if the alignment is out of whack on an unadjustable wheel, I'd find a way to adjust it. Shim it or something. That'll eat up tires really quickly.

But, again, 10k is a sizable downpayment on a brand new one from the dealership.

 

Just Tires wouldn't do it. they just said it's not adjustable and they couldn't anything about it. the alignment is BARELY out of spec.

 

I just had a four wheel alignment.

The rear is not adjustable, but there are tolerances.

If you post what your shop came up with, I'll look at my printout and tell you exactly how far out of spec it is. The printout gives actual measures and the acceptable range.

 

There is no warranty on a salvaged vehicle. I would not touch this car but that is just me.

 

i dont have the sheet with me, the other guy has it. but on the top of my head the rear toe has to be in between 0.0* to 0.25*. it's currently .41*. both of the rear ones are like that.

 

I would buy it in a heart beat, if it had a manual transmission.

The main thing is that the car was hit directly from the back. Seems like the crumble zone accepted the impact evenly. It would have been much worse if the car was hit with an offset.

Go for it and good luck and on a great find. With this kind of milage, you are getting basically new car (drivetrain wise) for almost third less.

 

I'd probably go for it. I've repaired about 13 salvaged cars in the last several years. I usually do front end hits because it's easier to fix. No body work. I've never had any problems, and I doubt you will have any problems. If it drives straight and your mechanic checked it out you should be ready to roll. $10k is about where I would buy it. One other thing to check is the wiring for the tail lights, etc. They might of had to splice a new harness in for the rear of the car. Make sure it's just not taped back together. Good luck, it looks like a nice one, especially for $10k.

Any BTW, Smallville is correct, there is no warrenty on a salvaged vehicle. But it is a Honda, I doubt you will need one! Besides, you are saving $5k+.

 

update: bought the fit and i love it. however, im getting one problem. i turned on the foglights and they dont work. the light on the dashboard is on, but the no light comes out of the foglight. any troubleshooting tips?

 

check the fuse? if ok, pull the bulb out and see if it's getting any voltage, ur bulbs might be out.

 

Just in case... our foglights will only come on when lowbeams are on

otherwise, try the above.

 

pulled out the fuse and it looked okay. any other troubleshooting tips?

 

looks super clean i would at least check it out and if it runs and sounds good

 

Never buy a salvaged car, it will never run properly and always have problems. When you sell it it'll be hard to sell.

 

dont buy my car if you see it!

 

They used a base hatch. It has the key lock.

 

There are so many hidden gotcha's with a salvage job that it's pathetic. The nature and extent of these items will only become obvious over time. The wrong hatch and foglight issues are the tip of the iceburg. Hopefully, it won't be too bad for you.

Make sure you're watertight. Go to a spray carwash place and make sure you're not getting leaks where the quarter was welded back onto the roof seam.

I've been down your road before. What seemed like a good deal will likely be a costly lesson. You're not the first person to be fooled by clean paint work.

Let the games begin.

 

So much depends also on the quality of workmanship that the person puts into the vehicle. And the kind of vehicle. For instance, my former car was so old and worth so little that one good door ding would have "totaled" the car. LOL! Obviously a door ding isn't going to affect the drive-ability of the car. A door can be replaced.

There were these guys that would pick up salvage vehicles cheap and replace the panels that were damaged. Right here on the street. Arg! The cars were all older Toyotas. They were old enough that small accidents caused the vehicle to be totaled by the insurance company.

So if a person knows what accident happened and what was repaired, they could get a good deal on a daily driver/beater car via a salvage car. It's way out of warranty. But it's still a good driver. Especially if they can do the work themselves and know what they're doing.

But me? I don't know anything. I've had so many cars that have broken down and came with their own problems that there is no way I would buy a salvage unless I have NO OTHER CHOICE. Obviously there would be other choices for ten grand. Plenty of good used cars available, even on dealer lots.

Especially if you're willing to buy something for the time being...until you can buy the new FIT right off the lot. Scroll down here to the 1997 Honda Accord LX:
Concord Honda California | Used Car Dealership

$7K, ultra low miles for a 10 year old car (about 5K miles per year). One owner.

 

They used a base hatch to replace the smashed one. the picture of the fit after the accident has sport rims and body package. This kinda interests me now that they added the spoiler onto a base hatch, since the base hatch doesn't come with mountings points for a spoiler. wouldn't mind adding one to my fit.

 

Check ALL your fuses.
I had a fuse burned out and when I looked for it, it was the CORRECT fuse to be burned out in the situation (my driving lights were un-responsive, fuse was #22 (Small Light) ).

In-order for me to finish the modding job I was working on, I borrowed the Fuse #12 (Rear Wipers) because it's the same Amperage (10A) until I got a new Fuse to replace #22.

Interestingly enough, my Power Windows were shut-off while Fuse #12 was "displaced". When I replaced it with a new Fuse, the Rear Wipers and Power Windows worked again.

So, check all of the fuses - you never know.

 

buy a salvage car only for parts, of if youre gonna make a crazy JDM track car

oh and by the way, make sure they didnt take the SRS bulb out.. ive seen that one at my work too..