Talk me out of this 500 Abarth for $17.5k

2012 Abarth fiat 500 only 1500miles salvage - $17500 (lexington)

craigslist link

" I live in Georgia and i purchased the car online for myself to drive to work and have as my little get around car. But georgia doesnt except kentucky titles. so im stuck with the car that i cant drive. So i put it up for sale in kentucky because it can be titles in kentucky. "

" I live in Georgia and i purchased the car online for myself to drive to work and have as my little get around car. But georgia doesnt except kentucky titles. so im stuck with the car that i cant drive. So i put it up for sale in kentucky because it can be titles in kentucky. "

My Spidey-sense is tingling, but what do you guys think? Sound shady? Only bought one car from CL and it was a $2000 MR2, much less than this one. But it's even the right color and graphics I want!

That sound fishy

Um I would say no. For about $2k more, I found no less than 8 Abarths of varying colors with less than 10k miles on them within 200 miles of me. They wont be salvaged, they will be insurable, and they will have warranties.

If this were $10,000, maybe. But as it stands, that's a negligible discount for a salvaged vehicle.

Why salvage title?

No.

That's alot of scratch for something with a salvage title. It may seem like a deal on the buy-in, but it will bite you in the tuchas when you're ready to sell it and move on

Run away!

Makes no sense. If a seller in KY endorsed the title to a buyer in GA, GA should be able to issue a GA title. I mean, people I assume move from KY to GA from time to time and possibly re-title various possessions for various reasons...and I wouldn't think the Salvage status would stand in the way.

Then again, judging by the seller's spelling, all of this may have presented too much of a logistics challenge, and WTH, just sell the damn thing and find a proper, GA titled Abarth.

And this is why I love this site/magazine. Thanks guys.

I didn't understand the GA - KY title thing at all, and "salvage" always makes me nervous.

fishy. KY is one of the few places you can get a salvage title back to an unbranded title. Description makes it sound like he bought as salvage, but can't get a title at all - which makes me think lien issues...

No sale..

Yeah, sounds pretty fishy. The only scenario that I can think of is that maybe GA won't issue a rebuilt title on a title that was junked out of state? Maybe he'd have to take the car to KY, have it inspected by a sheriff, then go to Frankfort and have them issue a rebuilt title that he would then have to take back to GA to transfer.

My Google-Fu reveals that in GA you need to be a licensed rebuilder to do that title work, so maybe that's the hang up? In KY, anybody can rebuild a vehicle if it can pass the basic roadworthiness test at the courthouse.

My take is that the rebuilder did not get a Ky title issued after the work was done and the purchaser cannot get the car registered in Ga without first having the car registered in Ky thus he is trying to sell in Ky on the open salvage certificate. Maybe the paperwork is screwed up or missing but something is wrong and it aint a good enough deal to get involved. Keep looking for a better car.

My key take-away from this thread is that I can buy an insurable, warranted Abarth for $19k with less than 10k on it.

Vedy entedesting.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: My key take-away from this thread is that I can buy an insurable, warranted Abarth for $19k with less than 10k on it. Vedy entedesting.

Agreed. I've been shopping them ever since Lesley's drag story! I'd love one in the charcoal grey color.

whenry wrote: Maybe the paperwork is screwed up or missing but something is wrong and it aint a good enough deal to get involved. Keep looking for a better car.

Indeed. That's exactly the setup I want too. White, red graphics, white coated wheels...

I wouldn't do it. Those cars, if not outright gay, are at best sexually ambiguous.

$17,500 doesn't talk you out of it?

Rebuilt salvage should = half price. I've bought running Boxsters for $4000 because of rebuilt/salvage histories. And you know what? They were VERY difficult tosell on, even at such deeply discounted prices.

1988RedT2 wrote: I wouldn't do it. Those cars, if not outright gay, are at best sexually ambiguous.

I disagree:

1988RedT2 wrote: I wouldn't do it. Those cars, if not outright gay, are at best sexually ambiguous.

Great. Thanks.

Now I want one.

1988RedT2 wrote: I wouldn't do it. Those cars, if not outright gay, are at best sexually ambiguous.

What is all that about?

Looking for humor in all the wrong places, i would say.

Anyway, there's this thing called "full faith and credit" that makes this guy's little story a complete crock of E36 M3. There is no state in the union where you cant drive a vehicle just because it was initially registered in a different state. Complete BS.

1988RedT2 wrote: I wouldn't do it. Those cars, if not outright gay, are at best sexually ambiguous.

That pathetic atitude still exists?

$17,500 will now get you an early 996, which will label you as a dick rather than gay, or maybe a gay dick, I dunno.