Buying "Salvage"/"rebuilt" title cars

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
Run! 1 in 10 get a good one, the other 9 get a basket case they are stuck with due to the title. Salvage vehicles are typically repaired as cheaply as possible - and they have to be. To properly repair, it would cost more than the vehicle is worth.


Pablum.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Often, it doesn't take much. Offhand, this car might be totalled...

Not only would I own it in a second...heck, I would probably drive it as-is except for the exhaust hanger!

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: BreakerBreaker
Originally Posted By: Trav
I bought a couple of salvage title cars over the years, don't buy it if your intention is to flip it, they don't sell well.
Look for recovered thefts and paint damage only, no flood victims or heavy collisions unless you need it for parts for another car.

A recovered theft usually has a totaled interior, work a deal with a local yard for the complete interior when one comes in ahead of time before someone gets to it.


Once it is issued as Salvage, it keeps that mark on any interstate transfer, yes?

I have seen cars for sale with an S-title, as one seller called it. That one was a Corvette that was a Stolen Recovery.


Depends on the state, especially on an older car. My wife's Grand National had a salvage title (she bought it as a theft recovery), but if she were to get a new title, it would probably be clean.

Then again...my Caddy has a clean title, and unlike the GN, it actually WAS rebuilt after a major wreck!

 

[Leo99]

Back when my finances were a mess and I was going through a divorce, I had a salvage car. It was a Toyota Camry wagon that I paid $3000 for and my new g/f called it the sex-mobile. Kind of like when you call the bald guy "Curly". With all that was going on in my life, didn't even realize it was a salvage title until seeing over $3500 in repair bills in the glove box for front left suspension work. Car ran great until one day it wouldn't go forward any longer. Drove it home in reverse and called the junk man to come take it away.

 

[hattaresguy]

Whenever I looked at lower priced used cars I never found much of a difference in price for a salvage vs a none salvage title.

I always bought on condition.

My sisters first car was a Sentra that was very well maintained and had a salvage title. The shop had pictures from the repair and it wasn't really hit to bad. It ended up being a great car until an idiot ran a red light and totaled it.

I'm still in awe at how people are such filthy slobs and ruin their cars. Most used cars are simply junk, even ones a year or two old.

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy


I'm still in awe at how people are such filthy slobs and ruin their cars. Most used cars are simply junk, even ones a year or two old.


Gave my son my old Corolla and he says people constantly remark how clean it is. I'm not one to pamper my cars. Not that I don't care; I'm just too lazy. It was never waxed. Amazes me what people do to their cars.

 

[Snoman002]

I would rather have a 5 year old car with 150k highway miles than one with 50k miles and a salvage title.

That said, it is possible to get a good one. My G8 is very easy to total, new parts are expensive and usually a tab on the front subframe gets tweaked. A shop has to replace the subframe for it to be properly repaired and that's a VERY expensive job, but in reality it can be straightened. On the same boat used parts (hood, fenders, lights) are much much cheaper than new parts. Oolong story short a mild accident can total the car, yet the repairs can be made with as good parts for a decent price.

On the other hand I have seen cars that just couldn't be made perfectly straight again, but the cops doing the inspecting are more worried about stolen parts than automobile engineering.