Does anyone have a spare Carfax report?
 

Do those even exist anymore? Anyway, I've made an offer on a car, and I was hoping someone could run its VIN.

Yeah.... it starts with JHM... ZE1... because one is never enough. :eek:

Interest is piqued.

No spare carfax here. Looking forward to more info.

Robert -

Be warned that the Carfaxians are cracking down on people giving away their leftover VIN reports.

CarloSW2

I'll satisfy the curious when the deal closes or fails to (early next week).Oh. Nevermind, then.

Okay, I'll blab.

I spotted a 2000 Insight for sale (124000mi, pretty good condition, some dings and scratches as you'd expect), 400 miles away, at an irresistable price. The car has a bad IMA battery, which is good news. I can rebuild IMA batteries, and I have a rebuilt one right here on the shelf.

I've made a tentative offer to buy at a good price, which has been accepted. However, the seller has another buyer lined up (for $200 more) if I back down.

Here's the problems:

1. My cost to acquire the vehicle, including insurance, fees, and taxes, etc. is $1000, on top of the purchase price.
2. The vehicle has an out of state Salvage title from a collision in 2008, so the State of New York will dig its heels in for a few months before issuing me a title and plates.
3. What would I do with two Insights? Don't say EV conversion! I'd sooner do a PHEV conversion to my current Insight. Therefore, one of these Insights would be for sale. And nobody wants to buy my aeromodded, several-times-crashed, low mileage Insight, right?
4. I could make a litlle money by flipping the car, and the process would be enjoyable to me... but see #1.


Before I did the math on my cost of acquisition, I was very excited about this. Now, I'm not so sure.

What should I do?

I'd pass on it. NYS doesn't seem to like the salvage process, unless you know "someone" on the hill that can help nudge your paperwork through.

(Nudge = Violent Shove)

At best, depending on your offer (which I assume is fair to good, given the described condition) and the cost to acquire, you're not going to come out very far ahead for your time if you flip it, unless you find someone willing to pay top dollar without any information about it's history.

Those people are out there, but they're few and far between, I find.

In any event, looking forward to the results.

PS - Why do you need to insure it? NY is slightly different, but here in PA, I don't even transfer a vehicle's title until I'm sure what I'm doing with it. With NY titles, I just have the owner sign it, no need for further contact. With a PA title, I have them sign it in the presence of a notary, costs $5, and frees them of any obligation of ownership of the vehicle. I still don't actually apply for a new title in my name until I decide what to do with the vehicle.

That saves me from paying to xfer the title, then paying for insurance/registration that I may not use, etc. I just have them trailered (thanks again, Will/Wonderboy) to my home and decide from there.

In the case that I bought it right up the road or something, I don't even bother trailering it. I'll just drive it. Like my parts truck. 4 miles away, and I just drove it home one night. :)

Anyway, if you need help with information, I'll help what I can. Looking forward to the result.

True, I could cut my costs by about $300 by not having it titled and registered in New York. But then it would have to leave New York on a trailer. Not too attractive for a car that bluebooks around $4500-5500.

I did some EBay price research to see how accurate the blue book is. Well, there are lots of first-gen Insights on eBay advertized for a few grand over blue book. The thing is, they're *not selling*. Most of the EBay auctions close with no bids, or with the reserve price not met.

I'ma let this one slide. It's crazy how cheap good Insights are going for these days. :confused:

The collecting instinct (?) is kicking in!

I guess so.

The thing is, it's the wrong car for me anyway. A boat-tailed Insight has some limitations: it can't haul, it makes a poor EV (20HP peak, and spins the ICE the whole time), and it's hard to be inconspicuous.

The correct car to address all of those limitations is a PHEV Prius with a trailer hitch. I'd use it when I'm feeling electric, or when I want to haul 800lbs of 4'x8's, or when I want to blend in a little.