I am currently saving up for an is300, ive browsed a lot, and i dont have enough for one yet, however i do have enough for this one...

clicky

he's agreed on 4k without the fancy rims, which i dont even like to begin with, i would just buy stock ones off craigslist
i know a guy who paints cars and does body work, he estimated my celica which had like 4 rust spots, rust at bottom of doors, a dent in a quarter panel which had to be cut out and replaced and several other dings, he said to repair all that and put on 2 layers of factory quality coats, and 2 layers of clear coats would cost 15 hundred, this has what i think much less work, but i might want a different color though.
if its mechanically alright, all i need is body work paint and new wheels, i think i could fit under 6 k when im done
should i buy it what do you think?

This post has been edited by Serhey: Apr 20, 2010 - 10:52 PM

richee3 on here owns one. talk to him bro

>

I've actually talked to him about it several months ago, he reassured me that i was saving up for the right car
ill ask him to read this post

i say no, its a salvage title, it has more damage, it is a northern car, and its an auto, i say nay

>

i might have misunderstood something...i thought it had a salvage title due to the rear quarter panel damage, does it actually mean that it had a previous accident?

>
Salvage title = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvage_title

So... it is a bit of risk . Although, Coomers "Yelli Celi" was a salvage title car and look how amazing that was. I would say, go and look at the vehicle for yourself and do your own 20 point inspection .

Please tell us if you got it because lets be honest... 2jz is awesome and the IS300 = awesometude.

the yeli celi did not have a salvage title untill that kid got ahold of it

The Yelli Celi doesn't have a branded title, but it has a DOT inspection sticker in the door jamb - so that is the questionable situation with that.

And if this car has a salvage title then it has sustained quite a bit of damage. Perhaps even frame damage that you can't see.


I would pass.

be wary with salvage titles. know the exact reasoning for the titling. these unibodies are rough cars with having no real frame. make sure the car is structurally sound. $4k really seems like a good price if everything checks out. good luck with your results.

after asking some more detailed questions the guy told me the car is slow to accelerate, has check engine light on and bunch of other stuff. will pass on this one, however i am about to crack with this budget plan, im thinking i get one from a dealer, saw some really nice ones with under 80 thousand miles for $9995. im thinking i put my savings as a down payment which is like half, and paying the rest off within a year, im getting impatient and really want this car

Just got your PM a few minutes ago. I will say about the IS 300 that you should get the '02+. The '01 was a great car, but still a little rough around the edges. I'd be wary of any car with a rebuilt title. As 95CelicaST and Garin said, there is likely frame damage. You did the right thing by passing on that one. I wouldn't necessarily rush into buying a car and putting down your savings. The IS 300 is indeed a great car, but it's not worth running yourself out of money for. If you were a little farther south in Illinois, you could find a better deal than $9,995 for one, but prices are a little high near Chicago. If you can make it to the Midwest Meet in June, I'll let you take mine for a test drive if you haven't driven one already.

somebody bought it!

>

well the one for 9995 was just one of the few that i saw, and around here it seemed like the best deal, all the other one were 11+ and had more miles. The reason i wanna get it already is because i work 3 jobs and have to be extremely careful with my money and with summer coming up it kinda bugs me that i have to worry about every little expense. I know that i will be able to make the payments and this way ill have more breathing room with my money. this is my summer between high school and college and i dont wanna spend it working the whole time. i dont think anyone really cares about my life story lol but yeah i think it will also be smart cuz i need to start building my credit and i think its safer to buy an inspected car then buying off of someone not knowing what ill get.

If you can afford it, I say go for it. Mine was essentially the same deal. It had 110,000 miles when the others I was looking at only had 75,000, but mine was $3,000 cheaper and 200 miles closer than any of the other ones. I would have preferred to have lower mileage, but for the cost and the risk of driving that far for a car that hadn't been taken care of, I didn't think I could go wrong. My only complaint of the IS is that it's too much Lexus. The automatic has traction control and stability control. Shut the traction control off to have some fun, and the stability control kicks in and keeps you from doing anything. Which is good considering it will keep you from chewing through tires. And I know you and I have the issue of snow in the winter. During the summer, I'd much rather have a manual IS, but the first snow we have, I'll be grateful for all the electronic stuff keeping me from losing control.

Salvage vehicles aren't THAT bad. The 350z should have probably been given one, but I got lucky. My brothers first two cars have both had salvage titles, a 2004 mustang, and a 2006 Impreza. Both haven't had any issues at all (minus the mustang which got wrapped around a pole.)
It just takes a little more investigation before buying. And just because it has a clear title doesn't mean you shouldn't be weary. I know a lot of people who didn't report wrecks or whatever because of their insurance, therefore it could have gotten pretty messed up, and no one would have ever known.

can't really beat 4k for a salvage titled is300. depends on how bad the damage was. is300 are great cars. i have one and it's the best car i've ever own. i plan on getting a 5spd next year if money goes well. is300s are cheap now. you can find some for around 5k now.

>

if you see an is300 for 5 k please shoot me a pm lol i'd love to have one for that money

i say no. Pic has it idling with a MIL/CEL.
That combined w/ the body damange, humidity in lights, and other misc items that jump out quickly make me scared of items that are being hidden.