Figured I would say hi...
 

Well I have been lurking and reading a bit and figured I would introduce myself. I actually joined with my FE vehicle being a '93 Civic DX AT Coupe with 186K (fully rebuilt motor), but then had a friend that needed a car for his wife after she had surgery on her clutch foot (for some reason he did not want to just swap and let me drive his wife's EVO until she was better, he would rather just let it sit in the garage... Go figure).

So, basically I traded the Civic straight up (since I used the money from it) for a 2001 Saturn SC1 AT (blah) with 120K. All the MT cars kept getting sold. Not a bad trade, but did not find out until I went to title the car that it was a rebuilt title vehicle. Upon closer inspection the repairs are not great, and under my standards, but overall the car looks and drives great, so I guess I will live with it.

No FE mods currently, but according to FedEx, the stuff for my HAI arrived this morning after I left for work.

Here are a few pictures:

https://www.indyhpmedia.com/ihpmedia/...Picture374.jpg
https://www.indyhpmedia.com/ihpmedia/...Picture377.jpg

Wow, looks incredibly clean. :thumbup:

I like the cheese door. my wife has an element and it has the same deal. it works good for the baby seat.

as far as the salvaged title (I assume that is what you meant) my car has a salvaged title and I have been driving it over 5 1/2 years with no problems. and yes the repair is messy looking underneath. the frame damage looks like it was pulled out with a come-a-long and a tree.

yours looks head and shoulders better than mine. you should be able to do good with that car and it looks good too.

Welcome aboard - glad to see another Saturn guy around here!

-BC

In Indiana, it is a "salvage" title when it is totaled, but after repairs are completed it becomes a "rebuilt" title. So basically the same idea.

Mine did not appear to necessarily have any frame damage, but when they welded in the new radiator/core support, it looks like someone's first time welding... lol Not horrible (because it appears they ground most back flat) but not a "quality" job. Other than that, the paint looks great, but there are runs along the edge of the hood and on the front bumper.

It is not really the way it is repaired that ticks me off, it was the fact it was not disclosed to me, and I did not know where to look on the title (nor did I even really look at the title other than filling out my name as the purchaser) when I bought it. Had cars lined up with similar miles and clean titles for the same price, but live and learn I guess...

Having owned 30 cars and this being 31, I guess it is not a bad percentage that only 1 has not been what I thought it was. And so far it has been a great car, cannot wait to start the FE mods..

And yeah, I guess I lied... I have done one FE "mod" and that was the Saturn antenna "tuck" (moving the antenna into the A-pillar behind the plastic panel). Might be able to add the second mod depending on how long it takes to figure out whats wrong with my friend's Kubota tractor tonight.

Just for the fun of it... Here was my prior "fun" car:

1998 Buick Regal GS with custom turbo kit (would definitely catch a few people off guard in this "grandpa" car).

https://www.indyhpmedia.com/ihpmedia/...s/IMG_4719.JPG
https://www.indyhpmedia.com/ihpmedia/...s/IMG_4724.JPG
https://www.indyhpmedia.com/ihpmedia/...s/IMG_4727.JPG
https://www.indyhpmedia.com/ihpmedia/...2009%20(2).jpg
https://www.indyhpmedia.com/ihpmedia/...2009%20(7).JPG
https://www.indyhpmedia.com/ihpmedia/...2009%20(6).jpg



And the new "fun" car:

1968 Mercury Montego (Ford 302)... My wife's great grandmother's very first car with ~60K original miles

https://www.indyhpmedia.com/pics/Ben9...%20%283%29.JPG
https://www.indyhpmedia.com/pics/Ben9...%20%285%29.JPG
https://www.indyhpmedia.com/pics/Ben9...20%2817%29.JPG
https://www.indyhpmedia.com/pics/Ben9...20%2818%29.JPG

I would have done a carfax on it myself. I was aware of my situation prior to getting into the deal.

I like your fun vehicles. suprising people is fun. I like the sleeper look myself. the hood does elude to having something in there but now-a-days, many would just do the hood for the looks and nothing more. cool that you had the goods to back up the looks.

that is awesome.

good luck with the saturn.

Trust me, it will not happen again. It was one of those situations where I was without a car for a week and NEEDED something ASAP. All the other cars kept getting sold out from under me (worked out deals and was supposed to pick up the cars the next day as they were too far away to go that night and then they changed their mind or sold it to a local person or decided to keep it, etc.). VIN was not posted in ad and basically when I got a call from the guy and asked questions, then left directly from a work holiday party to go pick it up.

I guess I am too honest (a sucker if you will) and trust that people would disclose something like that before you bought the car because I would.

Oh well, hindsight is 20/20 and pointless at this point anyway.

In Ghana, that is S.O.P. for straightening out a car...https://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun...ana-car-yard16

My Geo also has a salvage title...looks like there was some welding also around the radiator support and front bumper area, job looked pretty decent and has been no problem. Depends on who does the work, I guess, and probably how old the car was when the work was done...a newer car, with full coverage insurance, or valuable enough to make it worth repairing would probably be repaired at a reputable place.

Well scratch that.. Putting my Saturn up for sale, just picked up a '95 Civic DX MT for cheap. Better hypermiling capabilities with the new Civic. Will just have to learn to live with the "poop" brown interior.:eek:

That is such a beautiful Saturn!

You have a collector's piece there! Keep it! :cool:

I agree, it looks like a brand new car in a showroom that's never even been outdoors.

LOL... It might look like that in the pictures.... BUT:

1. Front bumper where the license plate holes/mounts are is dimpled/warped like the plate holder was on it and it bumped into something
2. Runs in paint along the edges of the hood.
3. Headlights were replaced with aftermarket ones and do not align correctly, adjustment posts are broken/stripped and the lights "bounce"
4. Scuffs/scratches on the passenger side fender from going under something (I am assuming that is why the repairs were made, slid under a truck damaging hood and headlights).
5. Rear bumper faded and has a lot of "spider cracks" in the paint from being backed into things.
6. Rear spoiler/trunklid has all kinds of scratches probably from having things set on it.
7. Scratches/scuffs on passenger side of the car from possibly multiple cart grazings. Have not had a chance to see if these will buff out or if they are too deep.
8. Common Saturn problem, the sunroof is starting to go out (works, but when you close it does not want to completely reseat unless you push on it while closing, you need two people to do this and it is hard to reach the button and the top of the car at the same time).
9. Driver door "pops" when opening and closing. Another common Saturn problem from the door panel being too thin where the checker mounts and pulls the metal out of place and then "pops" back to normal.


So I know I can be a little OCD about my cars, but this one is far from "perfect". It just photographs well. If I was going to have a spare car, it would be and SC2 instead of the SC1 then anyway... lol

Here are 2 pictures of the Honda (no that is not me, that is the previous owner... lol):

https://www.indyhpmedia.com/ihpmedia/...gs/95Civic.jpg
https://www.indyhpmedia.com/ihpmedia/...s/95Civic2.jpg

Hi Ben,
Thanks for reminding us how misleading a photo can be, especially over the 'net. We'll keep this in mind when surfing ebay and the like.
Best of luck with the "new" car. Please keep us posted on successes and failures. Especially failures, no sense in all of us falling into the same pit.
Warmest regards,
Patrick

It also helps to know about photography when looking at pictures on the net. You can put different filters on the camera to make up for shortcomings in the vehicle. Paint not shiny? Star filter time!!! I remember one evening my brother in law & I were bored out of our minds, so we went to Ebay Motors, and looked at cars, and identified the special effects & filters used in the car pictures.

Will keep updates on the stuff I do to the Honda. Trying to get a few base tanks in, but figure I am getting about 35-40mpg right now and at the rate I drive it is going to take me at least another 2 weeks. At this rate I will not have a base to compare to because I will get to antsy and start modding it... lol :D

I highly doubt he used any filters or gimmicks in the photos. It just photographs well. You have to be really close to the car to notice just about any of the items I mentioned. Oh well. Sold the car for what I had in it, so really not a big deal. And unlike the guy that sold it to me, I DID DISCLOSE the rebuilt title.

I learned how to drive on a '68 Mercury Montego MX that my dad bought new in '68. The main difference was yours if a 4 door and not the MX model. It didn't get terrible gas mileage for a car made in the 60's with a 302 CI V8. If I remember right I could usually squeeze about 18 MPG out of it and gas was only about $ .40-$ .45 a gallon when I was learning to drive.

Yeah, sounds about right. But not worried about gas mileage with that thing. Currently sitting in the garage waiting for reassembly, but was bored .030" over with higher compression pistons, 262 cam, 600 cfm carb, etc. Mild build, but just wanted a little more power for it on the street, will probably never see the strip.