buying a RAV 4, or not? (1 Viewer)

[Gijs]

Hello, I was hoping for some advice here. I live in Bolivia and I am thinking about buying RAV4. I found a RAV4 model 2008 with 43.000 miles for US$24.500, which is relatively cheap here. Now I found out why. When checking the VIN/Chassis number I found out it is a damaged car shipped in from the states. Google cache helped me out, see: 2008 Toyota Rav4 Salvage Title SUV for sale in Newburgh, NY at Copart Auto Auction Lot 12511340

The car ' looks' fine now, but of course I need a mechanic to check all the details. Friends of mine here have bought damaged cars from the states before (4runner) and after 5 years they are still very happy with their purchase.
The webpage states ' incomplete repair' about the damage. Does anybody know what that means? Looking at the pics the damage seems minor, but then why not fixing it in the states and sell it there?
Any advice would be much appreciated!

Gijs

 

[SC T100]

Sounds like a gamble for that much money. Incomplete repair could mean anything. I would at least look at the car in person before paying for it, and like you said, have a mechanic go over it in great detail so you know what you're getting. Good luck!

 

[Duane]

Yes you want to know what the damage was before buying it.
We import US vehicles and can get them quite reasonably priced and often with just wind damage which can be very minor. Then again it could be major, flooded or a theft recovery driven hard.
Newer Toyotas can be found for a fair discount but I find the older Toyota's almost cheaper to buy locally as US prices on used Toyotas are plenty.
Be careful of eastern US vehicles due to the salt and corrosion.