Buying a donor through IAA. Please advise.

[lennyspecv]

So I've been browsing through the Insurance Auto Auctions website. There are a LOT of great donor vehicles on there. Many of them run and can be driven too, which seems to be the way to go for obvious reasons.

I'm not familiar with the legal or practical info about buying salvage vehicles. I noticed that you have to pay $200 to upgrade your account so you can bid, but I didn't find clear info on who they allow to buy which vehicles. I've got my eye on getting an STi...seems like it would be the ideal donor, accepting that you would have to buy different spindles/axles/control arms/other stuff to make it work.

There are many STi's on the website. I'm curious what these would typically sell for. $5k? $8k? $10k?

For those of you who have gone this route, what do I need to know?

Thanks.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Talking about auctions
There is a nice 2004 forester xt 2.5L small turbo (engine internals same as 04 STI) for auction today.
Dayton ohio, clean title. Not salvage. (this means if you just want to drive it until you make it into an 818, you can.)
I would bid up to 3k for this car.
Bob

http://www.copart.com/us/Lot/35699015?searchId=42827917

48261

[Hindsight]

It varies state by state based on the state the car is in. The website has a section that shows for each state, whether public can bid or licensed brokers only. If brokers only, they have another page listing a bunch of brokers. You sign up with a broker and can then bid as if you worked for the broker. They take a small fee for that (fee varies by broker). It's all on the Web pages.

I wouldn't look at an STI. Regardless of condition, they almost always go well over $10k. A really nice WRX can be had for under half that.

[john g]

I bought a 2006 WRX through an insurance auction and paid a broker to place the bid.

I paid $3400 for the car, but the cost went to $4200 including fees and transportation. That is well below the going price for a similar car but uncrashed car available locally. The car arrived with a few surprises, including three flat tires and no battery. I was able to sell parts, doors, fenders, fog lights, and more for about $1200.

Did I take a risk? Yes.

[lennyspecv]

Talking about auctions
There is a nice 2004 forester xt 2.5L small turbo (engine internals same as 04 STI) for auction today.
Dayton ohio, clean title. Not salvage. (this means if you just want to drive it until you make it into an 818, you can.)
I would bid up to 3k for this car.
Bob

http://www.copart.com/us/Lot/35699015?searchId=42827917

48261

Yes I saw that. Someone got it. I wonder what it sold for...


It varies state by state based on the state the car is in. The website has a section that shows for each state, whether public can bid or licensed brokers only. If brokers only, they have another page listing a bunch of brokers. You sign up with a broker and can then bid as if you worked for the broker. They take a small fee for that (fee varies by broker). It's all on the Web pages.

I wouldn't look at an STI. Regardless of condition, they almost always go well over $10k. A really nice WRX can be had for under half that.

Here are my thoughts...if I found an STi donor for a decent price, it could keep me from having to buy a bigger turbo and better brakes down the line. I know Zach34 bought his STi for around $7k.

But then I could always go the forester XT route, save money, and then buy a used turbo and supporting mods later.

So many ways to go when looking for an 818 donor....

At the end of the day I suppose it will come down to price and what I have access to. Thankfully, in NC I don't think you need to have a special license to buy salvage cars within the state.

[TX-Lou]

We went the donor route as well from a Copart auction. In Texas you need to use a broker so we were forced to. You can read about that experience and what to be aware of in the first post of our tear-down thread.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?18532-2004-WRX-Tear-down-TX-Lou

I recommend that you look for cars that are being auctioned in your area. You may have to wait a little longer to find what you are looking for but at least you will be able to check out the car in person so there are no bad surprises. We were able to start our donor so that was a plus. In the end we decided to have that engine rebuilt anyway. If you are planning to rebuild your engine it isn't as important that it starts and runs at the time of the auction.

- Lou

[Cwagz922]

Look around for promo code for IAA. I found code in magazine article that gave me free 6 month trial. Can't remember where but I came across it in a google search.

[lennyspecv]

We went the donor route as well from a Copart auction. In Texas you need to use a broker so we were forced to. You can read about that experience and what to be aware of in the first post of our tear-down thread.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?18532-2004-WRX-Tear-down-TX-Lou

I recommend that you look for cars that are being auctioned in your area. You may have to wait a little longer to find what you are looking for but at least you will be able to check out the car in person so there are no bad surprises. We were able to start our donor so that was a plus. In the end we decided to have that engine rebuilt anyway. If you are planning to rebuild your engine it isn't as important that it starts and runs at the time of the auction.

- Lou

Ya, while it would be nice to not have to rebuild it, I also want to learn as much as possible doing this so I have opened myself up to non-running donors.


Look around for promo code for IAA. I found code in magazine article that gave me free 6 month trial. Can't remember where but I came across it in a google search.

Ok thanks. I'll look for that.

[Hindsight]

Just note that the rules about public vs broker bidding are based on the state the car is in, not the state you are in.

[lennyspecv]

Just note that the rules about public vs broker bidding are based on the state the car is in, not the state you are in.

I will need to clarify what the rules are here in NC. I'm not sure.

[Khartley]

I just bought a rebuilt title 06 STi for $7k, if that's any value to you. Private party sale, not as a parts car. I had it gone thru by a reputable Subaru shop. It needed a clutch and a head gasket, so I told them to go thru the motor and give it a proper tune. The cost will be around $4k for an exedy stage 1 clutch, go thru the motor, get rid of the aftermarket bov and awful intake and get a proper tune. But the thing with an STi is there will always be children with wrxs who will swap probably straight across for any sti parts you have that you need wrx parts for. Actually, you could swap the entire drivetrain with a wrx owner and they'd pay you on top of that. The STi 6 speed is desirable, but you also have to swap out differentials and what not. You could probably trade and get a grand on top if they were quality parts. Plus everything else is worth more too... The silly wing, anything that says STi on it.. Food for thought. Id certainly consider them for the right price if it were me.

[lennyspecv]

I just bought a rebuilt title 06 STi for $7k, if that's any value to you. Private party sale, not as a parts car. I had it gone thru by a reputable Subaru shop. It needed a clutch and a head gasket, so I told them to go thru the motor and give it a proper tune. The cost will be around $4k for an exedy stage 1 clutch, go thru the motor, get rid of the aftermarket bov and awful intake and get a proper tune. But the thing with an STi is there will always be children with wrxs who will swap probably straight across for any sti parts you have that you need wrx parts for. Actually, you could swap the entire drivetrain with a wrx owner and they'd pay you on top of that. The STi 6 speed is desirable, but you also have to swap out differentials and what not. You could probably trade and get a grand on top if they were quality parts. Plus everything else is worth more too... The silly wing, anything that says STi on it.. Food for thought. Id certainly consider them for the right price if it were me.

Ya. STi is definitely the way to go if the price is right. The problem is that I need to drive my donor for awhile. So I'm looking for an older model wrx where someone has swapped in an STi motor. I've seen a few of them on CL. Just a matter of time, patience, and money. Or I will find a donor through IAA.

This is also why I can't buy your 06. Such a good deal :(