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Advice before buying a Salvage car via Craigslist

C

cgott42

Member
I found a '16 Mazda Cx-5 car for sale on Craigslist . I was a salvage title with only 87 miles on it. The seller (a used car dealer) said the car was hit while on the lot and thus couldn't be sold and voids the warranty. He showed the carfax to me and it had a salvage title, but has since passed inspection and now has a clean title. Car still has the dealer sticker/specs/price on the window.
He showed me the pictures of the car after the accident, and in the shop getting repair.
The only repairs needed/done were the front bumper, lights and hood and radiator.

Is there anything else that I should be checking, aware of to protect myself?
thx!
 
cgott42 said:
I found a '16 Mazda Cx-5 car for sale on Craigslist . I was a salvage title with only 87 miles on it. The seller (a used car dealer) said the car was hit while on the lot and thus couldn't be sold and voids the warranty. He showed the carfax to me and it had a salvage title, but has since passed inspection and now has a clean title. Car still has the dealer sticker/specs/price on the window.
He showed me the pictures of the car after the accident, and in the shop getting repair.
The only repairs needed/done were the front bumper, lights and hood and radiator.

Is there anything else that I should be checking, aware of to protect myself?
thx!
Click to expand...
if he has pics, I would feel much better about the car.... HOWEVER, it does NOT have a "clean" title after inspection. the title is still dinged and always will be. the inspection simply means it was repaired and inspected to be OK to be driven. if you plan to drive it into the ground, it really isn't a big deal. but if you drive for 5-8 yrs and go to resell, it WILL be an issue for you. harder to sell and for less money.

that car better be darn near close to 1/2 the sticker price for me to consider. If you are interested with a few grand off the price, it isn't worth it. you state "only" rad, lights, and bumper..... what I hear is that PLUS core support, multiple harnesses, A/C condenser and lines, Possible trans cooler, and a whole mess of other things. Cars get hit all the time on lots and repaired and sold as new. the fact it was hit with a salvage title means it was damaged significantly enough to warrant the salvage title.

I would at the very least have it inspected by a mechanic AND a 3rd party body shop.
 
Thanks good info - which of the 2 is more important to have a mechanic check or body shop?
The sticker price is $27k, and I'm buying for $17k
He should the title to me and didn't say salvage on it, though the car fax does
VIN# is JM3KE4BY5G0777067
 
Something is very, very odd. A salvage title is something that's normally used when there is MAJOR damage. The damage I see is minor, and that car could easily be repaired and sold as a great-condition used car.
 
Just had it brought to the mechanic and it checks out as the dealer described.
Could it be that they get a better $ pmt from the insurance company if they declare it salvage?
 
I'm looking at the pics on my phone so it's hard to tell but is that fire damage i see? The radiator shroud looks melted on one side.
 
lsd said:
I'm looking at the pics on my phone so it's hard to tell but is that fire damage i see? The radiator shroud looks melted on one side.
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yes definitely fire, something is up with the pics... seems they obviously omitted a straight on front end shot of the car. seeing those pics makes me have more questions than it does giving me confidence in the story that was told.

your money, spend it as you see fit. You aren't be told (shown) the whole picture. My gut tells me there is a reason those pics are so limited in what they show.
 
But I thought he had the car at a mechanic to get inspected. So the picture don't matter at this stage.

I think he is making big mistake to spend that kind of money on salvaged and unwarranted vehicle but it is his money,
 
sontakke said:
But I thought he had the car at a mechanic to get inspected. So the picture don't matter at this stage.

I think he is making big mistake to spend that kind of money on salvaged and unwarranted vehicle but it is his money,
Click to expand...
IMO the pictures matter... not sure the whole story, but there was fire damage involved there and doubt OP was told anything about that. It was a simple collision like what was presented here.
 
Sounds sketch. A lot of places will do a 90% job on repairs like that (things never quite go back together the same) - for the price, I'd honestly rather have a ~40k mile pre-leased with a clean title, even if there are some farts in the cushions.
 
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being declared salvage means the cost of repair work exceeded a certain % value of the vehicle. in other words, major damage (in MD it's like 75-80%). and the title would have to be branded as salvage (i know, i have one from wrecking my motorcycle at the track 🙂). the fact that the title is clean yet the vehicle was declared salvage by the insurance company is fishy IMO. even if you get that part squared away, find out what parts were damaged/replaced/repaired including body/frame. the price is tempting, but i'd probably go with a used vehicle of known/reputable history.
 
It's generally not that hard to get a "clean" title even if it's been salvaged. A lot of 3rd party DMV places are simply bad at their job and either don't notice the salvage or don't care.
 
Thanks so much for your help it gave me the info that I needed to make an informed decision. Not saying that it was necessarily the correct one, but thanks to your help I got the car inspected by my mechanic. He also pointed out some additional items that were repaired that the dealer didn't tell me. Nonetheless he said that the repair work was very well done. I ended up buying it - hope that it runs well and stays repair free.
Thanks again.
 
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