Updated: thinking of buying a used rebuilt title 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP...

[RIGorous1]

Hello everyone,

As many of you know I've been looking for a car to commute to and from USC. I found an offer. It's a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP with 103k miles and a salvage title. They also mentioned that the paint is wearing off a little. The owner wants $3,500 for it...

What do you think? What price should I negotiate for?

I've never bought a used car before so can someone comment on what to check for and maybe strategy for getting a lower price?

Someone told me that I should check the tires on a salvage title because they tend to wear unevenly. Is this true?

Thanks for your time,

Rig

Update: the car has a "rebuilt title" not salvaged. does this make a difference?

 

[Viper GTS]

IMO for that kind of money you can get a much better commuter vehicle.

For example, I paid less than $3K (including TTL) for my 1995 Impreza. It has ~150K miles on it, runs beautifully, and I shouldn't have any trouble selling it and getting a significant portion of my money back out of it when I'm done.

IMO a supercharged, salvage titled vehicle with 100K miles is just about the worst choice you could make.

Viper GTS

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
IMO for that kind of money you can get a much better commuter vehicle.

For example, I paid less than $3K (including TTL) for my 1995 Impreza. It has ~150K miles on it, runs beautifully, and I shouldn't have any trouble selling it and getting a significant portion of my money back out of it when I'm done.

IMO a supercharged, salvage titled vehicle with 100K miles is just about the worst choice you could make.

Viper GTS

werd......

 

[Random Variable]

How about one from 2004 with the competition package?

 

[MikeMike]

yea, i wouldnt get a grand prix GTP with a salvage title, any vehicle with a salvage title is hardly worth it. that car is MAYBE worth a grand,
a: its high mileage
b: its a salvage vehicle
c: paint is wearing off? someone didnt take care of it, and it was repaired for cheap.
d: it probably has frame damage, and that car might not go straight

find a MUCH better car for that money, unless you can work him down to under a grand.

MIKE

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
IMO for that kind of money you can get a much better commuter vehicle.

For example, I paid less than $3K (including TTL) for my 1995 Impreza. It has ~150K miles on it, runs beautifully, and I shouldn't have any trouble selling it and getting a significant portion of my money back out of it when I'm done.

IMO a supercharged, salvage titled vehicle with 100K miles is just about the worst choice you could make.

Viper GTS

I have to concur. Salvage is not always an awful buy, but if you're droping $3k, why have the headache? It depends what went wrong with it too.

 

[AMDZen]

What Viper said. That 3.8 GM motor is pretty reliable, but add some boost and I can guarentee it won't last much longer. Unless the previous owner(s) babied the car.

Buy Honda or Toyota

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
IMO for that kind of money you can get a much better commuter vehicle.

For example, I paid less than $3K (including TTL) for my 1995 Impreza. It has ~150K miles on it, runs beautifully, and I shouldn't have any trouble selling it and getting a significant portion of my money back out of it when I'm done.

IMO a supercharged, salvage titled vehicle with 100K miles is just about the worst choice you could make.

Viper GTS

I have to concur. Salvage is not always an awful buy, but if you're droping $3k, why have the headache? It depends what went wrong with it too.

Given what we know about the vehicle I'd say "what went wrong" was a dumbass driver with way too much car for their skill level.

It probably involved a telephone pole.

Viper GTS

 

[MikeMike]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
IMO for that kind of money you can get a much better commuter vehicle.

For example, I paid less than $3K (including TTL) for my 1995 Impreza. It has ~150K miles on it, runs beautifully, and I shouldn't have any trouble selling it and getting a significant portion of my money back out of it when I'm done.

IMO a supercharged, salvage titled vehicle with 100K miles is just about the worst choice you could make.

Viper GTS

I have to concur. Salvage is not always an awful buy, but if you're droping $3k, why have the headache? It depends what went wrong with it too.

Given what we know about the vehicle I'd say "what went wrong" was a dumbass driver with way too much car for their skill level.

It probably involved a telephone pole.

Viper GTS

or a curb, and the top of the vehicle.

MIKE

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
IMO for that kind of money you can get a much better commuter vehicle.

For example, I paid less than $3K (including TTL) for my 1995 Impreza. It has ~150K miles on it, runs beautifully, and I shouldn't have any trouble selling it and getting a significant portion of my money back out of it when I'm done.

IMO a supercharged, salvage titled vehicle with 100K miles is just about the worst choice you could make.

Viper GTS

I have to concur. Salvage is not always an awful buy, but if you're droping $3k, why have the headache? It depends what went wrong with it too.

Given what we know about the vehicle I'd say "what went wrong" was a dumbass driver with way too much car for their skill level.

It probably involved a telephone pole.

Viper GTS

or a curb, and the top of the vehicle.

MIKE

Or the reinforced grill of a police interceptor followed by guard railing.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: RIGorous1
Someone told me that I should check the tires on a salvage title because they tend to wear unevenly. Is this true?

Thanks for your time,

Rig

depends on why it was salvaged, a flood isn't going to screw up the unibody, but wrapping it around a tree would.

 

[RIGorous1]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
IMO for that kind of money you can get a much better commuter vehicle.

For example, I paid less than $3K (including TTL) for my 1995 Impreza. It has ~150K miles on it, runs beautifully, and I shouldn't have any trouble selling it and getting a significant portion of my money back out of it when I'm done.

IMO a supercharged, salvage titled vehicle with 100K miles is just about the worst choice you could make.

Viper GTS

I have to concur. Salvage is not always an awful buy, but if you're droping $3k, why have the headache? It depends what went wrong with it too.

Hrm... so you guys don't think its worth it? I thought 100k was low? Do pontiacs suck? I was thinking that the Grand Prix GTP was a top of the line car...

 

[Viper GTS]

BTW, I wouldn't normally consider 100K mileage to be a big deal (bought my impreza with over 140 on it, put 10K problem free miles on it) but on a supercharged vehicle that's obviously been wrecked it's just one more strike against it.

Viper GTS

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: RIGorous1

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
IMO for that kind of money you can get a much better commuter vehicle.

For example, I paid less than $3K (including TTL) for my 1995 Impreza. It has ~150K miles on it, runs beautifully, and I shouldn't have any trouble selling it and getting a significant portion of my money back out of it when I'm done.

IMO a supercharged, salvage titled vehicle with 100K miles is just about the worst choice you could make.

Viper GTS

I have to concur. Salvage is not always an awful buy, but if you're droping $3k, why have the headache? It depends what went wrong with it too.

Hrm... so you guys don't think its worth it? I thought 100k was low? Do pontiacs suck? I was thinking that the Grand Prix GTP was a top of the line car...

100K is just getting started for most modern vehicles, but this is a supercharged vehicle that's likely been abused (and you already know it's been wrecked).

Plus the "paint" problems probably mean crappy repair job.

Avoid it at all costs.

Viper GTS

 

[3chordcharlie]

The motor is probably fine, the blower may or may not be... other than that, the price is WAY too high, I wouldn't take on the headaches.

 

[MikeMike]

Originally posted by: RIGorous1

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
IMO for that kind of money you can get a much better commuter vehicle.

For example, I paid less than $3K (including TTL) for my 1995 Impreza. It has ~150K miles on it, runs beautifully, and I shouldn't have any trouble selling it and getting a significant portion of my money back out of it when I'm done.

IMO a supercharged, salvage titled vehicle with 100K miles is just about the worst choice you could make.

Viper GTS

I have to concur. Salvage is not always an awful buy, but if you're droping $3k, why have the headache? It depends what went wrong with it too.

Hrm... so you guys don't think its worth it? I thought 100k was low? Do pontiacs suck? I was thinking that the Grand Prix GTP was a top of the line car...

its a nice car, ppl on here will say its not blah blah blah, but the salvage title is BAD.

that basically means that the insurance company has declared it, wrecked worse than it is worth, so they didnt pay to fix it.

Viper: i like having my words echoed

MIKE

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: RIGorous1

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
IMO for that kind of money you can get a much better commuter vehicle.

For example, I paid less than $3K (including TTL) for my 1995 Impreza. It has ~150K miles on it, runs beautifully, and I shouldn't have any trouble selling it and getting a significant portion of my money back out of it when I'm done.

IMO a supercharged, salvage titled vehicle with 100K miles is just about the worst choice you could make.

Viper GTS

I have to concur. Salvage is not always an awful buy, but if you're droping $3k, why have the headache? It depends what went wrong with it too.

Hrm... so you guys don't think its worth it? I thought 100k was low? Do pontiacs suck? I was thinking that the Grand Prix GTP was a top of the line car...

100K is just getting started for most modern vehicles, but this is a supercharged vehicle that's likely been abused (and you already know it's been wrecked).

Plus the "paint" problems probably mean crappy repair job.

Avoid it at all costs.

Viper GTS

I concur....

I bought a supercharged vehicle with 112k on it (Bonneville SSEi), but it was in really good condition, and only $2000. Oh, and it hadn't been wrecked either.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Viper GTS is 100% right. You can actually get a reliable car for the kind of money you're talking about, so there's no good reason to resort to getting a hi-mileage supercharged car with a salvage title. Walk away . . .

You can find a ton of cars in that price range that will be worlds better.

 

[blurredvision]

I owned a 95 Grand Prix, and just got rid of it last weekend for an almost new 2004 Grand Prix GT. In the 5 1/2 years that I had my 95 GPrix, I had no major problems whatsoever. Purchased it at 52,000 miles, got rid of it at 137,000. The only problem I had besides normal wear and tear were a corroded battery terminal (not really the car's fault), a coolant leak that I never figured out (just had to refill every 3 months over a year), the dash lights quit working about 4 years in (around 110,000 miles approximately), and the brakes vibrated very badly when slowing from a high speed. Also, the power locks ceased to function about 4 years in, but still worked manually. All in all, nothing that made the car undrivable by any means. I was mostly happy with the thing, as it was very reliable.

 

[nakedfrog]

Maybe if you can take it to a good, reliable mechanic or friend that knows a lot about cars and has experience working on them and get it a good looking over.

 

[RIGorous1]

Originally posted by: DonVito
Viper GTS is 100% right. You can actually get a reliable car for the kind of money you're talking about, so there's no good reason to resort to getting a hi-mileage supercharged car with a salvage title. Walk away . . .

You can find a ton of cars in that price range that will be worlds better.

So the consensus is to walk away primarily because of the salvage title? How much would this car be worth? KBB gives it $4,400, but that's without a salvage title.

Is autotrader.com a good place to shop?

 

[MikeMike]

yea its a good place. the car is worth something, but you really need to know what type of accident it was in to get the salvage title.

carsoup.com also works well

MIKE

 

[RIGorous1]

Ok guys I made a mistake: the guy said its a rebuilt title not a salvage title: is there a difference? should I get a carfax report? or is it not even worth it?

 

[RIGorous1]

updated

 

[MikeMike]

a quick google determines that it is the same thing, just a different wording. a rebuilt title is a previous salvage title that is now in working order.

MIKE