Lexus RC F Demonstrates Why You NEED to Be Careful Buying Cars at Auctions
Scam alert: this Lexus RC F looks decent in the photos, but upon closer inspection, the sellers cut some alarming corners to conceal the worst of the damage.
The automotive world is ripe for the picking when it comes to scamming others, and unsavory types are always trying to do precisely that. These types of scams range from the typical used car seller trying to conceal damage or wear all the way up to dealers pulling a fast one on their own customers. However, another common scam involves salvaged or wrecked vehicles that are repaired poorly – just enough to make them look good in photos – and then passed on to unsuspecting new owners at auction. That’s precisely the type of activity the YouTube channel vehcor recently pointed out by using this Lexus RC F as an example.
This Lexus RC F – which is being sold by a party known for such activities – was deemed a total loss by the insurance company, or simply not worth repairing, financially speaking. At that point, these vehicles are typically purchased by third parties and repaired before moving on to a new owner, or even used for parts, depending on the circumstances. Problem is, some choose to take advantage of this situation and only perform just enough cosmetic repairs to make the vehicles look good, without addressing the real issues underneath.
That’s certainly the case with this Lexus RC F, which was listed for sale with a salvage title and just over 2,000 miles on the clock. If one looks at the photos closely enough, there are some obvious clues indicating that it’s been repaired in a shockingly poor manner – just look at the drywall screws holding the front bumper on as an example. That’s also the case out back, as the rear bumper has been reattached in the same old shoddy manner as well.
Upon closer inspection, our host also points out that given the buckles present in the fenders, it’s highly possible that there’s frame damage underneath this Lexus RC F, too. Peek inside the cabin, and there aren’t any deployed airbags visible, even though they did in fact do so during the accident. This is because the seller apparently cut out the metal pieces from the airbags, covered them with fabric, and glued that fabric to the dash to conceal that fact.
Along with the estimated $20,000 worth of airbags that need to be replaced now, the entire front end looks out of whack, especially when we peek at the trim panel under the hood that isn’t lined up properly enough to be secured in place. Our host heads down to Miami to do an in-person look at the Lexus RC F, and winds up confirming that the seats have indeed been sewn back together with no airbags present, which is also true of the headliner. Our host then pops the hood and confirms that the frame rails are damaged, to boot.
Looking back at this car’s auction history, the sellers have tried and failed to move it several times after paying just over $12k for it, and apparently refused to sell it for $21,500 at some point. Our host believes that the sellers have been bidding on their own auction to drive that price up artificially, which makes this scam even more alarming, but also, a great lesson for some. After all, it’s easy to get caught up buying what we might think is a great project for cheap, only to later discover that it’s was nothing more than lipstick on a pig, as they say.
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