Thinking of pulling trigger on first 80 series this week, got some concerns and apprehensions. (1 Viewer)

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Sep 8, 2020
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Location
Tampa, FL
I'm looking at a 1996 80 series this week. It's mostly stock, it's got factory lockers, and around 200k miles. Pictures look clean, underside looks clean, but no so clean that it makes me think it was covered or painted for the sale.
Carfax shows it as an always Florida car.
My concern is that the Carfax shows front end damage. They don't have pictures of what the damage looked like. I can tell any of the damage from the pictures.

Should i be concerned about accident reported on Carfax (title shows clean, no salvage). Is it easy to tell if there was frame damage?
How does that affect the price? (I'm concerned about overpaying)
I already tried pulling the trigger on a car on here a while back, but that fell thru, so now I'm a bit apprehensive. (this one is not on i8mud)
 
Have you gone to see it in person? No one can see what you are talking about so since you are in Florida you can search the police report number and request a copy of it and read what the officer wrote. Otherwise post some pictures of the front end, behind the grille pointing down showing where the bumper mounts to the frame, picture of the inside fendera with the hood up, and pictures of the frame showing just behind the front tires and from below looking up as if you are laying face up looking at the front axle.
 
I think it's pretty hard to evaluate how serious a collision was, or how well repaired, from afar. Have you been able to see the rig yet? If you're in a position where you're buying it sight unseen and having it shipped to you, I think it would be wise to have it examined by a local shop of your choosing. That shop could give you a detailed, objective report for under $200, in my experience. I would suggest flagging the collision and asking them to weigh in.
Just my two cents. I'd be reluctant to buy it sight unseen, but the price of locked 80s is very high right now. So if the price is crazy good, maybe that's reason enough to move forward.
 
My rig has been totalled twice for front-end damage. The first incident happened before my ownership, but as far as I can tell, the grille, headlights and bumper were replaced, front fenders were either replaced or re-painted. I could tell they were re-painted because they had peeling clear coat and white cruisers come from the factory with single-stage paint.

Second incident happened when the guy in front of me had a senior moment and backed into me at a red light. Damage was so comically minor I would've sued my insurance company for totalling it if it didn't already have a salvage title. Slightly bent bumper fixed with a tow strap, a sturdy tree and reverse gear.

If the frame is undamaged, it's pretty easy to put the bodywork back together from a fender bender and be as good as new. In addition to frame damage, bear in mind accidents can bend the axle housing, steering or suspension arms, causing difficult-to-chase drivability problems.

If it looks straight upon CLOSE inspection, and drives right, I wouldn't be too concerned.

What color is the cruiser and what year did the accident take place?
 
I'm driving there to see it in person on Wednesday. It's a bit of a drive, so I'll have to rent a car.
 
@RoninGT where in florida is it located? Maybe someone on here would be happy to go and take a look at it for you.
 
My rig has been totalled twice for front-end damage. The first incident happened before my ownership, but as far as I can tell, the grille, headlights and bumper were replaced, front fenders were either replaced or re-painted. I could tell they were re-painted because they had peeling clear coat and white cruisers come from the factory with single-stage paint.

Second incident happened when the guy in front of me had a senior moment and backed into me at a red light. Damage was so comically minor I would've sued my insurance company for totalling it if it didn't already have a salvage title. Slightly bent bumper fixed with a tow strap, a sturdy tree and reverse gear.

If the frame is undamaged, it's pretty easy to put the bodywork back together from a fender bender and be as good as new. In addition to frame damage, bear in mind accidents can bend the axle housing, steering or suspension arms, causing difficult-to-chase drivability problems.

If it looks straight upon CLOSE inspection, and drives right, I wouldn't be too concerned.

What color is the cruiser and what year did the accident take place?
1999 front, 2015 front & left
 
Sure. That isn't too far away from me.
 
Has the seller given you a long list of maintenance items that have been done recently? The new paint job leaves a lot to be desired. I am happy to take a run up there and have a look if you want but my spidy senses are telling me this is way too much cash for the vehicle.
 
No list of maintenance performed. I think she is listing this for someone else that might speak Spanish. I did ask about the PHH, and that has not been replaced. Looking to get an address now and see if she is ok with someone stopping by.
 
OK. PM me the address and let me know if there is a time that works best for them (morning better - less chance of crazy weather).
 
May not be very helpful but I'll chime in on a few points:

Looks clean in terms of the typical rust based on condition of hardware under hood and more importantly frame/hardware/etc. around spare tire area, and undercarriage. Could have rust in non-photographed area(s) due to damage specific to this vehicle of course but from those pictures at least rust doesn't look like an issue which is great.

In case you aren't familiar, the roof rack ribs aren't white so the roof was resprayed for sure. There's also overspray on the rear hatch but I can't tell from the photos how much was painted or the quality of the job beyond signs of sub-optimal prep. Is missing the under-hood insulation which may have just sagged and gotten pulled out or may have not been reinstalled after front-end/hood repairs and another clue to corner-cutting in body work.

No rust, locked, complete, white, later model (odb2, etc.), stock configuration are all big pluses in my book. Figuring out the extent of the crash damage, the quality of the repairs and the state maintenance are all big questions in terms of value. Price seems pretty high to me unless it looks great in person but at the same time prices have been jumping up so I may be out of touch on current values.

Good luck
 
May not be very helpful but I'll chime in on a few points:

Looks clean in terms of the typical rust based on condition of hardware under hood and more importantly frame/hardware/etc. around spare tire area, and undercarriage. Could have rust in non-photographed area(s) due to damage specific to this vehicle of course but from those pictures at least rust doesn't look like an issue which is great.

In case you aren't familiar, the roof rack ribs aren't white so the roof was resprayed for sure. There's also overspray on the rear hatch but I can't tell from the photos how much was painted or the quality of the job beyond signs of sub-optimal prep. Is missing the under-hood insulation which may have just sagged and gotten pulled out or may have not been reinstalled after front-end/hood repairs and another clue to corner-cutting in body work.

No rust, locked, complete, white, later model (odb2, etc.), stock configuration are all big pluses in my book. Figuring out the extent of the crash damage, the quality of the repairs and the state maintenance are all big questions in terms of value. Price seems pretty high to me unless it looks great in person but at the same time prices have been jumping up so I may be out of touch on current values.

Good luck
Hidden rust, hidden damage are my biggest concern. Yes, prices are all over the place. If either rust was painted over, or there is hidden body/frame damage, i'd be concerned about lack of engine maintenance.

With the things you guys notices, i'm starting to get concerned it might be a lipstick on a pig sales job.
 
LOL at $16,800. Pandemic prices are a joke. So is paying the factory locker 'tax'.

Incidentally, WTF did they clean the interior with? Look at the white writing on the locker switch and the mirror switch next to it. All the white is smeared.
 
It looks genuinely clean, re rust, on the frame/undercarriage for what it's worth but it needs a close inspection for sure. I'd look for rust under window seals, in rear cargo area, floors, any panel insides you can access, etc. Removal/reinstall of seals during bodywork or metal creasing that was smoothed over and painted may have rusted on the inside, etc. Also, there are a lot of possible leaks in these (windshield, sunroof, rear trim pieces, roof rack, hatch seals) that can let water into the body so some of those inspection points are universal for all 80s. Nasty/wet carpet can help point to leaks and rust doesn't seem to follow too quickly so you can often recover with some cleanup and resealing.

Similarly, my 80 had been wrecked (front passenger) but didn't have a salvage title. Front axle is non-original and I've had to replace a few body panels and do a lot of work (still ongoing) to sort out the respray and bodywork which was poor. I bought it for around 2k though as it was what I wanted and rust free. Had to fix a lot of leaks and pull out the nasty carpet, which is common. Not sure my point in sharing that info, but I guess it's to say that these are pretty common scenarios and that they can take 10s or 100s of hours to correct along with plenty of parts spending depending on your goals for the truck.

The 80 in that ad shows great in pictures at least and looks like a really solid truck. It may need a lot of maintenance and may never be a show queen unless you do tons of work on paint/body but once baselined it should be a good runner as long as the frame is straight and sound. It may also be in decent shape maintenance wise and look really good in person besides a bit of overspray. In that last case the price is pretty good.
 
Well, just an update, this deal isn't happening for me.
There is a lack of communication. I don't think they are trying to scam me. I think she doesn't know the answers, is selling for someone else, or there is a language barrier. This is better left to someone that lives closer, and or knows what they are looking at. I honestly haven't received an answer on a single question in regards to the maintenance or work history on the car, much less an address where to go to look at it.

Considering the possible issues with the 80 series, and since my budget prevents me from getting one of the mint cars that are selling for crazy money (looking at you bat), i might just start looking at 100 series instead. Or maybe I'll just save up some more, and get 2016+ 200 once my budget and the asks are lining up.
Looking at the Black 200 series with the Total Chaos suspension ... one can dream.

Thanks everyone for the help and input on this one.
 

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