Body damage -- just throw a new trunk over it??

Looking at this Lincoln MKZ for $1750. Obviously it has issues with the trunk and rear bumper cover and lights. Looking at maybe $400 for parts from car-part.com. I don't much care about it working right, just not looking too stupid, so I thought about replacing those two and just kind of securing it into place with some jury-rigged setup to make it LOOK like it's all there. I'M GETTING DESPERATE HERE, OKAY!?? This time I'm taking it to a shop to get checked out, too.

Guy said his daughter was given a check for "trade in value" on the car when I asked for a ballpark of what the insurance thought it would take. I think that's around $2-3k. No airbags deployed.

Thoughts??

I am sure that our resident IAAI auction hawks will be in shortly.

From what i have seen, the bumper cover has sprung back because it is plastic and can do that.  For sure, the bumper reinforcement and trunk floor are deeply mangulated.

You see that whitish looking panel with the wire harness passing through it?  That is supposed to be vertical.  The part that the trunk latch is on is now well forward of that.  And, on further lookin', it appears that the rear edges of the quarter panels are pulled in.

That is a parts car, unless you want to get really inventive with your chain-and-tree backyard frame rack action and don't mind a trunk that leaks.  Or pay a body shop to repair it properly, i guess, which I assume involves a call to a salvage yard for the rear section of a car.

Let me throw this guy in , 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nEH793PAiw

He seems to fix a lot of cars like this , pulling out the crashed sections , 

He is in Egypt , so turn the sound down.........  but it shows what can be fixed if you take the time , 

What is the wholesale value of the car if it was not damaged ?

Am I seeing it wrong, or is it originally a red car that has been color changed to black ? Or is just the bumper red ?

In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :

To me it looks like the bumper was swapped at some point, which means this is the second time it has been rear ended. 

I'd pass. 

I agree with the others, more damaged than it appears on the surface.  No way I would pay $1750.  At $500 I would be a buyer if it runs and drives fine.  At that price I don't think it's a major risk for you, but at $1750 I would pass.

The only reason to buy that car is as a donor for another with front end damage.  It's scrap without a reputable unibody repair shop.

Run. 
 

Doesn't your Jaguar run and drive right now? Why desperate?

In reply to dculberson :

I seriously dislike that Jag. The other night it snowed and I thought "oh great! Maybe this will redeem it!" Nope, too tail-happy for my liking. Fun when intentional.

Thanks on the eagle eyes, guys. This was an iffy proposition under ideal circumstances. Passing 

I see you wrote your passing but I'll write anyway...

My first thought is your not in a position to take this gamble.  Wrecked cars are that, a gamble.  But, my fear is you want a car to drive and for $1700 (and then more making it more than $2k) gives you only a car to work on and you need a car to drive.  I suspect that this car has a salvage title.  Do we know if it does?  In other words, in the eyes of the State of Mich, is this car legal to drive on the roads? If not legal to drive, do you have an understanding of what Mich requires to get t back on the road.  It probably doesn't require much but it probably takes time.  In Ohio, it would take a good month or maybe more to make it legal. 

Second, too much damage to buy off just pictures.  Could you go see the car in person?  

As mentioned, the bumper was a used red unit put on in the past.  This is not the first rear hit and was cheaply fixed that time with used parts.  

My greatest concern is that folded trunk when pushed in should have gotten smaller, not larger.  Yet, look at how the lid meets the fender.  The lid overlaps the fender.  It is my belief that the fenders have been pushed inward.  This will require some frame machine time, or some really creative work with a chain and tree or some kind of sideways jacking to only get it to be "okay."  

I would feel better if the tail lamps on the body still fit exactly into their cavities correctly and tightly.  My suspicion is that they do not.  Further more, I want to see the spare tire well.  How much damage is there to the floor pan.  This is a crumple zone that might be pre-crumpled.  This then means less rear impact protection if the car gets rear ended again...which would be the THIRD TIME its been rear ended.  I've put car like this back on the road but be real aware that your kids might be less safe in this car compared to a never hit MKZ.    

Lastly, this car has been sitting for a long time.  How long ago was it that there were this many leaves on the trees in Holt, MI?  Due to the nature of the gamble, id want to drive that price down.  I'd have to see the car in person and I'd have to drive it too.  

Needs a rear body panel, minimum. Probable trunk floor damage. Quarter panels are probably rolled in too. That thing needs a few hours on a frame rack before you can even think about replacing the bolt on parts.

It's a parts car. Those are hardly rare. You could buy a decent one for far less than what it would cost to fix.

In reply to P3PPY :

As some encouragement, I like when people post these, "what do you see" type threads.  I'm a hack, but DDavid is a real industry pro.  You've gotten some really good answers/insight here from everyone who contributed. 

If it runs.  And it's like $300. You could build a lemons car out of it. 

Hook a chain from the rear crash bar to a tree, then neutral drop it.

NickD said:

Hook a chain from the rear crash bar to a tree, then neutral drop it.

I do have some small trees in the back 40 I want to pull out...