BADVIN Blog

In 2006 Porsche released its 911 GT3 on the public and it was a proper monster on the road. The 2007 911 is a fast car, to begin with, but the GT3 variant can reach 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds. It’s also capable of achieving nearly 190 miles per hour when piloted by a skillful driver. Sadly the focus of our story today doesn’t involve a competent driver so much as one that destroyed one of the ultra-rare sports cars. What’s worse though is that after said destruction it was rebuilt and then had its odometer rolled back so far that it couldn’t help but look like a true steal of a deal to the unsuspecting victim of this scam who shipped it back across the Atlantic. Let’s take a deep dive into the history of a deeply problematic Porsche. 

Salvage cars can be an incredible deal when found in good condition. In some states, cars are written off as total losses even when damage is simply superficial but expensive compared to the value of the vehicle. Those cases give hope to the many who want a specific vehicle but lack the funds to buy one with a clean title. They often rely on inferior VIN reports that simply note that there was damage but leave the details out. Such was the case of a person who bought what is very likely the absolute worst-case scenario when it comes to a salvage vehicle.

This Nissan Armada is supposed to be the flagship SUV of the companies lineup but this particular example is a properly haunted ghostship with a past so scary it’ll terrorize your used car buying dreams.

As one of the most well-regarded SUVs in its class, the Nissan Armada holds its value well. It’s roomy, handsome, and capable. Some examples from 2005 are still priced at $10,000 and that’s with over 150,000 miles already driven. It’s that record for reliability and robustness that makes it such an attractive vehicle for rollback con artists. Buyers reassure themselves that even with high mileage examples, the SUV will be capable of withstanding the barrage of every-day life for years to come. That’s where our focus lies this week as we delve into the history of a Nissan Armada that was the subject of not one but two mileage rollbacks and might even have seen its title washed to hide a hideous past. Here’s how it happened, and how you keep a similar car from haunting your nightmares. 

Slipping in behind the wheel of a sleek Maserati GranTurismo coupe is an emotional experience. Styling that’s dripping with sex appeal, a luxurious interior that imbues the driver with a sense of pride, and an engine that commands attention combine to form a dashing but delicate balance of Jekyll and Hyde proportions.

That’s the experience potential buyers are after, but to the uninitiated, there’s a chance that their prospective rolling masterpiece might be hiding a restoration underneath the sheet metal like all those botched classic artworks. On this journey from Italy to America, we’ll see how BADVIN could’ve helped the last buyer of this 2015 GranTurismo (ZAM45VLA6F0129188) avoid spending nearly $50,000 on a car that was destroyed beyond recognition, then sold for just $18,100, and finally dolled up to fool its future owner.