Anyone ever buy a rebuilt car?

themaxx

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May 13, 2014
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@themaxx what did your kid do to save 20k?

@poorboy - I wouldn't buy a new car - maybe a 2 year old - because some jealous asshole at school will scratch it !! or worse, seen it in high school.
Most of that came from working at a marina the past 2 summers. Long hours of hard work, for better than average pay, and lots of opportunities to earn tips.
If he wants a Caddy IMO he's earned it. He could actually afford a certified pre-owned, 1 year earlier and 1 trim level "lower" than this rebuild, but is willing to take the risk that theres some value to be had here. I intend to let him do as he wants. And then pray that his mother doesnt get involved.
We'll be taking the rebuilt to a Caddy dealership for an inspection next week; if the dealer finds no mechanical or safety issues, and can approximate a value on the vehicle, it'll be up to Lil Max to test out his negotiating skills.
 
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themaxx

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Fuck me but what planet are you all living on that $40k on a rebuilt car is your thinking?!? Jesus... a two minute search on Autotrader for any Cadillac / within 50k of Toronto / top price of $40k yields 188 results! "A fool and his money..."
I believe Autotrader is how he originally found this vehicle. "Fortune favours the brave"
 

themaxx

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Honestly. Buddy is asking if it’s a good idea to get his 18 year old son a $40k car with a rebuilt title for university.
No, I asked if anyone anyone here drives and/or drove a rebuild, and if so, had any info or advice to share.
Where did I mention my sons' age?
Thanks for you contribution
 

themaxx

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So I have a mechanic buddy out in burlington and we've rebuilt/flipped a few cars. Did a couple of smarties which sold like hot-cakes, a volkswagen beetle, and even a corolla. I guess it depends on what you're using it for and who rebuilt it. If you plan on reselling it ever it's better to just buy used from a dealership, and if the builder doesn't have their own automotive business you should probably run in the opposite direction.
Thanks. Thats an interesting point. There are likely God-knows how many vehicles out there that are rebuilds, but branded "none", because they've never been in an accident that went through insurance or a registered used car-dealer.
 
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themaxx

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Wouldn't do it under any circumstances.

Cadillac is a complicated car. You're just asking for trouble over the long run.

Your son is trying to buy an image, not transportation. $40,000 will easily buy a new vehicle, like a Hyundai Kona or Honda HR-V, which is all a student needs.
Higher-end vehicles come with so many driver-assist features and sensors that complicate them. The rearview mirror isnt a mirror, but a screen that receives the livestreaming video from the rearview camera. Pretty neat feature, but the price difference to replace a broken rearview mirror versus a damaged rearview camera livestream system is probably substantial. A minor fencer-bender with a bollard in the Costco parking lot that takes out a few sensor could easily run into several thousands of dollars in repairs, with no mechanical or safety compromises to the vehicle.
My kid is buying something that he wants, he just happens not to want a Honda or Hyundai.
 

jeff2

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Sep 11, 2004
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I don't think the guys on Autotalk would recommend the car. Anyone remember Autotalk on Rogers community channel 10?
Or how about CP24 Autoshop?
 

nottyboi

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My kid is heading to university. I told him I'd match whatever he managed to save towards a car. Somehow, he's managed to save nearly $20K.
The vehicle he'd like to buy is a recent model Cadillac, low Km's and an excellent price....because its a rebuild.
I was hoping he'd go for something different, and $40k can get you a nice brand new vehicle, but he's become accustomed to Caddy's, as that what I mainly drive, and really would like this vehicle.
In Ontario, a vehicle must go through multiple inspections determining its safety and driveability to be rebranded as "Rebuilt" following an accident, We've checked out the vehicle and the dealer and all seems good.
So, does anyone here drive a "rebuild", and if so, any issues or advice?
Thanks
My car did have an accident and was also lemon lawed in the USA, Its been a great car, no major probs at all. Sometimes cars are written off for relatively minor accidents, but its good to have it checked out. Is it still under warranty?
 

themaxx

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My car did have an accident and was also lemon lawed in the USA, Its been a great car, no major probs at all. Sometimes cars are written off for relatively minor accidents, but its good to have it checked out. Is it still under warranty?
Yes, its being offered with balance of warranty, so approx 2 years/30000km.
Did you get yours through an OMVIC registered dealer (or equivalent if your in some other jurisdiction)?
Thanks
 

nottyboi

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Yes, its being offered with balance of warranty, so approx 2 years/30000km.
Did you get yours through an OMVIC registered dealer (or equivalent if your in some other jurisdiction)?
Thanks
Yes it had and accident on the report and it they did tell me it was lemoned in the USA. Odd benefit is there was a recall on my car for a pretty expensive part in the USA, and they replaced it for free here at the BMW dealer, but people that had Canadian cars had to pay 5K for the repair when the part failed.
 

xix

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Jul 27, 2002
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La la land
My car is a re-fixed re-built after accident, Mazda. The carfax wasn't specific what the damage was or the cost to fix it. Most like an insurance / MTO policy to create jobs and drivers / customers get screwed in the end.

It's not a about make / model for me but more what I thought the price / km [fake] and year it was. And needed it for work soon, winter was coming.

The rear left door doesn't close well so I have to slam it. Tried fixing the latch but seems to have worked for a while, small trouble under the bridge.
Cracked rear window, repainted, and other minor details.
Would I do it again? No.
 
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underground

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May 28, 2010
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A cousin bought a completely rebuilt Honda Accord back in 2008. It was a 2007. Bought off the lot of a Honda dealership with full disclosure. He had it for 10 years, no issues.
We ran it through Carfax and it showed the brief history of the car but said no accidents or repairs ! Have done Carfax scans of other vehicles that I knew had been totalled or
heavily damaged and nothing ever popped up. In my opinion Carfax was useless. Good for sellers though "Hey, the car is approved by Carfax".
 
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poorboy

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No need for additional people to reply to this thread. He's made up his mind. He was just looking for people to agree with him that he's making the correct decision. Confirmation bias.

Buy what you want. It's a free market.
 
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themaxx

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May 13, 2014
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No need for additional people to reply to this thread. He's made up his mind. He was just looking for people to agree with him that he's making the correct decision. Confirmation bias.

Buy what you want. It's a free market.
Geez, thanks mister, for letting me (actually, my son) buy want he wants.
Too bad for all the people who may have wanted to reply, but now can't, because you've deemed it unnecessary to do so.
Or should I address you as Doctor, as you must be a Psychologist, having so expertly assessed first my kid, and now me?
Have a good night
 

themaxx

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May 13, 2014
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A cousin bought a completely rebuilt Honda Accord back in 2008. It was a 2007. Bought off the lot of a Honda dealership with full disclosure. He had it for 10 years, no issues.
We ran it through Carfax and it showed the brief history of the car but said no accidents or repairs ! Have done Carfax scans of other vehicles that I knew had been totalled or
heavily damaged and nothing ever popped up. In my opinion Carfax was useless. Good for sellers though "Hey, the car is approved by Carfax".
Thanks for that. We checked Carfax and it came back with a "none" brand. The dealer told us after the testdrive that the title was rebuilt, and when we asked the dealer he said Carfax can take months to update their records......and here we are.
 

themaxx

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May 13, 2014
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My car is a re-fixed re-built after accident, Mazda. The carfax wasn't specific what the damage was or the cost to fix it. Most like an insurance / MTO policy to create jobs and drivers / customers get screwed in the end.

It's not a about make / model for me but more what I thought the price / km [fake] and year it was. And needed it for work soon, winter was coming.

The rear left door doesn't close well so I have to slam it. Tried fixing the latch but seems to have worked for a while, small trouble under the bridge.
Cracked rear window, repainted, and other minor details.
Would I do it again? No.
Thanks for the info.
I bought a F150, brand new from Ford, in April 2017. No problems with it, but after about a year, the first recall notice comes in. Then a few months after recall #1, comes recall #2. Both fairly minor things, but still a nuisance. Then recall #3 which was to replace the part installed to fix recall #1. There were a few more, but I never really had a problem with the vehicle. Dealership was great every time I had to go in, but if vehicles are assembled with parts contracted out to the lowest bidder, you get situations like this. Funny thing, I traded in that truck for a different vehicle, also bought new from a dealership, and I was still getting recall notices as the "registered owner" for almost a year.
 
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HungSowel

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I think everyone in this thread thinks it is a bad idea without directly saying it is a bad idea.

Does the caddy have all wheel drive?
 

themaxx

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May 13, 2014
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I think everyone in this thread thinks it is a bad idea without directly saying it is a bad idea.

Does the caddy have all wheel drive?
Yes, AWD, and just about everything else was standard on this trim level, and there seems to be a few options added as well.
I think it may be a bad idea, but really didn't have enough experience or knowledge on the matter, which is why I came looking for info others may be willing to share, as well as doing actual research.
Can I ask, why are you asking about AWD?
 

themaxx

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The Caddy dealership looked over the rebuilt and found it to be fine.
There was some speculative discussion with the service advisor as to how it came to be branded "rebuilt", such as the timing of the accident, just prior to the issuance of the recall notice on this particular year; the recall being on a front end part that may cause loss of control. The damage and cost of repair from the accident really did not justify being declared a total loss & salvage; the Caddy dealership is part of a larger auto-group, and we looked at several Caddy's & Buick's of that year that had similar damage, yet none were branded "rebuilt", and sold as "used" through the dealership (with accident disclosure).
The Caddy dealer further stated, as a few posters here already did, that, due to the "rebuilt" brand, no dealer affiliated with an auto manufacturer would be willing to consider it as a trade-in; the only possibility as a trade-in would be those independent used-car dealers (like the fellow offering up this vehicle), and, not to expect to get a "fair" value on the vehicle. A private sale, with the onus on you, as the seller, to provide full disclosure, would be better than trying to trade.
Further, based on the quality of the vehicle & repair, the Caddy dealership felt confident to say you could get YEARS of driving from this vehicle, as long as you gave it the recommended scheduled service.
In summary, if we planned on holding it for a a decade or so, it might not be a bad idea to buy this rebuilt, as it was such a discounted price and the quality of the vehicle was great, but if the idea was to flip it quick for a profit, or even after a few years, you likely wont get any value back out of it.
Also, who here knew that, in Canada, airplanes can be rebuilds? Maybe thats why the flight attendants are on strike.
So, we went back to the used-car dealer offering this rebuilt Caddy, and made an offer. Unfortunately, he would not budge on his price, even after we raised our opening offer twice.
If anyone wants to roll the dice and buy a very nice, late model, low mileage, fully equipped Caddy that should provide you with years of use, do some hunting. Its still out there.
 
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