What to look for if purchasing a rebuilt status vehicle

[Robo]

Hello everyone about a month ago now me and my wife were in a pretty bad hit and run accident in edmonton by a stolen vehicle, we were rear ended and it ended up writing off our family van luckily the kids weren't in the vehicle and we only suffered minor injuries, but it has left us without a vehicle. At the moment we can't afford to replace our vehicle but when we can it looks like the only chance to get anything that is even close to our van at a price we will be able afford is always rebuilt status, does anyone have experience buying a rebuilt status car? Does insurance even cover rebuilt status vehicles? Any advice would be greatly appreciated as it isn't going to be anytime soon

[Locke]

Make sure its straight.

Bent vehicles are common on rebuilt status vehicles and it'll cause you endless headaches.

Oh! And make sure they replaced the airbags! All. Of. Them.

[zamler]

Always get any vehicle you plan to purchase looked at by a qualified expert. Rebuilt status doesn't necessarily mean the car is junk it can be perfectly fine or a death trap. Get it inspected.

[Hemi-Cuda]

We bought a rebuilt 2015 CRV 3 years ago from a shop that specializes in them. He gave us the original accident report, pictures of the damage, and had no issues with us getting it inspected by a Honda mechanic before purchase. It was a fantastic car for 3 years, didn't have a single issue with it. Would still be driving it now if we didn't need something bigger, just sold it 2 months ago for a few thousand less than what we originally paid

I could track down the name of that garage if you want, they were quite easy to deal with

[Robo]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

We bought a rebuilt 2015 CRV 3 years ago from a shop that specializes in them. He gave us the original accident report, pictures of the damage, and had no issues with us getting it inspected by a Honda mechanic before purchase. It was a fantastic car for 3 years, didn't have a single issue with it. Would still be driving it now if we didn't need something bigger, just sold it 2 months ago for a few thousand less than what we originally paid

I could track down the name of that garage if you want, they were quite easy to deal with

Thank-you I appreciate the offer but unfortunately I dont live in Calgary

[81MC]

It’s critical you get it inspected pre-purchase. But before you even get to that point...

Your eyes:
Panel gaps. Are they even, and consistent? Aftermarket parts aren’t perfect, but if one side of the hatch or hood has a glaringly different gap, that could mean the vehicle structure wasn’t pulled/repaired correctly. Sometimes this is purely cosmetic and will just make things look bad, other times it could mean you’ll never get the alignment right...

Tire wear. Are there any wear patterns that indicate an alignment or suspension issue (cupped, feathered, rough etc.)

Inspect the paint. You’re not looking for a flawless cosmetic repair job. You’re looking for which panels have been repainted, and if it matches what the seller is saying was damaged. For example, if the right front was damaged, is there overspray in the left rear wheel well? Get in your knees and look at the underside of that rocker, is there evidence of rust penetration or questionable repair? If the whole vehicle was repainted, why? Most shops/customers aren’t going to pay for a full respray on a run of the mill vehicle, especially a van, if there was localized damage.

Check for signed of ‘massaged’ holes, missing fasteners or loose components. Grab the headlights, rad supports, sliding doors and give them a wiggle. If the repairer wasn’t able to get all the fasteners in the right location, that’s a red flag.

Check all lights and accessories, and pay close attention to the instrument panel with the key ‘on’. All those lights should come on (ABS, Check Engine etc). If they don’t, did someone pull the bulb? “The bulb is burnt out” is not an acceptable answer.

Test drive:
Does the vehicle track straight
Does it perform as it should
Wind noise from around the doors

Mechanically, you won’t know much. You probably won’t be able to see if the motor is original or if the drivetrain requires work. But that’s what your inspection is for. What you want to do is make sure the vehicle is even worth inspecting, and it’ll take no more than 15 minutes, in daylight, to check all the above.

Call your insurance agent and ask them to confirm. But if it’s ‘rebuilt’ it should have already undergone it’s required inspection. This DOES NOT mean it shouldn’t have an inspection. Never ever trust the inspection report from the guy selling it. But if it’s already passed the salvage inspection, you don’t need to worry so much about not being able to at least put it on the road.

If it’s still ‘salvage’, don’t bother.

Also, there are plenty of perfectly good ‘rebuilt’ vehicles. A hail storm can write a car off, as can a relatively minor fender bender. A rebuilt can be a great value, and when repaired competently will perform like any other car.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by 81MC

It’s critical you get it inspected pre-purchase. But before you even get to that point...

Your eyes:
Panel gaps. Are they even, and consistent? Aftermarket parts aren’t perfect, but if one side of the hatch or hood has a glaringly different gap, that could mean the vehicle structure wasn’t pulled/repaired correctly. Sometimes this is purely cosmetic and will just make things look bad, other times it could mean you’ll never get the alignment right...

Tire wear. Are there any wear patterns that indicate an alignment or suspension issue (cupped, feathered, rough etc.)

Inspect the paint. You’re not looking for a flawless cosmetic repair job. You’re looking for which panels have been repainted, and if it matches what the seller is saying was damaged. For example, if the right front was damaged, is there overspray in the left rear wheel well? Get in your knees and look at the underside of that rocker, is there evidence of rust penetration or questionable repair? If the whole vehicle was repainted, why? Most shops/customers aren’t going to pay for a full respray on a run of the mill vehicle, especially a van, if there was localized damage.

Check for signed of ‘massaged’ holes, missing fasteners or loose components. Grab the headlights, rad supports, sliding doors and give them a wiggle. If the repairer wasn’t able to get all the fasteners in the right location, that’s a red flag.

Check all lights and accessories, and pay close attention to the instrument panel with the key ‘on’. All those lights should come on (ABS, Check Engine etc). If they don’t, did someone pull the bulb? “The bulb is burnt out” is not an acceptable answer.

Test drive:
Does the vehicle track straight
Does it perform as it should
Wind noise from around the doors

Mechanically, you won’t know much. You probably won’t be able to see if the motor is original or if the drivetrain requires work. But that’s what your inspection is for. What you want to do is make sure the vehicle is even worth inspecting, and it’ll take no more than 15 minutes, in daylight, to check all the above.

Call your insurance agent and ask them to confirm. But if it’s ‘rebuilt’ it should have already undergone it’s required inspection. This DOES NOT mean it shouldn’t have an inspection. Never ever trust the inspection report from the guy selling it. But if it’s already passed the salvage inspection, you don’t need to worry so much about not being able to at least put it on the road.

If it’s still ‘salvage’, don’t bother.

Also, there are plenty of perfectly good ‘rebuilt’ vehicles. A hail storm can write a car off, as can a relatively minor fender bender. A rebuilt can be a great value, and when repaired competently will perform like any other car.

Wow thank-you for this I really appreciate you taking the time to write that

[RichieRich]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

We bought a rebuilt 2015 CRV 3 years ago from a shop that specializes in them. He gave us the original accident report, pictures of the damage, and had no issues with us getting it inspected by a Honda mechanic before purchase. It was a fantastic car for 3 years, didn't have a single issue with it. Would still be driving it now if we didn't need something bigger, just sold it 2 months ago for a few thousand less than what we originally paid

I could track down the name of that garage if you want, they were quite easy to deal with

I'm gonna say about the same thing... rebuilt 2015 Acura MDX from shop that specializes in this stuff, w/ reports, photos, their inspection and recertification, plus I also took it to a highly qualified shop. Is it perfect? no... but haven't had an issue. A couple minor paint flakes in tough places. Managed to get shop to install other aftermarket parts for low price, plus they did a few after-purchase fixups for free and/or very low cost including one OEM key replacement. Paid a lot less than the going rate because of rebuild status... and also realize we'll get less for it when we sell it eventually but our plan has been to own it for at least 10 years.