Today’s Subaru has a salvage title and a nose that looks like it lost a bout to Mike Tyson. Neither of those issues should be insurmountable for a savvy buyer. We’ll have to decide if its price might just be.

If your favorite president is Abraham Lincoln and your favorite song is Hot Rod Lincoln, then you might just be a prime candidate for yesterday’s . With its five-speed stick, that car represented the rarest of the rare from Ford’s upper-crust brand. With a mere $2,500 asking price, it was affordable, even for us poors. A cracked K-frame was the only monkey in the wrench, but even that couldn’t dim the enthusiasm shown in the votes as the car took home a solid 76 percent Nice Price win.

Yesterday’s Lincoln needed a bit of work to be whole, but it at least had a clean title and was driveable at night. The same can’t be said — on either account — for today’s . As seen in the ad’s pictures, the car has suffered front end damage that has caused the loss of lights and grille, and folded the hood like it’s a mash note passed between middle schoolers. According to that same ad, however, the damage is purely superficial and does not affect the mechanicals. Nonetheless, the car comes with a salvage title and — in reverse vampire fashion — the inability to go out at night.

Before we summarily write off the car based on these demerits, let’s consider its more positive aspects. First off, it’s claimed to “run well,” and to have been “well maintained.” Another plus is a timing belt refresh done at 149,000 miles. The car has 178,000 on the clock at present. Other aesthetic aspects include the expected red mud flaps and a number of hoon-identifying stickers on the windows. Other than those pieces, everything is claimed to be stock and unmolested.

The body shows a few additional nicks, dents, and scrapes to go along with the mashed maw. Honestly, nothing here looks too daunting to tackle, even for the amateur driveway mechanic. Also, all the parts to get the car back into fighting shape should be readily available pretty much everywhere.

A quick glance at the interior shows it to be relatively stock as well, with just the addition of a boost gauge and aftermarket shift knob to take you out of the moment. The stereo is AWOL and the interior really could use a good cleaning, especially all the dog hair on the back seat. At least there’s no evidence that the driver suffered a code brown when the front end got smacked up.

The engine, of course, is Subaru’s 227 horsepower turbocharged 2-liter flat-four with its block-topping intercooler. The folded hood makes the scoop for that a bit redundant at the moment, but the mechanicals underneath the damage all look as they should. The rest of the drivetrain is said to function without issue and the car is claimed to drive under its own power so there’s no rubbing or leaking manifested from the hit.

The asking price for this compelling mix of good and bad is $3,000. Now, as we all know, the WRX — even the bug-eyed versions like this — can cost some serious bank. It’s also getting harder to find one that hasn’t been messed up in the attempt to meet some previous owner’s exacting personal tastes. This one needs help, but, as the ad notes, could make for a straightforward project.

What do you think, does this smashed Subaru look worth that $3,000 as it sits? Or, is that just too much to ask for a facelift-needing WRX with a salvage title?

You decide!

Portland, Oregon, , or go if the ad disappears.

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