Copart Mustang as my first car?
 

Hi guys I'm new to this forum. Saw this rear-ended 2015 mustang ecoboost on copart, I have been looking for my first car, so how much damage are we talking about here?(from how the picure looks) To me it just looks like some body work at quaterpanel and trunk area, potentially the bumper & hidden suspension damage. However the car still runs and drives, would this be a great risk to bid on without seeing the car in person? if so, how much will be a reasonable bidding price for this car? (my budget is around 9k)

OP: https://www.copart.com/lot/48320658
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/mustang...d02c7c509c.png

I'd stay away from that. It's more than just pushed in, look at the rear
quarter panels. I can see the passenger side buckled, so, there is
serious damage there, that was probably the epicenter... The rear
tail housing socket and mounting area would also be warped. As is
the upper trunk frame on that side. That's almost as bad as front
upper apron damage. It will need pulled back into form if possible,
the trunk lid lines will never line up.

$5000, and pray it can be repaired.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/mustang...21918052d8.png
Thank you so much for the reply. This picture kind of shows how the quarter panel and the tail light housing are pushed inward, so 5000 max on the bids, send it to a body shop and pray?

No, look at the top right of the rear of the car. It's pushed outward, up and to the right. You
can see where the metal buckled on the first picture. That's not a dent, that's a fatigue
point. The metal had to bend inward as the rear end was pushed forward, up and to the
right a little. You would have to pull it back into place, but then you have the dimpled
metal on the right side of the quarter panel to deal with.

The REASON that they salvage title, is because the damage ratio to the market value
was too high; not worth fixing. So, they total the car. Then, the insurance company
auctions it off to recoup some of the money. My son totaled a brand new 2018 Civic,
just made the second payment on it. The insurance company only got $750 for it,
it's on record, I can see the entire process from start to finish on-line.

They say the car is worth almost $18,000, so that means that the cost to repair
that car was upwards of $12,000. However? NO, that car is not retailing for $18k,
not with over 57,000 miles on it. They're going for $15,000 with 44k & 61k miles.

$17,000 with 18,000 miles.
$20,000 with 2,200 miles.
$15,600 with 42,500 miles.

No way is that WORTH what they say, that's why the insurance company totaled it.

I think I'd pass on that one also. even if you got it for 5 grand. by time you fix it you'll have more into it then it's worth. you can try & bid it lower. but my thinking is someone will snatch it up for a parts car & may be willing to pay them more then you should. and after it's all said & done you'll have a car with a salvage title. that'll be a big turn off if you should decide to sell it. keep looking maybe you'll find one that was stolen in better condition.
jmo, hmrdown

Keep in mind, just about ALL of the cars from Copart are considered "a total loss" by insurance companies. So Copart buys them on the ultra cheap. The biggest issue with a salvaged title car is that insurance will be a nightmare, and going to sell it later on will be even worse. NOBODY desires a salvage title unless they are going to part it out to begin with. bent or misaligned subframe, suspension and exhaust issues, as well as driveline issues could be prominent. 9k to purchase, and another 5k (or more) to fix sounds like 14k worth of future headaches, not to mention ZERO warranty. Be careful and go with your gut.

You have to check the cost of repairing the car first from the website. If you have a mechanic around, You can confirm from him before making that move.