whats bent/missing? damaged gen1 insight up for bid.

[trooper Tdiesel]

link to bidding site....
Copart

it does not look that bad, i dont think the unabody is bent unless some one on hear sees it looks different then there's.

highest bid at posting was $825.00
the real bidding starts some time on 03/06/13
id guess it will shoot up some where around $1,200 or so at that time.

[user removed]

Both front frame rails (unibody) are pushed towards the drivers (left) side of the car. The air bags seem to be intact so the collision was most likely from the right side more than the front. The radiator support is also twisted up badly and I think that is welded to the grame rails and side skirts.

The car was disassembled for a better inspection for hidden damage, then it was decided to not try to repair the damage. Most likely this means they found something was broken that was part of the engine block, or possibly the oil pan (magnesium).

If you can look at the car (noticed it and you are in the same state?) then you would want to pay very close attention to the engine driven accessories as well as the engine mounting points, especially the one from the front of the engine to the frame on the passengers side, which is probably where something critical is broken and not repairable.

The fenders are plastic so they will not show damage but all of the front end unibody is aluminum and repair procedures for that are much more difficult than regular steel structures. Any welding needs to be TIG and aluminum does not respond to frame straightening procedures as easily as steel which can easily be mig welded.

I don't see the radiator or AC condenser (assuming it has AC), both were trashed in the wreck based on the evidence shown in the photos. Without the assistance of a qualified professional repairman who is knowledgable in repairing aluminum unibodies you may end up with a parts car. Not trying to convince you to not purchase the vehicle, but I would be the auction price will go much higher than your prediction although I could be wrong.

Assuming you get it fixed then you face any mechanical issues that may have existed before the collision and there are no existing warranties since the car has a salvage title.

Parts will be difficult to obtain. I would look for any source of used parts to mitigate the cost of repairs, Factory purchased, piece by piece you will be spending a lot of money and don't expect any fasteners or small pieces like brackets and mounts to be included with the vehicle especially after it was totalled. I had to buy the back seat in my Altima which was removed and not provided with the vehicle when purchased. That part alone (leather) was over $400 with a 25% discount.

The plastic fenders make the damage look deceptively minor.

regards
Mech

[trooper Tdiesel]

well they say on there site inspection is allowed untell one hour before 2:00pm bidding...

i got there at 11:00 am sharp and would not let me in to see this auto and another, a ford focus im looking at for the engine
to make another car run that has that trubble some SOHC 2.0L I-4 engine.

[user removed]

I sometimes feel like my influence could be derogatory to others who try the salvage rebuild route, like Ben's electric car. Everyone should understand that my success is largely based on my experience and the experience of the Man who owns the body shop I have dealt with for over 25 years.

Between the two of us there is very close to 100 years experience and still we can occasionally get burned.

Also you should understand that there is a lot of competition for those vehicles that are repair opportunities, expecially Toyotas and Hondas. You are even competing with people who buy the cars and ship them overseas and could care lesss about titles and state laws about bringing salvage vehicles in from other states. After my VX buy, the state of Virginia basically said, don't do that again (bring a car in from another state).

regards
Mech

[trooper Tdiesel]

yea ive had more then one person tell me 9 out of 10 they bid on or more, they don't get.


also the focus went over my 600 limit still need that SOHC 2.0L 2000/2003 engine lower end. more then this Honda.
so for the focus engine, im not in need of a runner.
granted scrapping a auto now days with out proper paper work is not so easy ether....


also it seems prices are trending higher when closer to large citys....or closer to CA state.

[trooper Tdiesel]

well call me nuts but i bid it up to 1,200

i plan on setting a self imposed limit of $1,650 as the next bid ups the fees another $35.00
that would make it the 2nd most exspenseve ride ive gotten in my life

live bidding starts 2:00pm PST
its item 87 so about an hour after 2 or so, it should come up.

[trooper Tdiesel]

darn thing went for about $2,100

three people beat it out of each other, after i stopped at 1,650


that's bidden for yea

[War_Wagon]

My mortgage got paid for many years by people getting carried away and bidding too much at auction. It's the basic principle that keeps auctions going. The best thing you can do is pick what price you think is fair, and don't go over it, no matter how excited you get. You did good by not buying it. There will be another auction opportunity, there always is! (Both my Insights came from the auction, both ran within a few weeks of each other, and there were ever only 369 of them sold in Canada! So no matter how scarce you think something is, it won't be the last one you see!)

[trooper Tdiesel]

ive been to two of them in person.
this copart is on-line ONLY

one was public and the other it was required to have a biz number to get in.


the differences in prices was staggering

ones bidding for there use and very loose, the other is looking at resale and is very rigid on how high they go.
no comparison in prices at all