Fixing a Crashed Car

I do one or two rebuilds a year for our business.

I have a bunch of guys who work for me, and sometimes we are slow. So, instead of paying them to BS with each other, I like to keep a project for them. Keeps them in 40 hour weeks, 52 weeks per year, and they seem to appreciate that.

We have a fleet of 8-10 pick ups running, and we put 30-50k miles on them each year. Do the math and we are doing 200-300k miles annually (don't ask about fuel bill). So, 200k miles is pretty much the life of a 'PU used in a commercial application by multiple drivers.

So, we started buying from the insurance auction site copart.com with good success.

After a bit of learning, we have decided the following vehicles work best.

Gas motor pUs with 50-70k miles

Diesel motors up to 100k miles.

No airbag activation.

Prefer rollovers that are "engine start" or "run and drive" tested by auction house.

Frame damage can be acceptable, and easy to fix.

Try to avoid suspension damage. We measure the wheel geometry to verify.

Try to avoid damage (physical) to the traction control /ABS modules.

I can buy 4wd 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, and 1-ton pick ups for $3-5k, repairs for parts usually run $1-2k, and labor is likely 80-100 hours.

I don't worry about resale, as we are going to run them into the ground, and I don't care about the cloud on the salvage title.

The guys also seem to take pride in the vehicles after they participated in the process. They also get to drive nicer vehicles than if I bought them new ones. Heated seats, leather interiors, custom wheels, lifted, grill guards, bigger cabs, etc.

In fact, they are now getting good enough I am driving one as my daily driver, get lots of nice comments on it.

If you have a mentor for it, go for it, it is a good learning process and you likely get a nicer vehicle than normal.
 
I would buy a used toyota prius. They run well, our prius v gets around 43 mpg, rides nice and cruises easily on the interstate at 75 . Very dependable.
 
Jimmy cooper said:
I would buy a used toyota prius. They run well, our prius v gets around 43 mpg, rides nice and cruises easily on the interstate at 75 . Very dependable.
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You mean those things are capable of actually going faster than 50??? Just kidding of course.

One thing to think about if you go the re-build route is that you are really relying on your friend to help / do most of the work. What happens if your friend is suddenly busy or has some other life event that gets in the way of helping you work on the car. If you have never done work like this before you are going to be pretty well stuck with a car that can't be driven and is hard to sell. Repairing a wreck isn't a job that someone with little automotive skill can just pick up and do unsupervised.

I agree with one of the other posters that suggests getting a non-accident vehicle that maybe needs some engine work or a new transmission. It won't have a salvage title and you can get it running on the road in just a few weekends instead of a few months. You are looking for something that requires alot of labor but very few parts (i.e. blown head gasket, broken timing belt in a non interference engine, worn clutch, etc).

Keith
 
Jimmy cooper said:
I would buy a used toyota prius. They run well, our prius v gets around 43 mpg, rides nice and cruises easily on the interstate at 75 . Very dependable.
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yeah sure, Buy something used that will need a $10k battery.

if you want an economical used car that will last forever, get a vw diesel
 
JHW said:
yeah sure, Buy something used that will need a $10k battery.
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Well, I get the concept, but pretty far off on the cost.

First, if you go to Toyota, it'll be about $2700 for a gen II batt replacement. Takes less than 2 hours shop labor. If you don't want to do the whole battery, and rarely do the cells all fail at once, you can test the cells and replace only the one that's out of spec.

The individual cells are about $40 on ebay, and a modestly decent handyman can do the job in 2-3 hours with hand tools and a multimeter.

I have a 2007 Prius and my traction batt is fine after 7 years and 105k miles. When it fails aftermarket traction batt cases are avail for around $1800-$2200.
 
Jimmy cooper said:
I would buy a used toyota prius. They run well, our prius v gets around 43 mpg, rides nice and cruises easily on the interstate at 75 . Very dependable.
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My 2001 Saturn runs well, gets around 41 mpg, rides nice, cruises easily on the interstate at 75, and is very dependable. Cost me a lot less than a Prius, too.

-Rich
 
RJM62 said:
My 2001 Saturn runs well, gets around 41 mpg, rides nice, cruises easily on the interstate at 75, and is very dependable. Cost me a lot less than a Prius, too.

-Rich
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My Corolla has been so good to me that I'm fairly close to a lifelong devoted fan of the model. I drive a red 2003 Corolla S, manual transmission. I travel across Florida most weekends. I have put 226k miles on the vehicle and the vast majority of that is highway miles. I have had literally not a single significant problem with it. The most expensive repair I've had to handle is replacement of the front struts, and that is a part that I expect to have to replace. I did the repair myself, with my friend's help (the same friend I mention in the OP) after being quoted nearly $700 for the repair from the dealership; this is just the front struts, mind you. Incidentally, the quoted price for that repair is what angered me enough to learn enough about cars to handle most repairs myself.

I still have the original clutch, original rear drum brakes, original spark plugs, etc. I've changed the front brake pads once since purchase. It's just an incredible vehicle. Unfortunately it's starting to rot around me; the Florida sun has not been kind to the exterior. But I'm so in love with the car that I'm considering a cheap paint job to return it to some semblance of cosmetic pleasantness.
 
This has been a good thread. I appreciate the responses offered by all of you.

At the moment, I'm leaning toward moving ahead with the rebuildable but biding my time until a nice one pops up. I have a mentor willing to provide facilities and assistance. And it's an experience that I'm unlikely to get anywhere else. I recognize that a few of you recommended against the idea, and I appreciate your input and did not wholly discount it. I will have one last conversation with my friend, and as long as I have a pretty good feeling after that conversation, I plan to move ahead.

If nothing else, it'll be a learning experience and I'll be fulfilling my signature line: Audentes Fortuna Juvat.
 
You might also look at a used rental car. Most of these are relatively late model cars, cleaned up, and ready to go. Since the company has pretty much taken out all their revenue, the discount on a 2012 should be pretty good.
 
asechrest said:
This has been a good thread. I appreciate the responses offered by all of you.

At the moment, I'm leaning toward moving ahead with the rebuildable but biding my time until a nice one pops up. I have a mentor willing to provide facilities and assistance. And it's an experience that I'm unlikely to get anywhere else. I recognize that a few of you recommended against the idea, and I appreciate your input and did not wholly discount it. I will have one last conversation with my friend, and as long as I have a pretty good feeling after that conversation, I plan to move ahead.

If nothing else, it'll be a learning experience and I'll be fulfilling my signature line: Audentes Fortuna Juvat.
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You are smart to be thinking on going forward, you will learn lots. And, you can have a nicer car than you would normally get.

And given the cost of the work is similar on a nice car and a ****ty car, don't mess around with a 2001 Saturn or similar type of car that isn't worth having.

I would be looking at Mercedes, BMW, Acura, Lexxus for the effort on a car.

Look at cars that retail for $25k-30k (used) that you can pick up for $5-10k and put $2-5k in parts. Ends up getting you a car for $7-15k that is worth $25-30k in "value" to you.
 
JoseCuervo said:
You are smart to be thinking on going forward, you will learn lots. And, you can have a nicer car than you would normally get.

And given the cost of the work is similar on a nice car and a ****ty car, don't mess around with a 2001 Saturn or similar type of car that isn't worth having.

I would be looking at Mercedes, BMW, Acura, Lexxus for the effort on a car.

Look at cars that retail for $25k-30k (used) that you can pick up for $5-10k and put $2-5k in parts. Ends up getting you a car for $7-15k that is worth $25-30k in "value" to you.
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I concur with this attitude... with the caveat of be prepared to drive it until it is ready to go to Mike's yard prior to being crushed. ;) You get the car for a deep discount, learn a TON putting it back together, and then enjoy many years with a car that you otherwise wouldn't/couldn't buy. Possibly consider buying two of the same model (ie one front damage, one rear damage) and then you have a cheap source of parts and spares, and sell the rest.

I do a lot of my own mechanical work, but so far don't have any experience welding and serious metal fabrication work. If I had a willing mentor, I'd go for a rebuilder in a heartbeat just to learn more skills.
 
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