Buying a rebuilt title Z

[takemorepills]

Well I found a 6MT Z Performance near me with a rebuilt title. Only $28k with about 13k miles. I looked over it very carefully and I couldn't see any poor workmanship on it, but I have not pulled a history report on it yet because I'm just in the thinking about it stage. Depending on where it was damaged will affect my decision.

So I'm actually seriously considering it as that's about $10k+ less than clean title value, and sometimes I do prefer an imperfect vehicle.
I intend to use it as a "GT" car to drive between WA State and AZ State frequently, and road trips tear up a car, paint chips, windshield chips, door dings from being in a bunch of parking lots, possibly an accident every so often, so an imperfect Z kinda appeals to me.

I believe the factory warranty is no longer valid? How long is the warranty on the drivetrain? That might be my biggest risk, but it's already over 2 years old, so I gotta weigh the risk. I'm pretty sure my insurance doesn't care overall, it would just affect the total loss value and payout, I'll double check that....

What do you guys think?

 

[KrackaC8]

Check with your insurance, you may not be able to get comp coverage and only liability.

Factory B2B warranty is 3/36 and powertrain is 5/60, but both will be invalid with a rebuilt title.

Pull a CarFax and AutoCheck, a crash is one thing but I'd avoid water/flood damage no matter what.

 

[Tranzor Z]

I have a degree in collision. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT BUY THAT CAR!

 

[OptionZero]

one of those, "if you have to ask, definitely no" situations

a drift team or shop might be fine buying this and turning it into a purpose track car

someone who intends to drive this on the road . . . there's no telling whats wrong with that thing

 

[Tranzor Z]

one of those, "if you have to ask, definitely no" situations

a drift team or shop might be fine buying this and turning it into a purpose track car

someone who intends to drive this on the road . . . there's no telling whats wrong with that thing

Absolutely correct! If this is back on the road to turn a profit, it was totally rigged up to fix and sell for a profit. And without having experience as to what to look for, you'd be lost in a maze. Stay away.

 

[OptionZero]

buy a 370 with a clean title for less money

 

[Tranzor Z]

buy a 370 with a clean title for less money

Problem is they're ugly and SLOW.

 

[OptionZero]

Problem is they're ugly and SLOW.

bait, but ok

 

[Tranzor Z]

bait, but ok

Not bait. Actual facts. No Z has ever been fast or pretty until this car.

 

[takemorepills]

We've seen a few totalled Zs on the other thread that really weren't so bad, the economics of collision repair these days can total an otherwise not too bad collision if too many airbags, sensors or fancy LED lights are damaged.

I'd definitely need to find out the circumstances before buying it.

Probably wouldn't be able to finance it, but the asking price is what my down payment for a Z would be.

I would absolutely not do it if it is a flood car, or was originally registered out of state and transported here, those are the biggest red flags.

If I did seriously consider buying that Z, a few things I would do:
-find out the circumstances of the collision.
-take it for a pre-purchase inspection at my local Z shop (there's one right next to my work)
-I would go over everything fully, I'm quite experienced with salvage vehicles.

But, I should first see what my insurance says, if they say liability only, nope, wouldn't buy it, I could easily lose my money from an uninsured crackhead crashing into it. Wouldn't risk $28k on that.

I just really like the idea of having a car that isn't perfect because I hate stressing over the damage that other people cause.

 

[takemorepills]

buy a 370 with a clean title for less money

I had a VQ37 Q60. I really hated the engine, coarse and not enough power. I really like VQs, but the 3.7 was the least refined of them all.
There's a massive difference between the VR30 and the VQ37 in refinement and power delivery, I was shocked when I test drove the Z, I originally wanted it just based on looks and the principle of it possibly being the last of it's kind, but now that I've driven a VR30, I can add the drivetrain to the positives of the car. And I also really liked the 6MT, I have seen some complaints on it, but it felt perfect to me, and I haven't driven a manual in nearly a decade (maybe that's why I'm so impressed).

Additionally, I hated the appearance of both the 350 and 370, especially hated the lobster claw lights on the 370 (sorry 370 peeps)

 

[FSUZ33]

That would be an absolute no-go for me. There is a 100% chance corners were cut rehabbing that car.

Consider Mr Mac’s totaled Z. Suspension damage is fixable. Cosmetic is fixable. Airbag stuff is fixable. All those, if you do it right. But the chassis was tweaked so much it wrinkled the roof.

There‘s a slim chance that whatever totaled it wasn’t catastrophic, but I go back to my first point, even if it wasn’t, it was put back together as cheaply as possible.

My opinion, just for context, not suggesting this, is you’d be better off buying one in salvage condition, still wrecked or whatever, and repairing, or organizing the repairs yourself.

 

[trackratZ]

NO don’t go that low route! Aside from hidden dangers, botchy repair history, and safety, you would REGRET driving it each day! Plus forget about resale, then that insurance thing. Just find a good used one, plenty out there with decent miles AND Clean title. A plus if from original owner with service records. Still get a PPI, always. That’s the way to go, my best advice. GL

 

[takemorepills]

Maybe I should try and talk them down to $20k or less and consider it a parts car....
Then go buy a Nissan Hardbody and swap the Z parts into it

I'm hearing what everyone is saying, I'm going to pass

 

[Drago86]

I'd look up how it was damaged before you make a decision; hood poppers and airbag deployment alone can nearly total this car. But, If the chassis is damaged, I'd pass at that price.

Even if the history doesn't look that bad I'd get it up on a rack and physically inspect the frame rails, sub frame mounting locations etc, and/or have a mechanic you trust do so.

It makes a great GT car stock, I think that's what Nissan was going for with the spring rates and shock valving.