Considering Buying a Crumpled SVX

Minjin · #1 04-20-2007, 04:35 PM

Hey guys, a female friend of mine has an SVX thats hit in the front that she would like my assistance in selling. However, I'm thinking about just buying it myself, making it drivable, and keeping it for a winter car. I'm looking for some input from you guys.

The story is kind of funny. She's been talking about this car and how she loves it so much for as long as I've known her (about a year). I never saw the car and I come to find out that its actually in a barn at her parent's house due to some kind of transmission issue (seems pretty common). She just didn't have the money to get it fixed and so it sat. Fast forward to a couple months ago and apparently a friend of the family worked on the car and put it together so that it would be drivable and sellable. My friend happened to become friends with a self-proclaimed Subaru mechanic so she decided to let him check out the car. He drove it for a bit and I'm not sure if he did anything, but he said that the car was perfect and that it drove great.

The "funny" part is that he was out driving this car, making sure it was good to go, and while he was texting my friend to say how great it was...he ran into the back of another car. Long story short, he's not paying anything and she can't afford to fix it. So she just wants to get rid of it.

Its a White 92 w/115k. Here are some pictures:

LINK

So what do you guys think? Think I can slide hammer the hell out of that front end and get it drivable? Front bumpers seem to be hard to come by, as do hoods. Looks like the only thing it NEEDs is a radiator (and condenser if I want AC). Any comments or things I should worry about? Would it be worth $500 considering its wrecked and in essentially unknown condition? Are there tranny problems that go away and then resurface later?

Thanks in advance for any input.

sicksubie · #2 04-20-2007, 04:47 PM

If that car was for sale near me for 4-500 bucks I would buy it right away. Tranny's are very fickle creatures on these cars. However, for that kind of money though I would go for it. A bumper is not that hard to get ( talk to Budfreak he may have one), you can get a fiberglass hood from SVXfiles ( who lives in PA) for around 450ish or an OEM one (again try Budfreak for that). You can get a radiator off of ebay for under 200.- and for the condenser.... Budfreak. Ignoring any potential tranny problems you could have that drivable for about $900-$1100 (I am going to assume you have some mechanical abilities because you mentioned hammering out the bumper beam). So... all in all would have spent $1600 or so. Not a bad deal for a 92 with 115k

sicksubie · #3 04-20-2007, 04:48 PM

P.S. if you need a grille I have one...

Crazy_pilot · #4 04-20-2007, 04:54 PM

pah. New front clip, some beating with a hammer to get the metal back into shape, find the idiot and kick him in the face...

Very nice looking car other than the damage. If you have time/resources/ability to make a project out of it I'd say go for it! Keep another one on the road and out of the scrap yard.

sicksubie · #5 04-20-2007, 05:04 PM

I dont believe it is load bearing. I had an old fogie pull out in front of me in a 92 tank of a volvo. I hit my brakes but I still hit him. The bar that the radiator mounts on was bent pretty good, but the body shop was able to straighten it. You can still tell bu looking at it that something has happened but there are no ill effects.

Minjin · #6 04-20-2007, 05:08 PM

Thanks for the input so far guys. Engine damage would definitely be a worst case scenario. I'm not even sure how close I could look at the block until the front end is dismantled. I haven't taken a close look under the car but is that front cross member bolted or welded to the body? I honestly am not looking for a project here. I'm leaning more towards "beater" but I didn't want to use that word in the OP for fear of offending you guys.

If it requires more than a couple hundred bucks and a weekend, I doubt it would be worth it to me. I'm certainly not going to be paying $400 for a hood. Thats what hammers are for.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy_pilot

pah. New front clip, some beating with a hammer to get the metal back into shape, find the idiot and kick him in the face...

Well, he has a warrant out for his arrest. Apparently the police are quite familiar with this guy...

sicksubie · #7 04-20-2007, 05:11 PM

It's welded... $200 bucks, ah I don's think that you can pull that off. At the very least maybe $500. See if you can get the seller to lower it to $300.

thumper_svx · #8 04-20-2007, 04:49 PM

It's probably repairable to a driveable condition... but that bent front crossmember worries me. I'm not sure how much of a load bearing component that is, but I suspect it's for more than just hanging the radiator on.

As for other damage... well be aware that the tranny cooler lines are almost certainly trash as well... replacing those might actually require a flush and/or refill of the cooler (note the stock cooler is integrated with the radiator). Beyond that, I'd check the oil pan for damage... not to mention the timing belts and/or timing cogs behind the plastic at the front of the engine. I'd also check the block around the timing belts VERY carefully for cracks... you might have a trashed engine on your hands.

It's a sad story... tragic, almost. Honestly, worst case if the tranny is good you can probably sell it relatively easily... maybe part the car out. I doubt anyone would buy it in that state, though... except maybe as a parts car. There's just not enough motivation to repair these things.

PDSides · #9 11-26-2007, 07:56 AM

Question: Who paid for damage to the other car in the wreck? Was there any insurance? Was the owner taken to court as a result of this incident? Due to the nature of the incident (as you related it) the other driver may have a legitimate claim against this car, its owner and the driver. If I were you I would check out the legal aspects of this deal before going any further.
Preston