[lylefk]

Here is the important stuff from the ad:

*2004 SVT Ford Focus, Sonic Blue
*6 speed Getrag manual
*27,300 miles on the odometer
*Rebuilt title
*Carfax shows that a reconstructed title was issued for the car at only 3100 miles. Was hit in the drivers side front. The drivers side fender, the front bumper cover, and the headlights have been replaced. Whoever fixed the car did a great job. The core support and frame are arrow straight. All body lines, fender gaps, door gaps, etc. look great. All airbags are intact, never deployed. Drives perfect, tracks straight, handles like it's on rails.
*80% tread left on Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position 215/45/R17 tires
*Steeda short ram intake
*Machined aluminum/polyurethane rear engine mount.
*Adult owned and driven, never abused. It runs and drives perfect, no issues.
*Interior is all stock, black leather with blue inserts, looks really nice and is in excellent condition.
*Audiophile package which includes 6 disc in-dash CD changer and 8" powered subwoofer in the rear hatch.
*Overall this is a really nice car with no problems, don't let the rebuilt title scare you.

Well, contrary to his advice, it scares me...I'm going to go look at it tomorrow, but it looks MINT in the pics. Looks flawless, I'd never know by looking.

So...what's it worth, and how hard will it be to re-sell it down the road? What should I look for specifically when I go check it out?

Thanks so much! First post, long time fan of the Foci...back in the day, I sold Fords for 2 years in CA.

 

[fastfocussvt87]

check door jams for over spray, its annoying to find that when you pick up a car for the first time, also, take a magnet with a piece of cloth or something on it so you don't scratch up any paint, and run it across the car to see how much metal is left on all the parts of the car that got hit in the accident. just to make sure to yourself that its not all bondo'd up and nicely painted to look good.

 

[fastfocussvt87]

o, and also, start it up and let it run, listen for knocks, ticks, clunks and anything that does not sound "normal". Test drive and feel for wheel pull, moans or low pitched wine noises around turns for potential failing wheel bearings/ride feel. smooth, or rough. how it handles, and just keep your ears open and ask questions if you hear something out of the norm. feel for clutch play/chatter, how high the pedal comes up before it engages, and how it accel's under load. also, feel the wheel at any and all speeds for wobble. see if it shakes. if it does, thats poor wheel balance.

as for what its worth??? i couldn't tell you off hand, depends on the things i said to listen for. i bought my 02 SVTF with 47k for 7k. and i didnt listen for some of the things i said, and now i have to replace a wheel bearing and i had to do an alignment and had to balance all 4 tires.

like said, just keep your ears open and your senses at peak. ask questions and see what you can talk the person down to.

good luck with purchase.

 

[focusxc]

the car may seem good to you but the rebuilt would scare me away at some point your going to want to get rid of it and wont get anything in return

 

[ken6x6]

that rebuild title is a big bargaining chip, id get him as low as he would go and drive that SVT into the ground. even if you wanted to sell it later on it might be worth more parted out.

 

[svtguy88]

I wonder if this is the same car I saw on Autotrader when I was searching for mine. Where is the car located, just because I'm curious? The one I saw seemed similar....

That said, the rebuilt title will shoot you in the foot for resale, no matter how pristine the car is. I toyed with the idea of a rebuild car myself. There's really no good way to tell what it's worth without seeing it. Rebuilds vary in quality from "can't tell the difference" to "oh my god, this is being driven."

If you decide to go for it, obviously get it inspected by a VERY knowledgeable person. Someone who knows body/chasis and the mechanics. Also, if it does turn out to be good, you should be able to practically steal it if it's the one I saw for sale more than three months ago. That title IS a huge bargaining chip as was said above me.

 

[WD40]

Moved to "SVT Owners Lounge"

See here for some more info on what to look for:
Read First: So You Want to Buy a Used SVT focus?

 

[Yocrew]

that rebuild title is a big bargaining chip, id get him as low as he would go and drive that SVT into the ground. even if you wanted to sell it later on it might be worth more parted out.

Very true.
I bought my car with a rebuilt title. I got a 02 SVT in 05 for 9grand. It had 8300miles on it. Well worth the money. I will suggest this. Get pictures of what the car looked like from the accident. They should have pics on hand. Then make your decision off that. As long as the crash didn't touch the engine or bend the frame you should be fine. And ask if all panels were fixed. The crash that my car was in wasn't that bad. The insurance company did'nt want to pay to fix it. MOst likely it will be a good buy. And I didn't worry about resale value since I really wanted the car and knew Id be keeping it.
Good luck. And if I had to guess a price. I would say it's worth nore more than 4grand less of the actual value. That's what I paid for mine.

 

[cheech]

I wonder if this is the same car I saw on Autotrader when I was searching for mine. Where is the car located, just because I'm curious? The one I saw seemed similar....

That said, the rebuilt title will shoot you in the foot for resale, no matter how pristine the car is. I toyed with the idea of a rebuild car myself. There's really no good way to tell what it's worth without seeing it. Rebuilds vary in quality from "can't tell the difference" to "oh my god, this is being driven."

If you decide to go for it, obviously get it inspected by a VERY knowledgeable person. Someone who knows body/chasis and the mechanics. Also, if it does turn out to be good, you should be able to practically steal it if it's the one I saw for sale more than three months ago. That title IS a huge bargaining chip as was said above me.

I agree no resale value,you won't get your money back on the car when it comes time to selling it

 

[svtguy88]

^^^^However, if you are planning on keeping it for a while, and it's selling for cheap, it's not a terrible idea to buy. It just has to have been repaired correctly.