Thought on buying rebuilt title with documentation

[7055]

This afternoon I am going to go look at a 2010 Ford Fusion with 90,000 miles that has a rebuilt title. The dealership that I am buying it from claims to have the state inspection sheet that shows that only the front bumper was replaced and he says he also has before and after pictures of the damage which supposedly occurred to the front right bumper. Asking $3900

Also, as I understand, the difference between 'Rebuilt' and 'Salvage' titles is that the Salvage title was totaled at one time and the 'Rebuilt' title was rebuilt and may or may not have been totaled at one time or another?

Thanks

 

[maverickfhs]

Originally Posted By: 7055
This afternoon I am going to go look at a 2010 Ford Fusion with 90,000 miles that has a rebuilt title. The dealership that I am buying it from claims to have the state inspection sheet that shows that only the front bumper was replaced and he says he also has before and after pictures of the damage which supposedly occurred to the front right bumper. Asking $3900

Also, as I understand, the difference between 'Rebuilt' and 'Salvage' titles is that the Salvage title was totaled at one time and the 'Rebuilt' title was rebuilt and may or may not have been totaled at one time or another?

Thanks


I am not an expert at it, but one word of advice, if later down the road there's any major recall(warranty work) then dealerships won't cover salvage/rebuilt title vehicles for that, so please verify and have some 'written proof' form this dealership about it. Good Luck.

 

[7055]

Originally Posted By: maverickfhs
Originally Posted By: 7055
This afternoon I am going to go look at a 2010 Ford Fusion with 90,000 miles that has a rebuilt title. The dealership that I am buying it from claims to have the state inspection sheet that shows that only the front bumper was replaced and he says he also has before and after pictures of the damage which supposedly occurred to the front right bumper. Asking $3900

Also, as I understand, the difference between 'Rebuilt' and 'Salvage' titles is that the Salvage title was totaled at one time and the 'Rebuilt' title was rebuilt and may or may not have been totaled at one time or another?

Thanks


I am not an expert at it, but one word of advice, if later down the road there's any major recall(warranty work) then dealerships won't cover salvage/rebuilt title vehicles for that, so please verify and have some 'written proof' form this dealership about it. Good Luck.


Thanks for the advice, however one question... If dealerships don't cover warranties or recalls on rebuilt title vehicles then what good is any written proof? And are you suggesting I get written proof of the damages that caused the rebuilt title?

 

[bioburner]

I think it varies from state to state. My Scion has a salvage title and went through a New York inspection after. I can tell the not perfect fill of the prep before paint on the hood. The bumper is good. No driving issues and had 18k on the meter. I purchased very reasonable but had a good friend who was probably one of the best bodymen around school me years ago on what to look for etc.
Enterprise rental self insures and they write off vehicles way to soon IMO. Have seen several of their vehicles on auction, salvage yards and were IMO easily repaired with a few prepainted parts.
I put on about 10k last year. May try again on a well known power train vehicle.

 

[maverickfhs]

Originally Posted By: 7055
Originally Posted By: maverickfhs
Originally Posted By: 7055
This afternoon I am going to go look at a 2010 Ford Fusion with 90,000 miles that has a rebuilt title. The dealership that I am buying it from claims to have the state inspection sheet that shows that only the front bumper was replaced and he says he also has before and after pictures of the damage which supposedly occurred to the front right bumper. Asking $3900

Also, as I understand, the difference between 'Rebuilt' and 'Salvage' titles is that the Salvage title was totaled at one time and the 'Rebuilt' title was rebuilt and may or may not have been totaled at one time or another?

Thanks


I am not an expert at it, but one word of advice, if later down the road there's any major recall(warranty work) then dealerships won't cover salvage/rebuilt title vehicles for that, so please verify and have some 'written proof' form this dealership about it. Good Luck.


Thanks for the advice, however one question... If dealerships don't cover warranties or recalls on rebuilt title vehicles then what good is any written proof? And are you suggesting I get written proof of the damages that caused the rebuilt title?


What I meant is, "IF" there's any warranty/recall work come in the future, have a written proof from them. Because, if they say now when you are buying that they'll cover it, then they should cover down the road too. Not sure if written proof of damage would be helpful in anyway, but won't hurt to get that too. Good Luck.

 

[7055]

Originally Posted By: maverickfhs
Originally Posted By: 7055
Originally Posted By: maverickfhs
Originally Posted By: 7055
This afternoon I am going to go look at a 2010 Ford Fusion with 90,000 miles that has a rebuilt title. The dealership that I am buying it from claims to have the state inspection sheet that shows that only the front bumper was replaced and he says he also has before and after pictures of the damage which supposedly occurred to the front right bumper. Asking $3900

Also, as I understand, the difference between 'Rebuilt' and 'Salvage' titles is that the Salvage title was totaled at one time and the 'Rebuilt' title was rebuilt and may or may not have been totaled at one time or another?

Thanks


I am not an expert at it, but one word of advice, if later down the road there's any major recall(warranty work) then dealerships won't cover salvage/rebuilt title vehicles for that, so please verify and have some 'written proof' form this dealership about it. Good Luck.


Thanks for the advice, however one question... If dealerships don't cover warranties or recalls on rebuilt title vehicles then what good is any written proof? And are you suggesting I get written proof of the damages that caused the rebuilt title?


What I meant is, "IF" there's any warranty/recall work come in the future, have a written proof from them. Because, if they say now when you are buying that they'll cover it, then they should cover down the road too. Not sure if written proof of damage would be helpful in anyway, but won't hurt to get that too. Good Luck.


Thanks, I will keep that in mind. However, I don't think it would still have any warranty at 90,000 miles, but that is good information to know for the recalls.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I'd be a little concerned about just a front bumper totaling out a car. There must have been some other frame damage or something major that caused the car to get totaled out.

I know insuring salvage titles can be hard. My insurance company won't insure them, I know Geico won't either.

 

[7055]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
I'd be a little concerned about just a front bumper totaling out a car. There must have been some other frame damage or something major that caused the car to get totaled out.

I know insuring salvage titles can be hard. My insurance company won't insure them, I know Geico won't either.


This is not a salvage title, but a rebuilt title. I'm not 100% but I believe you can get a rebuilt title without it ever being totaled.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

It's been discussed here a number of times. Bottom line, it's a huge risk and not worth it in my opinion.

Rebuilt/salvage titled vehicles have warranty/recall issues, insurance issues, and potential safety issues. Once a vehicle has been declared totaled by an insurance company, no manufacturer will warranty anything on the vehicle, no matter if it was connected to the damage or not. No insurance company will cover damages, so you can't carry collision or comprehensive coverage. And despite all your "documentation" anything could have been done to compromise the safety of the vehicle while being rebuilt. The documentation is meaningless.

To top it off, a vehicle with a salvage/rebuilt title is very difficult to sell and (at least to quality dealerships) can't be traded in.

Originally Posted By: 7055

Also, as I understand, the difference between 'Rebuilt' and 'Salvage' titles is that the Salvage title was totaled at one time and the 'Rebuilt' title was rebuilt and may or may not have been totaled at one time or another?


In many areas, the term "salvage" and "rebuilt" are interchangeable and fairly ambiguous. Do yourself a favor and leave it to someone else to buy a 6 year old car with 90,000 miles and a scarlet letter title.

 

[Wolf359]

Well if there's ever a recall for an airbag which seems pretty popular these days, then a rebuilt car wouldn't be covered. Also if the car is a Pzev, that has a 15 year/150k warranty on various emissions parts which may cover things like gas tanks and fuel pumps. Same for factory extended warranties. But I guess if the price is low enough, it might be worth a small gamble. Pretty sure it has nothing to do with what the dealer says is covered or not, typically the dealers punch in the VIN into a database and it will know that it's a rebuilt title and reject any warranty claim.

 

[RhondaHonda]

On a more expensive car I'd steer clear. $3900 is basically beater territory so if it all checks out and the repairs look to have been done correctly I'd risk it. Don't expect to sell it for much down the road but if you plan on driving it into the ground then who cares?

Salvage/Rebuilt can mean different things in different states so you may want to look into the history a bit more. Many insurance companies will write collision and comprehensive coverage but in the event you total the car again, any prior salvage history will greatly impact the total loss settlement so it's best to just carry liability only.

 

[Leo99]

I look at like this. 10 cents a mile. If you can get 39,000 miles out of the vehicle, you did ok. If not, there are better choices out there. When I was poor, I bought a salvaged title Camry. The repair receipts totaled more than the selling price of the car so whomever owned it before me with the not so bright idea to fix it and then sell it instead of accepting the settlement check lost out. The car ran fine until one day I left for work and the transmission just broke. Had to drive it in reverse about a half mile back home. Got my money's worth out of it but.... often cars are salvaged because the insurance company doesn't want to deal with any hidden damage that might not rear its ugly head for months after the repairs are made.

This Fusion could be a great deal or a big mistake. It's a gamble. Assume the people pricing the car know more about it than you do and there's a reason it's priced low and still on the market.

 

[Burt]

I had a salvage title car for nine years and 100k miles. Never had a problem with getting insurance. Paint job was prone to chips from rocks. It was a good car.

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted By: Burt
I had a salvage title car for nine years and 100k miles. Never had a problem with getting insurance. Paint job was prone to chips from rocks. It was a good car.


I don't recall ever having any issues with insurance on my salvage title car, either. But this was over 20 years ago and car insurance rules can vary greatly from state to state.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

A buddy of mine bought a Thunderbird V8 on a salvage title years ago because it was a dream car for him and he was a frugal guy who still had student loans to pay off.
The thing did fall apart rather abruptly, but it was after he enjoyed driving it for about 8 years. He knew he was taking a big risk, but it happened to work out for him...I believe he had family members in the repair business who probably could have helped him out somewhat if the thing ended up having big problems, too.
I would definitely recommend taking it for a reasonably lengthy highway drive at speed before buying, though.

 

[7055]

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi

I would definitely recommend taking it for a reasonably lengthy highway drive at speed before buying, though.


Why a highway drive specifically if I may ask? What did you have in mind that I'm looking out for?

 

[SirTanon]

Originally Posted By: RhondaHonda
On a more expensive car I'd steer clear. $3900 is basically beater territory so if it all checks out and the repairs look to have been done correctly I'd risk it. Don't expect to sell it for much down the road but if you plan on driving it into the ground then who cares?


Pretty much this. For a 2010 Fusion with 90k miles, $3900 is a decent price, as long as it's in good shape. My 2010 with nearly 223,000 miles on it still books out around $4000 (Private Sale/Retail) with a clean title, so one with 1/2 mileage should go for much more normally.

If it were me, I'd have a trustworthy mechanic give it a once over, take it for a long test drive to make sure it doesn't have any drivability problems, and then make an offer accordingly (I almost never offer full asking price).

Estimating, of course, but a mid-range Fusion in Very Good condition with that mileage would trade in for between $3900 and $5000 (in Kansas City), but one in Fair shape (which I'd say was still a bit high for a 'Rebuilt' title) trades in for between $3100 and $4300. Odds are very high that it actually traded in for much less.

When I'm buying a used car from a dealership, I generally base my starting offer off of what they would have paid for it in trade, adjusted for any work it looks like they may have done to it. I figure, if it's in decent drivable shape with no obvious problems, they probably took it in trade for around $2400-2800, give or take.. So I'd start my offer at about $2900 - all cash - and see what they come back with.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: 7055
Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi

I would definitely recommend taking it for a reasonably lengthy highway drive at speed before buying, though.


Why a highway drive specifically if I may ask? What did you have in mind that I'm looking out for?


Probably bent suspension. If it wanders at speed, sounds loud, or otherwise feels wrong... then it wasn't just a bumper that got damaged.

IMO, it's six, nearly seven years old. There's nothing left under warranty. Unless if your insurance company has an issue with it I don't see why not. Assuming it passes all other checks.

I presume this would *not* be carrying full collision, but just basic liability?

 

[Panzerman]

Documentation doesn't mean nothing. Realize you are buying the car to keep and drive. Re-sale will be terriable, insurance company will screw you over if it's wrecked and you are gambling it has issues. That said. I bought my neighbors 2007 Ford FX2 with a salvage title. I love it. Great deal. I've put almost 10,000 miles on it trouble free. Had no trouble getting insurance. I just realized what I was buying when I bought it. Documentation gives you no recourse.

 

[7055]

Originally Posted By: supton

I presume this would *not* be carrying full collision, but just basic liability?


Correct.

Official word from insurance is that an orange title (this is an orange title) is insurable for liability only, which is what I would have gotten anyway.