Expert Advice Needed - Toyota Camry

[John Ext]

I just wonder guys how much may it cost to replace damaged exterior parts and paint them for Toyota Camry? The car was involved in the accident. Your advice is appreciated.

Please see the picture
http://www.easyexport.us/carfinder/v...=4a17035cd7e3c

[davemac2]

That looks like major damage to me. Why would you want to buy that? There is the chance the front and rear windows would never fit properly again, even after frame straigtening? The car is a write-off.

[John Ext]

I am looking for a damaged car mainly to save money. This Toyota is pretty new. I thought I can replace couple right side doors, a roof, a fender, a hood, and some minor parts. The most important is to buy this vehicle at a reasonable price. Don’t you think so?

[Mike Gerber]

I have to agree with davemac2; the car is totaled. If you want to get a professional's opinion, print out the pictures and take them to a local body shop. Ask them what they think the cost would be to try and rebuild this car. They may or may not be able to give you a ballpark guess from just seeing the pictures and not the car. Most likely they will say the cost will be higher than buying a new car. If it were economically possible to rebuild this car, in Illinois you would have a car with a salvage title, since I'm sure the insurance company responsible for this car has already declared it a total.

Mike

[gator2764]

It would be best to just walk away from that mess.

[jdmccright]

Camrys are all unibody construction...no frames. Therefore any serious accident will involve massive time and labor to restraighten the vehicle and return it to original specs. There's alot more damage there than the eye can see. The only reason this one is up for sale is for parts. You're better off finding an older Camry that is still in running condition. You'll save yourself lots of time and headaches trying to get this one going again, getting it past the vehicle inspection, and retitled (which as mentioned will be branded "SALVAGE"). As said before...just walk away.

[Franco2112]

Parts car only!

[John Ext]

Thank you for your thoughts. I will try printing pictures of this car as Mike suggested and take them to the body shop.

[jdmccright]

Looks to me the financials just don't work out. An '08 2.4L LE (that's what is shown in the pics, not a CE as listed by the auctioner) in excellent condition and CLEAN title with 20000 miles in your area (Chicago) retails for ~$19k. Having a SALVAGE title drops the value considerably...say $13k-$14k. If according to the auctioner's ad the repair costs are indeed $24k, you'd be deep in the red. Add to that the actual sale price and the transportation costs to get it from TX to IL, and you'd be left with a flaming hole in your wallet and a big pile of mangled car in your driveway.

You can go get an estimate from a repair shop, but make sure you get a realistic estimate to do good work...photos can lie, or at least not show everything that SHOULD be shown. And I just can't see getting all the work done shown in under $9k to make it profitable.

Finally, even if you did get it fixed, only better shops will be able to make sure it runs and tracks correctly. Many times a car is repaired only to be plagued by inherent alignment, electrical, or other fitup problems. Any low-ball estimates should be taken with skepticism. Find reputable shops to give you estimates. Good luck!