I found a hail damaged 2010 Mazda cX9 with a rebuilt title at a great price, but Mazda will not honor the factory warranty due to the title change. It has less than 50 miles and was never sold. Should I buy the car without a warranty?
Absolutely not.
They won’t honer any of the warranty? I could see then not honoring the warranty on rust or body panels, but what damage would hail do to the drive train or anything mechanical? If they are selling it “as is” I also would vote NO.
My sister has a friend who bought a hail damaged Subaru the only thing voided was the rust perforation warranty. Find out and post back, I’d be curious what their reasoning is. She also got a great deal; the car looked like crap though.
Yes, but at about 1/2 the original MSRP.
I also tried to buy an aftermarket extended warranty for the Mazda cx9 and was turned down. The repair estimate for chrome trim replacement and body work was over $5000 but the price is almost half the sticker, which is still on the window. I asked Mazda for a drive train warranty and it was denied. The “rebuilt” title category is the problem. It is a very tempting car, a Grand Touring with all options.
I asked for power train only or to delete coverage on exterior paint and surface, but Mazda declined to offer any coverage at all. It was sold at auction “as is, no warranty” and they will not consider any coverage.
I say go for it as long as the selling price is under $13,000.
A rebuilt title implies the car was declared a total loss and someone rec’d a big insurance check for the car. That means the car is sitting there with no cost to the dealer, it is a freebie! Whatever price they sell it for is pure profit.
You won’t have a warranty, which is one of the biggest reasons for buying a new car. There must be some cosmetic issues with the car you’ll have to live with for years. If you tried to sell it in a year, you’d get much less than “book” value based on the title and looks of the car.
If you are interested make a “rock bottom” offer, let them say no, then walk out the door. If the sales rep has your number and calls you in a few days then they have taken the bait and you might be able to make a deal for the car.
Asking price is closer to $20K. It looks good on the roof and hood, and the CO temperature changes from day to night can work wonders on minor dents. I still want to have some power train protection, even at half price.
$20K is crazy money. For you to be asking indicates you are not a car expert. Only people fully aware of all the problems they will face with this type of purchase should ever consider it. 50% of normal selling price (not MSRP) is the MOST one of those people would ever pay.
A rebuilt/salvage title generally means the vehicle has a real value of about 40-50% of the new price and even that’s a maybe.
The only thing crazier than asking 20 grand for this car is the act of someone actually paying that much for it.
What is the sticker MSRP?
Right at $40K
The reasoning is that the title says “rebuilt” or “salvage.” It doesn’t say “restored body from hail damage but everything else is stock and was never damaged.”
So from Mazda’s point of view, here comes this guy they don’t know, with a car that has been totalled, and he wants them to give him free repairs on anything that breaks. They have no way of knowing that the OP isn’t lying and it was really a flood car that they’re now going to have to spend a fortune repairing and never really get it repaired at all.
$40k X 0.9 (typical new car discount) X 0.4 (price for this kind of car) = $14,400
But (again) I wouldn’t buy it, regardless.
If you check the reliability and useful life span of the Mazda lines, you are close to that of Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury models built on the same platforms from Volvo. Having owned several of those models, I could see the XC9 being as reliable and long lasting as its “sisters”. But yes, the price would have to be lower to justify the risk and put up with the cosmetic condition or repair the dents. Thanks for the advice.
How do you know, as a fact, that the car was totalled just because of hail damage?
$40k is you want a moon roof or rear entertainment/bose and nav setup; $35k is base price.
Offer them $12k and leave your phone number when they laugh at you.
Maybe the hailstorm preceded the 3 feet of floodwater… 
Good point. If they don’t tell you in writing why it was totaled, I’d be worrying about flood damage.