ghosthaus

:O am I looking at the same car?

SW17LS

thats a very clean 20 year old car lol

He's saying since it doesn't have the original headunit and it has a little body damage to the passenger rear door it has no value lol

dicer thinks a 100% all original car with not one scratch or mark on it is the only car that has any value. He also will not accept any car that has ever had any repainting done...despite the cars being 20-27 years old.

I'd write a $6,900 check for that car tomorrow.

dicer

If you look at the link I quoted to, and then look at the bottom far right hand picture, you will see the scrapped side and rear door etc. At a good body shop that will exceed $3000 plus to fix it. The linked to car is no cream puff.
And with needing that much $ worth of body and paint, the price is way out of reason. I have seen way better cars for less.

If your writing checks for cars in nice shape and will pay what you say, I have some to sell you.

SW17LS

It's minor damage on an old car. Doesn't negate that in every other way the car is a great well cared for example.

That damage wouldn't cost $3,000 to repair on my 2 year old LS460 BTW. On a car that age I would likely look at what could be done to make it look as good as I could and move on. The rest of the cars condition is a lot more important than that.

wnyjazz

I enhanced this pic. It's a little better now.


image upload free
certificity.com

SW17LS

Yeah...not $3,000 worth of damage lol. Like I said, 20 year old car the rest of the car is great...I'd buff that and get it as good looking as I could and leave it.

Certainly it reduces its value, but to say it's worth $1 is ridiculous.

aptoslexus

Very generous of you. At 87,000 miles, timing belt service is due.

SW17LS

You can negotiate that into the deal if it hasn't already been done. Part of the cost of doing business on one of these cars.

IMHO if I'm buying one of these cars finding one that has been well cared for and well maintained is worth paying a few dollars more. I'd rather have one in good shape with 87,000 miles on it than one with 100k more miles for a couple dollars less. If I was super concerned about having to do the timing belt replacement I wouldn't buy one of these cars.

ghosthaus

I agree that a body shop would charge way too much to fix that scuff but I'd honestly just buff it out and hit it with a paint pen

dicer

You can tell some folks have no idea of what is involved in fixing something like that. I've seen less damage priced more than what I had mentioned. And any damage to the rear end of a car is way worse than the front. Parts in the front can be replaced. If that was a front fender you may luck out and find a perfect one with the right paint color. No such animal for the rear quarter panels. Also in that picture you have no idea how much bent metal there is either. I'm sure the owner has had estimates on it and knows he is way over priced on it. It looks like more than a scuff, it looks like its down to the plastic or primer at that lower section and primer at least up the wheel well.
If it would buff out I'm sure they would have done so to sell it for top buck.

SW17LS

I actually am very aware what's involved in repairing damage like that. I detailed cars professionally for several years and have my whole life as an enthusiast. In fact, I had damage almost just like that on my 98 LS400 that I had repaired. The cost was about $750. Now, that was 17 years ago, but the cost hasn't more than tripled to $3,000. I would say today this repair is about $1,200 at a good shop.

The panel does not have to be replaced, it can be repaired in the area damaged, painted and blended into that panel and part of the rear door and then both those panels need to be clear coated. This is what was done to my LS400 and the repair was perfect, and I am very picky...that car was silver too so not an easy color.

Now this car will be harder to match because it's much older, and the paint is faded, which is another reason why I would probably make this damage look as good as I could and call it a day without having the car professionally painted if it were my car.

Have to be realistic, this is a $6k 20 year old car, things happen to cars when they are driven and used and you have to be pragmatic when a car this old has minor cosmetic damage like this.

dicer

Wow! I guess a couple of high mile cheap and expensive ls's got sold off craigslist. And funny the cheap modified one is still there you'd think everyone would be jumping on one that's lowered and so inexpensive.

Calliope

Gee, another twin to my car! I'd love to find one of these in a junk yard so I could replace my front bumper cover, pass side fender, and hood. Seems there aren't any in my area that aren't wrecked in the same place as mine

Banshee365

I came across a real minty just now.

LEXUS LS400 "$800OBO

The price is right but I wouldn't take this car for free. Straight out of the ghetto. It's amazing these cars can withstand this sort of punishment. It's a true testament. I haven ever seen an LS400 interior that trashed.

But, the cluster only has 122k miles so that's actually really low miles and greatly adds to the value of the car. (sarcastic)

SW17LS

Wow lol. Just wow.