2003 Terminator Convertible

[Donstang86]

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/4947791077.html

Nice looking car, low miles but way too much for a R title!

[travj31]

saw that listed a little while back and had the same thoughts... to me that's a $14k ride

[Donstang86]

I would love to have a 2003 Terminator convertible that was 100% stock. I really love these but the R Title and price really are hard to accept. I hate bashing a car that I would love to have.

[travj31]

i hear ya... car looks nice and clean, just a steep price for a 12 year old vehicle with a r-title

[PaxtonShelby]

FWIW, the damage wasn't terribly extensive and seems like it would be very easy to fix ( new K member? ) and be as good as new. What is a clean title 2003-4 Cobra conv worth? If it is worth $25k+ all day then maybe this guy's price at $20k isn't too far off?? 12k original miles is pretty damn low.

[Stangman701]

It might be worth $20K to the right person if it wasn't an R title, but there's no way it's worth that as an R title. I would say $15-16K would be good money for that car.

[John4cam]

What does bish always claim? They're worth like 60% of the book value with a reconstructed tittle? Or somewhere in that range.

[PaxtonShelby]

To me, the value depends on the reason the R-title was issued.

If due to an accident, how severe was the damage? Keep in mind that a 1-year old car that cost $40k new with 40k miles and $10k to $15k of damage will get fixed and the title won't be affected. Change that car to a pristine 2,000 mile Fox-body - and it gets the salvage/reconstructed title.

If the R-title was issued because the car was stolen - and not damaged at all - but not recovered until the claim was settled and the funds given to the owner so he could buy a replacement vehicle - then the value of that car should not suffer as much.

In the case of this particular Cobra, it sounds like the seller has all the damaged parts that were replaced so the buyer can see exactly how bad the undercarriage damage was. To me that's a very smart move on his part.

So, my question is...what would the approximate value of this car be if it had never been damaged and the title was clean? Aren't clean 2003-04 Cobra convertibles with low miles going for upwards of $30k? I'm not up on the current market for these cars - so my guess could be a bit off. My point is that if the clean title value of the car is around $30k, then $20k ( a $10k "penalty" ) for this car doesn't seem too out of line, especially considering the seller has the original parts. It isn't like the car was all smacked up and repainted with a ton of bondo underneath.

So so let me know what you think about that. I have no skin in the game here so you won't hurt my feelings. It is just that the topic of R-titles has come up a few times around here and I just thought it would make for a good discussion.

[Maxpowers]

To me, the value depends on the reason the R-title was issued.

Depends who your buyer is. To me, an R title is an R title. Doesn't matter why.

Aren't clean 2003-04 Cobra convertibles with low miles going for upwards of $30k?

LOL. No. High 10k to low 20k. 30k - 40k is the GT500 range now.

[RUTHLESS]

Considering what the drivetrain in these cars cost that guy isn't to far off. Low mileage cobras are not easy to find anymore.

Edit: r title are not 60% off. If that was the case how could shops make a living rebuilding these things?

[Stangman701]

To me, the value depends on the reason the R-title was issued.

If due to an accident, how severe was the damage? Keep in mind that a 1-year old car that cost $40k new with 40k miles and $10k to $15k of damage will get fixed and the title won't be affected. Change that car to a pristine 2,000 mile Fox-body - and it gets the salvage/reconstructed title.

If the R-title was issued because the car was stolen - and not damaged at all - but not recovered until the claim was settled and the funds given to the owner so he could buy a replacement vehicle - then the value of that car should not suffer as much.

In the case of this particular Cobra, it sounds like the seller has all the damaged parts that were replaced so the buyer can see exactly how bad the undercarriage damage was. To me that's a very smart move on his part.

So, my question is...what would the approximate value of this car be if it had never been damaged and the title was clean? Aren't clean 2003-04 Cobra convertibles with low miles going for upwards of $30k? I'm not up on the current market for these cars - so my guess could be a bit off. My point is that if the clean title value of the car is around $30k, then $20k ( a $10k "penalty" ) for this car doesn't seem too out of line, especially considering the seller has the original parts. It isn't like the car was all smacked up and repainted with a ton of bondo underneath.

So so let me know what you think about that. I have no skin in the game here so you won't hurt my feelings. It is just that the topic of R-titles has come up a few times around here and I just thought it would make for a good discussion.

I agree with what you're saying and I personally wouldn't have much trouble buying an R title vehicle. I think the problem with this one is that his asking price is what the car is worth with a clean title. Now you'll probably see similar ones posted for say $23K, but I'd bet money most of them are currently selling for $19-21K once all the negotiation is done. Then the fact that this one has an R title will knock it down to the $15-16K range IMO

[John4cam]

Considering what the drivetrain in these cars cost that guy isn't to far off. Low mileage cobras are not easy to find anymore.

Edit: r title are not 60% off. If that was the case how could shops make a living rebuilding these things?

I dont think I said that....but what I meant was worth 60% of what a certain car books for. Actually sounds close from what i have seen.

[cwh19]

I think an R title value really depends on the type of car.

For an every day driver like a Focus, Accord, etc, an R title wouldn't matter to me.

For a car that is suppose to deliver performance, where a straight chassis and square frame are just as important as power output, its a bigger deal. I've seen and drove a few cars that weren't perfectly square from an R title and they just float, pull, and steer in odd ways.


FWIW: 'Square' is in reference to stable, equal chassis. Not the geometric shape lol.

[Terminated]

I'd stay away from anything that had undercarriage damage...guy prob. has 9-10k into the car if he bought it with a Salvage title.

[RUTHLESS]

I say buy one for $8k and then get a clean fox to swap the drivetrain into. Clean mod foxes are going for crazy prices for some reason.

Not sure why most of you think this car is trash. I found that they have a tighter inspection on r-titles then raged out clean title car.

[travj31]

I don't think its trash, just a little overpriced for an R-Title... After considering the mileage, I think anything less than 16k would be a fair price.