Everyone loves the idea of a supercar at a fraction of the price. However, a burned car at a salvage auction is usually a trap. So when a nearly new Corvette Z06 showed up covered in soot, most bidders stayed away.
A Chicago car builder who posts as @LegitStreetCars did not. He says the 2025 Z06 in 3LZ trim sold new for $155,000 just a few months earlier. Then he won it for $65,000. With fees, he adds, the total came to more than $70,000.
Before the final bid, he paused to sum up the gamble. “This might be the most expensive mistake I’ve ever made or my best car purchase ever,” he says.
Why He Bet On A Burned Corvette Z06
At first glance, the car looked ruined. Still, one photo caught his eye. A small spot showed clean white paint, so he wondered if the whole car wore paint protection film.
Next, he pulled the vehicle history. According to the report he shows, film went on at 400 miles. Then, at 2,600 miles, the fuel filler neck was replaced. Finally, on July 4, the car was declared a total loss due to fire damage.
After that, he ran his own heat tests. He heated a piece of the same type of weather stripping past 300 degrees, and it swelled and burned. In contrast, the seals on his car still looked fine. As a result, he suspected the car never got as hot as it looked.
A 12-Hour Drive To Georgia
The sale was as-is, with no take-backs. So he loaded the truck and trailer and drove to Cartersville, Georgia, to collect it. In person, the targa top was off and the wrap job was poor. Worse, it had rained.
“It smells like firewood,” he says after opening the door. Even so, the leather felt soft, and the forged bronze wheels cleaned up with one spray. On the other hand, both side mirrors had melted.
Meanwhile, a jump pack woke up some of the electronics. The odometer read exactly 3,000 miles. Also, the engine oil looked brand new, and he saw no melted wiring in the engine bay. However, the targa top itself was nowhere in the car.
Water, Codes And A Car That Will Not Start
Back home, the trouble started. The gauge cluster went dark, the screens flickered, and the car would not shift out of park. Eventually, he reached a manual release through an access panel and rolled it off the trailer.
Then he found water. Because the auction lot had not fully wrapped the open roof, rain got inside. The carpet was wet, and the air vents even dripped. Soon after, his scanner showed several modules that had lost communication.
Under the car, he says, he saw no fire damage at all. Instead, he found a few cracked plastic panels from the forklift that loaded it. Then came the big test. The engine cranked, but it did not start.
Even so, he stayed hopeful. “I’m like 93.2% sure that this engine is going to run,” he says.
The Soot Test
Before calling it a day, he tried one more thing. He sprayed cleaner on the tan seat trim, which he had assumed was burned. Instead, the brown came off and the carbon fiber showed through.
“Is this literally just wiping off? I think it might be,” he says. In other words, much of the interior may be dirty rather than destroyed.
What To Know Before Buying A Fire Car
His Corvette Z06 is a gamble, but it offers useful lessons for anyone tempted by a burned bargain:
- Read the vehicle history first. Recent repairs and dates can hint at what happened.
- Check the rubber and plastic parts in photos. If they look normal, the heat may not have been severe.
- Expect water damage too. Fires are put out with water, and open cars sit outside.
- Budget for the fees. A winning bid is never the final price at a salvage auction.
- Bring your own tape and covers. A sealed car is a dry car on the trip home.
Where Things Stand
For now, the Corvette Z06 rolls, cranks and holds oil, but it does not run. Next, he plans to pull the interior apart to chase the wiring and module faults. He also plans a full cleaning to see what parts truly need replacing. Until then, he admits, the car looks like a roasted marshmallow.
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