lee
Unsolicited bulk or commercial email is not welcome.
No warranty of any kind is provided with this message.
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:39 pm
new owner wrote:
> Brad, I would RUN like a scalded dog from this deal. I understand wanting
> to have a Lexus and maybe not being able to afford one any other way.
> However, trust me, this isn’t the way. That it’s available for 12k under
> book should be a giant red flag with horns blowing. Nobody sells a Lexus
> under book value unless there’s something seriously wrong. A salvage
> rebuild might be fine for the fellow who rebuilt it, but no one in full
> possession of their faculties would want to purchase this, let alone drive
> it.
I would have to agree here. The numbers of potential nightmares are astounding.
You do tend to get what you pay for
Rich
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:39 pm
In article <3B1CE902.1CD21…@bms.com>,
Richard Hutchinson <richard.hutchin…@bms.com> wrote:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
>new owner wrote:
>> Brad, I would RUN like a scalded dog from this deal. I understand wanting
>> to have a Lexus and maybe not being able to afford one any other way.
>> However, trust me, this isn’t the way. That it’s available for 12k under
>> book should be a giant red flag with horns blowing. Nobody sells a Lexus
>> under book value unless there’s something seriously wrong. A salvage
>> rebuild might be fine for the fellow who rebuilt it, but no one in full
>> possession of their faculties would want to purchase this, let alone drive
>> it.
>I would have to agree here. The numbers of potential nightmares are astounding.
>You do tend to get what you pay for
>Rich
I would go further to say that you should not buy an expensive car just
because the purchase price is cheap. It will cost as much as a full
Lexus to fix if it breaks. I have the misfortune to hae bought a car that
I normally could not afford, just when a number of things have started to
wear out. Fortunately, the repairs that I have had to do are all things
that last for a long time, but the oil cooler line, MAF sensor, and
distributorless ignition control module each cost me ten percent of the
vehicles purchase price.
I am glad that common sense prevailed, and I did not buy the ‘84 Jaguar with
the V12, that I have always wanted, because fixing it would have made it
an expensive car to own if it was given to me for free (IMHO).
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:39 pm
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
Richard Hutchinson <richard.hutchin…@bms.com> wrote in message <news:3B1CE902.1CD219DB@bms.com>…
> new owner wrote:
> > Brad, I would RUN like a scalded dog from this deal. I understand wanting
> > to have a Lexus and maybe not being able to afford one any other way.
> > However, trust me, this isn’t the way. That it’s available for 12k under
> > book should be a giant red flag with horns blowing. Nobody sells a Lexus
> > under book value unless there’s something seriously wrong. A salvage
> > rebuild might be fine for the fellow who rebuilt it, but no one in full
> > possession of their faculties would want to purchase this, let alone drive
> > it.
> I would have to agree here. The numbers of potential nightmares are astounding.
> You do tend to get what you pay for
> Rich
Thanks for everyone’s contribution to this matter. I finally backed
out of the deal…and the dealer gave a year’s warranty for free.
He’s that convinced that the car is perfectly fine. I may be back to
square one now.
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:39 pm
Bra…@hotmail.com (Brad Marker) writes:
<snip>
> Thanks for everyone’s contribution to this matter. I finally backed
> out of the deal…and the dealer gave a year’s warranty for free.
> He’s that convinced that the car is perfectly fine.
No, if he were convinced, he would allow an independent
inspection. Don’t look back; you did the right thing.
<snip>
–
-Stephen H. Westin
Any information or opinions in this message are mine: they do not
represent the position of Cornell University or any of its sponsors.
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:39 pm
I agree with Alex. If they are so confident to give a year’s warranty
on the car (find out what they will and will not cover), why not let
an independent mechanic to check it out. It will not cause them any
harm, if there’s nothing wrong with the car.
Edward
On 4 Jun 2001 19:58:18 GMT, a…@columbia.edu (Alex Rodriguez) wrote:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
>In article <cc0a5a9e.0106030948.20d4c…@posting.google.com>,
>bra…@hotmail.com says…
>>There’s a clipped Lexus ‘95 SC400 on sale for 12K, 10K below NADA book
>>value.
>>My dilemma is that I love this car and the dealer will not let
>>LemonBuster’s on their site. They recommend inspectors that they
>>know, but what good will that do me? They’ll only go with the opinion
>>of the dealer who gives them work.
>>The trade-off of 12K to 22K is major to me…not willing to sink 22K
>>into a depreciable asset that I will use once a month(I live in NYC).
>>Am i throwing 12K down the drain?
>>Are there any clipped cars on the road that are success stories?
>>All opinions very welcome, especially the mechanically inclined type.
>If they won’t let an independent mechnaic check out the car, they must
>have something to hide. I would not risk it. Sounds fishy.
>—————–
>Alex __O
> _-\<,_
> (_)/ (_)
Comment by admin — October 30, 2009 @ 6:39 pm