pavell

hey guys, I am considering buying a salvage title C6 that was sideswiped. the car has not yet been repaired.

What should I look for? the frame looked straight. but I'm worried the suspension may be tweaked. What are the big risks? where should I look, any easy tests?

I'm not worried about resale value, its just a project and a toy for me.

Bill Dearborn

Check the frame where the upper control arms attachment points are located. If the upper control arms were tweaked the frame could be damaged at the connection point.

Check the cradles where the lower control arms attach. Make sure there aren't any cracks or other damage at the connection points.

The rocker panel is part of the door frame which is a large U shaped piece that goes around the bottom of the door and is glued to the frame. If that is damaged to the point it can't be patched and needs to be replaced it can be a pain to work with.

Bill

pavell

anything else guys?

jw1

If you are going to use this as a track car then salvage is not a bad way to go.

If you want this as a street car save yourself lots of headaches and money and just buy one with a clean title and preferably no paintwork.

zali0104

Take it for an alignment if drivable and the seller allows.
If you tell seller you are willing to flatbed to and from alignment facility.
Alignment machines do not lie.

Easy Rhino

Absolutely agree with this advice.

If it cannot be aligned, no reasonable amount of tweaking will make it right. Run away in that case.

If it can be aligned, then the damage is fixable. Maybe expensive depending on what got whacked, but fixable.

Dano523

Race car that you going to end up yard sale wreaking again and again anyway, salvage tile is fine.

Street car that you plan on selling down the road, don't get one with a savaged title. Some insurance companies will not touch them, and no dealer is going to touch it either as a trade in.

As for the vet, all you have to remember is a lot of SMC plastic panels bolted onto this.


Couple of panels need to be replaced on the track car, not the end of the world.

The frame it self bent, although it can be straighten, this does compromise the frame safety crumple zones, and it's the frame that is protecting you in a crash!!!!



To add, there is a reason that the insurance company wrote the car off to begin with. Hence unless someone is giving you the car for free, chances are it going to be as much or more to pay someone to repair it, that it would cost to just by a car that still had a clear title instead.