Should I fix this car (accident vehicle)?

[KalapanaBlack]

Another thing you may want to consider, being a Subaru, is if the front is tweaked a bit (and along with it the engine/cradle), this car will absolutely decimate universal joints. Which are not replaceable except as part of the a driveshaft assembly. Many risks here.

Also, this is an engine that may end up being a valve seat problem, and already is probably one of the ones that eats oil. Will O2s and cats last? Will it need re-ringed? If it's nearing 90k, it won't be that long before it needs struts (which are Subaru only and $$$$), hub/bearings, axle shafts, and rear upper control arms (every Subaru needs them or has had them replaced). These aren't free-to-run high mileage animals.

Edit: by "valve seat" I meant valve spring. Subaru is recalling some, for now. Many more may be affected, and how many miles will they still offer the free fix until?

Now, as a flip, this is a super hot, in-demand, popular vehicle with sky-high resale. The parts are also worth a ton. Money could be made.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted by KalapanaBlack
Another thing you may want to consider, being a Subaru, is if the front is tweaked a bit (and along with it the engine/cradle), this car will absolutely decimate universal joints. Which are not replaceable except as part of the a driveshaft assembly. Many risks here.

Also, this is an engine that may end up being a valve seat problem, and already is probably one of the ones that eats oil. Will O2s and cats last? Will it need re-ringed? If it's nearing 90k, it won't be that long before it needs struts (which are Subaru only and $$$$), hub/bearings, axle shafts, and rear upper control arms (every Subaru needs them or has had them replaced). These aren't free-to-run high mileage animals.

Edit: by "valve seat" I meant valve spring. Subaru is recalling some, for now. Many more may be affected, and how many miles will they still offer the free fix until?

Now, as a flip, this is a super hot, in-demand, popular vehicle with sky-high resale. The parts are also worth a ton. Money could be made.

They won't fix a recall on a crashed car.

 

[KGMtech]

Sorry if this is not on-topic, but what makes me wonder is why all the Subaru devotion when the brand experts are explaining all the things that will fail on a 3 year old car?

I was never a fan of Subaru, flame me as you want...but head gaskets, oil consumption, rust, other fragile components and very expensive dealer parts...I can't get my head around the love of the brand.

After all, not as if they have an exclusive on all wheel drive anymore. I respect that everyone can love what they want, but man it confuses me.

On topic: the next crash better not be on the same corner!

 

[maxdustington]

If it has a salvage title it is going to be expensive to fix to a standard that would pass inspection. That thing is smashed good and on the driver's side no less!
Originally Posted by KGMtech
I was never a fan of Subaru, flame me as you want...but head gaskets, oil consumption, rust, other fragile components and very expensive dealer parts...I can't get my head around the love of the brand.
They are the Japanese VW or Volvo. A car brand that had a unique identity but is losing it as they become more popular. The fact that they are Japanese gives them that aura of indestructibility as compared to a unreliable euro heap.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

KGM and Max, you guys obviously believe the hype of the haters. It's not "really" a Japanese car brand, because the Impreza, Legacy, Outback, and Ascent are made in Lafayette, Indiana. These models account for probably 95% of all Subaru sales, so it's misleading to just say its Japanese. Sure, there have been problems with some of the engines and car models; some of them fairly costly after warranty, but Subaru does have a fairly good record of "good will" repairs necessary shortly after the warranty has expired.

OP, should you fix it? I don't do bodywork, but that doesn't look too substantial. The first two places I would stop are the body shop and then the alignment shop. If they give you the thumbs up that they can get it straight and back to factory alignment specs, I don't see a problem with it.

And KGM, the reason they are so popular is that they do what they are expected to do: provide safe, reliable transportation for their owners. They are on like the 11th straight year of sales increases (matched by exactly ZERO other manufacturers), and have nabbed several years of top residual value awards. Sure, there are issues sometimes with head gaskets, wheel bearings, and a year or so of oil consumption on the new FA/FB motors.... but the biggest difference I see is that outside of HG failure, almost NONE of the mechanical systems are a "dead in the water" kind of problem. The wheel bearings can and will be driven on for a long time once they start to make noise, and the EJ engine and 4EAT trans are very hard to break (probably because they are so underpowered

). I haven't seen many issues on the newer models with the FA/FB + CVT other than some CVT issues, which were granted an extended warranty to 100k. Yes, there are certain things that require a little more in-depth maintenance, but if you are mechanically inclined and have a 10mm, 12mm, and 17mm socket with a 1/2" drive ratchet you can literally do all of the maintenance the car will require.

I've owned 4 Subarus now and am looking at getting an Ascent as well- sure, outside of the WRX, Subaru seems to have lost the performance focus they used to have (Forester XT, Legacy GT, Outback XT, etc) but for daily drivers that don't want to buy snow tires or like to do some softcore wilderness exploration, they are hard to beat.

Whether you love them, or hate them like Max, Subaru is obviously selling what people want as evidenced by their sales growth.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted by KGMtech

After all, not as if they have an exclusive on all wheel drive anymore. I respect that everyone can love what they want, but man it confuses me.

No one can come close to Subaru AWD when it comes to durability, reliability and function. Audi quattro is a close second but it's more fragile than Subaru(especially in Haldex form). Toyota's AWD system is fragile in the V6 RAV4s but somehow it works OK in the Highlander and Sienna.

 

[tookien]

Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
KGM and Max, you guys obviously believe the hype of the haters. It's not "really" a Japanese car brand, because the Impreza, Legacy, Outback, and Ascent are made in Lafayette, Indiana. These models account for probably 95% of all Subaru sales, so it's misleading to just say its Japanese. Sure, there have been problems with some of the engines and car models; some of them fairly costly after warranty, but Subaru does have a fairly good record of "good will" repairs necessary shortly after the warranty has expired.

OP, should you fix it? I don't do bodywork, but that doesn't look too substantial. The first two places I would stop are the body shop and then the alignment shop. If they give you the thumbs up that they can get it straight and back to factory alignment specs, I don't see a problem with it.

And KGM, the reason they are so popular is that they do what they are expected to do: provide safe, reliable transportation for their owners. They are on like the 11th straight year of sales increases (matched by exactly ZERO other manufacturers), and have nabbed several years of top residual value awards. Sure, there are issues sometimes with head gaskets, wheel bearings, and a year or so of oil consumption on the new FA/FB motors.... but the biggest difference I see is that outside of HG failure, almost NONE of the mechanical systems are a "dead in the water" kind of problem. The wheel bearings can and will be driven on for a long time once they start to make noise, and the EJ engine and 4EAT trans are very hard to break (probably because they are so underpowered

). I haven't seen many issues on the newer models with the FA/FB + CVT other than some CVT issues, which were granted an extended warranty to 100k. Yes, there are certain things that require a little more in-depth maintenance, but if you are mechanically inclined and have a 10mm, 12mm, and 17mm socket with a 1/2" drive ratchet you can literally do all of the maintenance the car will require.

I've owned 4 Subarus now and am looking at getting an Ascent as well- sure, outside of the WRX, Subaru seems to have lost the performance focus they used to have (Forester XT, Legacy GT, Outback XT, etc) but for daily drivers that don't want to buy snow tires or like to do some softcore wilderness exploration, they are hard to beat.

Whether you love them, or hate them like Max, Subaru is obviously selling what people want as evidenced by their sales growth.



Thanks.

Do you know if there is some measurements that I can download somewhere assuming I want to adjust the frame myself? or is this information only available to body shops?

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
Whether you love them, or hate them like Max, Subaru is obviously selling what people want as evidenced by their sales growth.
I never said I hated them, I simply said that people who wanted to be different once bought Volvos or VWs. Once they became mainstream and lost their distinctiveness, people moved on to the next quirky car brand, Subaru.

Subarus are cool, they have made some pretty insane models (SVX, 22B) along with the WRX and BRZ and I would hate for their flat engines to go the way of the VR6. A CVT in the WRX? Are you kidding me? I hate to see them get popular and water down their product line to appeal to everyone. Everyone makes pretty much the same FWD inline four cylinder cars, except for them. They are supposed to make bad [censored] flat engine AWD cars with manual transmissions, not soccer mom mobiles!

 

[nthach]

You can look up the measurements and datum points if you have access to Mitchell or Alldata(or pay for Subaru's tech portal and download the body repair manual). But to do the measurements right, you need a rack, chassis measuring gauges and trams and specialized measuring systems. Best left to a body shop.

 

[The Critic]

Judging from the impact and it's location, there is probably damage to the driver side frame rail. The engine will need to be pulled and the frame rail will need to be cut off and a new one will need to be welded in.

Not sure what the price is, but I can't imagine this being worth the purchase unless you are in the body shop business yourself. Newer cars that are written off as a total loss and usually done for a good reason.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by Chris142
Originally Posted by KalapanaBlack
Another thing you may want to consider, being a Subaru, is if the front is tweaked a bit (and along with it the engine/cradle), this car will absolutely decimate universal joints. Which are not replaceable except as part of the a driveshaft assembly. Many risks here.

Also, this is an engine that may end up being a valve seat problem, and already is probably one of the ones that eats oil. Will O2s and cats last? Will it need re-ringed? If it's nearing 90k, it won't be that long before it needs struts (which are Subaru only and $$$$), hub/bearings, axle shafts, and rear upper control arms (every Subaru needs them or has had them replaced). These aren't free-to-run high mileage animals.

Edit: by "valve seat" I meant valve spring. Subaru is recalling some, for now. Many more may be affected, and how many miles will they still offer the free fix until?

Now, as a flip, this is a super hot, in-demand, popular vehicle with sky-high resale. The parts are also worth a ton. Money could be made.

They won't fix a recall on a crashed car.


I believe they still have to fix a recall on a salvage vehicle, but they don't have to honor any warranty work or extended warranty work. So I think that includes things like federal emissions.

 

[DuckRyder]

You need to look closely at all of the inner structure, look for disturbed seam sealer and cracked paint in addition to the obvious. My guess is you're going to need a 3/4 front with inner structure and access to a frame rack and welder (or willingness to pay someone to do that part.) but it is very hard to tell without actually looking.

Also unless you actually see it on auction day, I wouldn't bet on it being in the same condition - they tear a lot of stuff up with forklifts in the yards...

Not to say there isn't the occasional gem to be found by someone who knows what to look for, but Critic is right, most stuff that is totaled is totaled for good reason.

 

[tookien]

Yeah, thanks everyone for the help. I read everyone's replies.

I'll be looking for non-salvage vehicles instead as it seems most with the salvage title have significant frame damage, and would not make any financial sense for a one-time purchase DIY guy like me.

I'll just stick to something with less damage that I can do myself and not have to run around to body shops.

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted by tookien
Yeah, thanks everyone for the help. I read everyone's replies.

I'll be looking for non-salvage vehicles instead as it seems most with the salvage title have significant frame damage, and would not make any financial sense for a one-time purchase DIY guy like me.

I'll just stick to something with less damage that I can do myself and not have to run around to body shops.
I've seen plenty of newer cars on co part that I think could be fixed in a driveway.

 

[Trav]

I use to go to the insurance auctions quite a bit, recovered thefts were the ones I looked for. They usually need interior and some electrical work and little body damage.

 

[KalapanaBlack]

Originally Posted by tookien
Yeah, thanks everyone for the help. I read everyone's replies.

I'll be looking for non-salvage vehicles instead as it seems most with the salvage title have significant frame damage, and would not make any financial sense for a one-time purchase DIY guy like me.

I'll just stick to something with less damage that I can do myself and not have to run around to body shops.


Generally, insurance companies don't total out nearly new vehicles with minor damage... I believe the rule of thumb is damage exceeding 60-70% of the value of the vehicle, as determined by comparable vehicle prices in the area.

So, on this particular car, I'd guess that it was determined to need $12-14k in repairs.

 

[tookien]

Originally Posted by KalapanaBlack
Originally Posted by tookien
Yeah, thanks everyone for the help. I read everyone's replies.

I'll be looking for non-salvage vehicles instead as it seems most with the salvage title have significant frame damage, and would not make any financial sense for a one-time purchase DIY guy like me.

I'll just stick to something with less damage that I can do myself and not have to run around to body shops.


Generally, insurance companies don't total out nearly new vehicles with minor damage... I believe the rule of thumb is damage exceeding 60-70% of the value of the vehicle, as determined by comparable vehicle prices in the area.

So, on this particular car, I'd guess that it was determined to need $12-14k in repairs.



never said minor damage though. I'm still looking for a challenge.

 

[tookien]

Originally Posted by maxdustington
Originally Posted by tookien
Yeah, thanks everyone for the help. I read everyone's replies.

I'll be looking for non-salvage vehicles instead as it seems most with the salvage title have significant frame damage, and would not make any financial sense for a one-time purchase DIY guy like me.

I'll just stick to something with less damage that I can do myself and not have to run around to body shops.
I've seen plenty of newer cars on co part that I think could be fixed in a driveway.



ok. I'm on copart in London and Toronto locations.

do you have any good cars coming up to recommend from those locations?

i'm really only looking for Toyotas and Subarus. preferably a Van or SUV. I'll give a couple of fords some exception.

don't want to waste your time though if you're busy.


I'm okay with doing some frame work. I have some hydraulic pullers. and a wench I can hook up as well.

there is a small chance I'm gonna be able to get a parts car for a new vehicle if I need to weld a new part in, so that's my main concern.
plus I'm not a welder, but I do have someone who can weld it.


I'm still confused whether the dealership sells frame parts. i asked a body shop pro he said yes. others say no and that you have to use a parts car.


there was a Toyota sienna 2016 that I would have bought, it had the similar damage like the Subaru here but much better.
unfortunately it went way over my budget @ 16k + fees + parts (2k). which I don't think is such a great deal since these cars go for average 25k.

saving 5k at an auction for a car that's been in an accident is not my idea of a great deal.


I'm really looking for a great deal if I'm to buy a car that's been in an accident. but these auctions seem to defy common sense sometime.

it really does seem like a competition between body shops or something.

 

[tookien]

Originally Posted by Trav
I use to go to the insurance auctions quite a bit, recovered thefts were the ones I looked for. They usually need interior and some electrical work and little body damage.


hey that's a pretty good idea. will look into

 

[tookien]

Originally Posted by KalapanaBlack
Originally Posted by tookien
Yeah, thanks everyone for the help. I read everyone's replies.

I'll be looking for non-salvage vehicles instead as it seems most with the salvage title have significant frame damage, and would not make any financial sense for a one-time purchase DIY guy like me.

I'll just stick to something with less damage that I can do myself and not have to run around to body shops.


Generally, insurance companies don't total out nearly new vehicles with minor damage... I believe the rule of thumb is damage exceeding 60-70% of the value of the vehicle, as determined by comparable vehicle prices in the area.

So, on this particular car, I'd guess that it was determined to need $12-14k in repairs.



I'm not body expert, but I know enough to know the advertised estimated repair cost is marked up way too high in most cases.
100's of percent in most cases. especially relative to DIY