Hey Everyone, I'm getting ready to purchase a Gen 3 with a salvage title. I took it to my mechanic and had it inspected and he said it's all mechanically sound. My mechanic pointed out some shotty body work inside the trunk and said that he is unable to say for sure if it indicates damage to the Unibody Frame, or if it would cause long term problems. Below I have attached some photos of the Prius before the repairs were made and then pictures my mechanic sent. I'm buying the car as a daily commuter and I don't intend to resell it. It's a 2014 Prius IIII with around 80k miles and I think I'll pay around 6k for it. I'll probably drive it until it breaks. Because of this, my main concerns are about safety and whether or not there will be additional repairs required as a result of the sub par work. Any advice or opinions will be greatly appreciated. I'm not clear on how the frame/body works exactly. Thanks in advance!
Neal, this is just my opinion based on being a mechanic for 16 years and the pictures you provided. The body work does appear to be of low quality. You did not send closeup pictures of the outside. Based on the damage shown from the pictures from IAAI it looks like there was some damage to the left quarter that probably caused the insurance company to declare it a total loss. I don't see anything that would make me worry about a structural issue. If you plan to drive this until it dies and are not worried about resale then I would expect you will be able to drive this vehicle for a long time. If something does happen I would expect it to be something unrelated to the accident, like an EGR or head gasket issue. 6K seems a little high for a Gen3 with salvage title, and the low quality body work you show, but we don't see the condition of the rest of the vehicle to judge its overall condition.
The damage to it should be fine and should not change the way it drives. I would change out both the rear wheel hubs with abs sensors since they can be thrown off easily. Do use the salvage title to your advantage and get a lower price. $5,000-5,500 sounds good.
the biggest issue with prius salvage is electrical. repairs to wiring harnesses can corrode, and cause major headaches as well as thousands in problem solving and correction of shoddy work. there is no way to know if any wiring has been repaired and to what standard. warranty and insurance are also an issue to be explored.
I have a 2015 salvage for the last almost 3 years now that I paid $9k with 24k miles. So it was less than 2 year old at that time. It's not perfect (poor paint on the hood, 2 TPMS sending units missing, no skid pans under the engine), and salvage voids all warranties, but that's why we don't pay full price. I've had zero problems, and have done only oil/filter changes, tire rotations, plus bought 4 used tires at around 40k miles. I now am about to turn 60k miles so I'm very happy with the car. Maybe you can get it for less but I think even for $6k you will be very happy with it. Also had no problem getting full insurance coverage on it through my usual company, Erie Insurance. This is my third salvage vehicle and I've never had any problems due to the repairs done from the collision. You just have to know what to look for, check all doors/windows are working properly, look for wheels leaning to one side, look under the car for flimsy welds repairs. Never has any wiring problems either but maybe no wires were repaired on mine. Good luck!
Im sure they will all take your money to fully cover your car. Doesnt matter if it is salvaged they just dont pay out the full value because it is salvaged.
I remember a post with similar, or even maybe the exact photo of the car posted on here. I know the user name who posted it and what caused the damage.
Thanks so much for all your responses! Here are some of the pictures of the car after the repairs. Everything looks really good on the outside. I think I'll take your advice and offer 5k for the car. Does anyone know if the dealership will repair the new recall (Hybrid Propulsion System: Inverter) on the Gen 3 models if the vehicle is a salvage title? Thanks again everyone for all your help. You've given me the confidence to go for it! Neal
She looks clean and yea offer $5,000 cash and go no higher than $5,500 The dealer will still do the recalls. They dont check titles.
