ArcticMax

I'm shopping for a used Maxima for my mom. I saw this ad for a 98 SE with moonroof and convenience package for $11,800. It is an auto by the way, and has only 25k miles. So I met up with the dude, and he doesn't even know if it's a SE or GXE or GLE. He thought it was a stripped GLE. So I just kept quiet, playing dumb. He said all SEs come fully loaded with leather. Hahahah!!

Anyway, the car is in impressive conditon. It is sterling mist. He didnt' clean it, so the inside is dusty, but the car felt like new. The engine and tranny was in really good shape. But the guy said the car was assigned a new VIN number. So I wrote it down. The old VIN number was on the inside of the trunk, so I wrote that down too.

Even the title says the car was assigned a new VIN number.

One strange thing is that the car had those 7spoke GLE wheels. He said the car was probably stolen orginially and recovered.

So I run the VIN numbers through CARFAX, and the "new" VIN brought up a whole lot of history. It was issued a salvage title, and it was also issued a salvage auction title. It also shows the record as a recovered stolen vehicle.

According to the carfax glossary, when a vehicle is stolen and recovered, it is automatically issued a salvage auction title regardless of the damage.

A check of the original VIN brings up normal record with no problem areas. But, the reocord of the original VIN seems to be a totally different car. Under the original VIN, the car was registered in Canada, and it shows different miles too.

I can't figure out the history of this car.
What do you all think? The car is in really good shape, if there was no carfax, I would've bought it in a hearbeat.

I think the SE wheels were stolen when the car was stolen, and it was recovered without any wheels, that's probalby why it's riding on GLE rims.

Should I buy this car?

ArcticMax

anybody have any idea?

Blu

iTrader: (63)

NO

el7864

if am I you, I walk away from it..actually I would run from it...Savage cars are like a lottery ticket, what is the odds to get a good car with savage title? You don't really know the full story..do the air bags works??? etc....

25k miles for a 98 doesn't sound right to me...Remeber, if it too good to be true....you know the rest..

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Maybe the Canadian mileage was KMs?



DW

ArcticMax

if it's too good to be true, it probably is.

Frank Fontaine

Why go through all that when a 2k2 can be had for 22k or so? Or a legit 2 year-old for what, 15-17?

And to answer your question, here on Essington Ave., anything is possible. I saw an artic white Maxima with a cheesy body job, then in the back Maxima was pressed up against the trunk keyhole. How dumb are people to accept their cars back from body shops like that?

bert

Up here people buy junked cars just for their VIN plates. They restore another vehicle and stick the old VIN on the new car. If you have access to the car check the VIN number on the door sticker and on the firewall. There are tons of other places that the VIN should show up, like the engine block and tranny IIRC.

But, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

carnal_c30

iTrader: (38)

yes

I know a guy trying to sell a Lexus SC400 in near perfect condition but it has all the VINs scratched out because it was stolen, the DMV will reassign him new VINs for the car and a new title I believe

my advice is if the car is PERFECT and i mean PERFECT no damage EVER get the car professionally inspected and decide if there is a chance that you will sell the vehicle in the future... if you sell it you will have to deal with all those issues

good luck!

bert

Carnal, you must be smoking some good stuff! The DMV does not assign VINs. Not to mention that why would the DMV give new numbers for a suspect car? The VIN is on many places in the car, such as the dash, the sticker, the firewall, the block, the tranny and a few other places. Something really funky must have happened for all of them to get scratched.

No matter how clean the car is, you can not own stolen items, therefore you can not sell it.

Don't touch the car.

Myrv

If the car was originally registered in Canada then the instruments should be in kilometers. If they aren't then instrument cluster has likely been replaced and with it the original mileage. You'll have to get the real mileage pulled from the computer. And if they're replacing the cluster then you just don't know what else has been changed.

carnal_c30

iTrader: (38)

yes all of these places were welded over or scratched off, the DMV is assigning new plates for the car WITH a salvage title

we will see i guess ahaha he hasnt gotten the new plates yet so yea

JAY25

iTrader: (38)

there is a org member here that bought a used GLE, it was salvaged and got it for 13K. If your not mechanically inclined to inspect it leave that salavage car alone, is not worth the 2 or 3grand. Save your money pay a little more and get yourself a car with a clean title. The car has serious damage, lets put it this way I replaced the oil pan it was very damaged but who would think of inspecting a vehicles undercarriage and under the motor? That is correct stolen vehicles get new Vin numbers if they are written off as totaled and also cars that have been imported get new Vin numbers as well.

DAREN

iTrader: (3)

more than likely the car is a theft recovery. the old vin prolly identifies the frame of the vehicle. more than likely it was owned in canada, stolen, stripped, and recovered. the next time the vehicle turns up was at the auction somewhere in the states. the new vin identifies the parts fom the donor car, (engine, tranny, interior, hood, fenders etc etc).


on another note carfax is not always %100. the easiest way for a dealer to get around a vin check is to not re title a vehicle until the time of sale. if he can buy the vehicle and repair it in less than 60 days the title transfer paperwork has not even gone through DMV. we all know they take forever. while he is repairing it the title is supposed to be going from clean to salvaged. the problem is there wont be a record of it until the DMV processes the paperwork.

secondly even if you are buying a used car with clean title private sale or dealer you still really dont know if it was in an accident or not. lets say you are comparing thes 2 maximas.


that car with the "clean title" could have had an accident with the same damage when it was newer (ie higher value). since the damage estimate amount is a smaller percent of the car value it would get repaired by insurance and returned to the original owner. therefore the title does not change names and it remains clean. the owner can now sell his vehicle a few years down the line with a "clean title"

99 max with 5k miles + $6000 accident damage = insurance co. wrights check and vehicle is repaired and returned to original owner with clean title.

96 max with 30k miles +$6000 accident damage = insurance co. totals vehicle and gives original owner a check. the title changes owners and is now assigned a salvage title.(orig owner to ins.co.) when it is auctioned off as a wreck (ins.co. to dealer) the dealer repairs it and it is given a rebuilt title.