Salvage vehicle purchase 2005 Lexus GX 470

[Soft Cars]

Wait a minute! You took the car to get inspected on Friday the 13th ?!

 

[GON]

Wait a minute! You took the car to get inspected on Friday the 13th ?!

Actually, was super lucky. I have been trying to get an appoitment for six months without luck. I left a voice mail yesterday in case anyone cancelled, and sure enough there was a cancellation at 9am today, which I gladly took.

Maybe you should buy a lotto ticket for tonight's drawing?

 

[Exhaustgases]

I would rather get a vehicle like that before the insurance etc gets involved and totals it. Rebuilt titles are a joke.
Its a blemish for ever selling it, some insurance places don't what anything to do with them etc etc.
Gosh even lots of "clean title" cars with crash history's. Maybe that is even worse than some rebuilt ones because of crappy paint blending, can't stand that practice, it always looks bad years down the road.

 

[CKN]

I would rather get a vehicle like that before the insurance etc gets involved and totals it. Rebuilt titles are a joke.
Its a blemish for ever selling it, some insurance places don't what anything to do with them etc etc.
Gosh even lots of "clean title" cars with crash history's. Maybe that is even worse than some rebuilt ones because of crappy paint blending, can't stand that practice, it always looks bad years down the road.

It' also important to note that a lemon buyback is always indicated on a CarFax as well. Many of those are extremely low miles that dealers are now selling. Of course they want top dollar for them. It would seem that would be a blemish at resale time as well.

 

[OVERKILL]

The front took a decent hit. I am hoping there is not frame damage, without measuring I am not seeing any signs of frame damage. But the engine cradle sure looks bad.

Don't see it mentioned later in the thread, whatever happened with the engine cradle?

 

[GON]

Don't see it mentioned later in the thread, whatever happened with the engine cradle?

Not sure I used the right term. It was the radiator cradle that was twisted up. I purchased both a used radiator cradle and a used one. Ended up welding in the new cradle, and the used cradle was awesome for both a reference and to pull little pieces of hardware.

Lexus of Scottsdale had a great price on the radiator cradle (support), and free shipping, so made it hard to pass by. Many times if one gets lucky new OEM parts can be had cheaper than used.

 

[OVERKILL]

Not sure I used the right term. It was the radiator cradle that was twisted up. I purchased both a used radiator cradle and a used one. Ended up welding in the new cradle, and the used cradle was awesome for both a reference and to pull little pieces of hardware.

Lexus of Scottsdale had a great price on the radiator cradle (support), and free shipping, so made it hard to pass by. Many times if one gets lucky new OEM parts can be had cheaper than used.

Ahhh, OK, engine cradle would be where the motor mounts affix to, which I wouldn't really expect this to have, being BOF, the mounts are usually right on the frame rails, but I was just going by the verbiage used.

 

[GON]

Ahhh, OK, engine cradle would be where the motor mounts affix to, which I wouldn't really expect this to have, being BOF, the mounts are usually right on the frame rails, but I was just going by the verbiage used.

Poor selection of wording on my part. The true word I should have used was radiator support.

On a supplemental note, I likely will replace the motor and transmission mounts. This vehicle took a decent hit, and although designed to absorb the hit, I imagine it is prudent to replace the engine and trans mount when opportunity allows. Wish I would have done this when I had the radiator and its support out.