JaredB02

1984 Nissan 300zx Turbo

Hi, so I’m new to owning cars and I’ve only ever had ford pickups. In my First year of college and I decided to pick this up for a fun summer car. Seemed great when I checked it out. Rough around the edges but nothing I couldn’t fix.

6 days after purchase I was looking for some stuff to check on and I looked up what to look for when buying and somebody mentioned accidents… well somebody I know said it was not original paint and then I got worried. I did a CARFAX and sure enough there was a total loss in 2018.


Called the seller and he said he didn’t know about that and he bought it off somebody in Wasaga beach Ontario. The owner before him had it for his son and eventually sold it after it was sitting around not being driven. I’ve been trying to reserve lookup the original owner (after total) to get a story behind the repairs done. No luck so far.

The seller (I bought it from) never registered it and didn’t know about the accident (so he says) when I took a first look at it seem I’m pretty decent condition and I couldn’t visually seek anything messed up on the frame. I did notice a little but if a rough spot like it ran over a curb near the transmission area but nothing major.

Now I have a car I over paid for and has a bad history on it. I’ve learned my lesson and called myself every name in the book for this stupid mistake.

I wanted to come on here and ask what steps I should be taking next. What should I be looking for or replacing? I’m stumped on what actions to take next.

Great White Zed

My first suggestion: take three d-e-e-p breaths. Now relax. Go back and admire the look of your car. Great lines, huh? And not a bad colour really. Now remind yourself that it's a Turbo, has a T roof and whatever you've gotta do it will be a lot cheaper than many other sports cars.

So, it was written off. No surprise there. Collector cars makes Insurance Agent's sweat. What are they worth they'll wonder and look them up on Kijiji and given that they can't find any they'll want to wash their hands of it. They may even find it difficult to determine what, if any, sensors the car has so they play it safe. Factor in its age and they'll assume you can't get parts for it so they consign it to the scrap yard. Happens all the time. And then there's this from the Globe & Mail:

1. If the value of the damage typically approaches 50 per cent of the value of the vehicle, the insurer may decide to write it off and say it’s a total loss. Then they'll sell it. And guess where an old car value falls.
   
2. Major repairs could mean more headaches – and costs – down the road for your insurance company. They don't necessarily trust the repair shop to do a good job.

As for next steps you can get the car Safetied. I would also get my hands on a Haynes or Chilton manual and then get out there and check the timing belt and listen to the water pump. Heck, I'd just replace them and it is not difficult. Tedious yes, but not hard. Plus, there's plenty of support on YouTube, etc.

Enjoy the car. Love the ride.

Qaanaaq-Liaaq

Who did you buy the car from: a private party seller or a car dealer? Where did YOU and not a previous owner of the car, buy it: in the U.S. or in Canada?



The next two paragraphs applies to the U.S. If you bought it in Canada, then you’ll have to find out what Canadian laws say:



If it was a private party, I doubt that you have legal recourse but I’m not a lawyer and I could be wrong. You’ve heard the phrase “caveat emptor”? It’s Latin for “let the buyer beware.” Caveat emptor principles are generally followed but they could be subject to exceptions.



Does the car have a salvage title and did a dealer sell you the car and this information wasn't disclosed to you? If so, then they have committed dealer fraud. As far as I know, auto dealers who sell vehicles with salvage titles are bound by law to disclose the title to the buyer prior to the sale.

Great White Zed

How are things going?