Oh--- it came with new tires also. (AVON) never heaed of them?

 

I am a motorcyclist and I haev heard of them for bikes...

 

The only potential issue i can see is that the vehicle, if issued with a salvage title, will have lower resale value if/when you trade it in. If you keep it for many years, this point will become less of an issue.

 

Got mine last month, 2000 XLT, AWD 5.4 with 60,000 for $13,000. It has everything except heated seats & mirrors. It was the first one I saw & couldn't pass it up. The wife wanted to see another. We looked at a 2000 Navigator (same interior as the Expy XLT) with lots of door dings, & dunkin doughnuts coffee cups inside, dirty interior & needed tires and the dealer wanted $19,000.
Good Luck

83 Bronco II
87 Bronco II 325k
93 Explorer XLT 150k
2000 Expy Black XLT

 

you did good. However i just got a 98 EB 4x4 with a 5.4 liter for 5000$. It has 37k miles and needs a drivers door + windshield. I sourced out a door that matches in color for 500$ plus the windshield will run me about 120$. I think i did pretty good too.

 

Wow -- was is it a salvage? was the vehicle sitting around for a while? are u related to any scobies in chippewa falls wi ?

 

superbelly: Yes it was a salvage and yes it was sitting around for a while. When i got my hands on it the car looked like it hadnt been driven for months, my guess is that it was simply standing on a salvage lot while the insurance company settled the paperwork. I got it at Copart auctions through a friend of mine. And it runs like a top might i add, not a clunck or sputter, just smoothness. And also no i am not related to any scobies in chippewa falls WI. Thanks!

 

That sounds like a great deal. I think carefully used Expy's are the best thing out there. Lots of Eddie B's and loaded XLT's out there. Been noticing a few Expy's showing up at good prices again lately. I hope you're as happy with yours as I am with mine. I was a GMC fan until I got this. I had major reservations about buying a Ford and now I don't know why. I picked up my loaded 2000 XLT Sport with 36K on the odo, a clean Carfax report (got the police report on the one minor accident it had). I paid exactly $14,000 with tax, tags, 3yr 30K warrantee, from a Chevy dealership (HAHA!) - was asking $18,900! It came with a Manik pushbar/brushguard and taillight guards, and a trailer brake controller. Asside from a little rust on the funny looking factory running boards (probably going to get new ones), the truck is very clean. Sure, it's presently in the Chevy dealer's shop getting a valve gasket changed, but I'm not complaining - the warantee covered it.

Up until November I was driving a 1989 GMC Jimmy (Full size)- I was sinking approx $1000 a month into that beast and still had a transfer case pissing blood on the freshly paved driveway.

The only thing I miss about the big Jimmy was the garbage disposal system / urinal - just aim for the floor and it would fall through one of the many holes!

 

Yup i know the feeling. I went to my Expy from a 95 Subaru, sure it was economical but it was also extremely underpowered. It sounds like you paid good money for your truck Silverdawg. Good luck!

 

This whole salvage thing has been really blown out of proportion. And it is the insurance companies that are really driving it, along with consumers. Often for the wrong reasons, and it comes down to one thing - $$$$. I'll give a few examples (and you can talk to anyone in the body shop or car dealership business and they will have infinate stories:

-Case one - 1991 whatever that has a book value of say 2K gets hit in the fender, and it effects the hood - Guess what, it gets totalled because the estimate to repair is $1,500, and sold off as "Salvage" because the insurance company buys it from the owner (who happened to carry collision for some strange reason!). Car gets branded as salvage, and nowadays, even the body shop owner is not allowed to buy it, unless the original owner buys it from the company...

-Case two - Brand spanking new 2005 BMW 745li is run off the road hard, all kinds of suspension damange, body damage, air bags are deployed, breaking the windshield by design, and the total for repair is estimated at $30K. Approval to start work is authorized by the insurance company. Body shop gets into it, and another $10K is authorized for hidden damage to the suspension, drivetrain, and body damage. Total bill is $40K. Car drives down the road crooked as a result of a bad day by the frame machine operator that was ticked off at his ex wife for taking him to court. Result on the title work:

Absolutely nothing, nada. Oh, and guess what, the police did not show up for the accident because the guy knew a tow operator that got him the heck out of there so he did not get charged with DUI, so guess what - This does not even show up on your Carfax report that you just paid $25 for - It shows an absolutely clean bill of health for the car - what a crock!

Now, which car would you feel safer driving down the road???

- Case #3. Your car gets stolen, taken for a joy ride. Can't find the car, and you settle with your insurance company. You take your check and buy a new car. Yahoo. Guess what, the day after you accepted the check, the police find the car parked somewhere. There is no damage, because it was stolen with the key that you gave to the valet parking guy, and someone stole a bunch of keys from the box... You happen to live in a state that requires (by law) that any stolen car automatically gets a "Salvage Title" associated with it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the car, but the insurance company now owns it. They are not in the car business, and have to go through the paperwork to sell it at auction, and wait for it to come up. Car is sold at auction as "salvage". Car must be inspected by police to verify that no stolen serial numbers are on it, before the MVA will issue what is now a "Reconstructed" or "Rebuilt" title that will now live with that vehicle forever, until it RIP's with a "Junk Title" 20 years from now...

Again, which of the above would you want??? Many consumers would actually want #2, if they believe all the marketing, media stuff that has been thrown out in the recent years.

Then we go on to Carfax - Guess what, this is a bunch of B S as well. I have specific examples, and am thinking about getting a refund of my money recently spent.

 

2002 Expedition, Eddie Bauer bought last month. 66K miles.
Fully Loaded - 4X4, AWD, Third Row, Rear Air, Moonroof, Air Suspension, Backup warning system with side airbags, tow package, heated seats, memory seats/mirrors/pedals, new front Goodyear tires, rear tires with 50% tread. Never hit, no stone chips, no scratches through clear coat.

$11,800

What it needed:

-Drivers seat
-Third row seat (it came with one from the factory, it was missing)
-Headliner
-Brakes - Doing a full brake job - new rotors, pads, and one caliper
-One front tire needed 9 oz. to balance! Tire out of round - Goodyear replaced for the cost of a balance and disposal fee (around $22 total) (and I did not buy it new, and they never asked - talk about customer service!)
-Air compressor bracket (cheasy design for the mounts failed)
-General overall fluid changes and spark plugs - had a nice air filter in it already.

How'd I do?

 

I'd say you did great! But I have a couple questions...

Why does it need a new drivers seat and headliner?

Being so new and needing those items...I'd wonder how it was treated/maintained.

Of course whenever we buy used, we never REALLY know what we're getting.

 

Id have to say you did very good racerock. Only one thing, did you get your truck in the tri state area? The reason i ask is because i myself live in New York City and the naked truth is that most cars have a much lower value here because of the road conditions, theft, etc...

 

Maryland, I was close enough, During my search for a new car i noticed a trend of vehichels being priced lower than in other states. My guess is your truck could have easily come from Philadelphia, which is popular for car theft, chop shops and such. Of course I am not saying that your truck has had any negative history, I am just sharing the knowledge I gained while being around used car dealers for 4 years.

 

Well, guess what, it was stolen, (somehow not broken into, from the looks, had the keys) and they stole the third seat, the drivers seat (because it had an lcd screen in the headrest) and there was an aftermarket flip down screen on the passenger side that was stolen, and they cut the headliner to get access.

So, because it was stolen, it received a "Salvage Certificate". It now has a "Reconstructed" Title because of it. Reconstructed because I had to bolt in the drivers seat, drop in the third seat, and replace a headliner!!!!!!!!!!!!! Heck, there are many an Expedition out there that have had $20,000 of work done on them after an accident that have a "Clean" bill of health according to Carfax.

I kept pictures of it with the seats out, etc.

To answer a previous question, the insurance company should not depreciate a vehicle because of a reconstructed title. If they did, you should get depreciation on top of your car getting fixed at a body shop after an accident. I've asked for it before, and they have clearly stated that they fix the car to the same condition as before - yeah, right. See my example above on the BMW...hmmm.....