buying a car that has a salvage title

[vincedea]

Hey guys I was wondering if any of you have bought a used car that had a salvage title on it? and would it be safe to purchase a car that has a salvage title?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Hey guys I was wondering if any of you have bought a used car that had a salvage title on it? and would it be safe to purchase a car that has a salvage title?

That would depend entirely on who did the repairs and how thorough they were in repairing it. You would have to take it on a case by case basis and really know what to look for. Personally, I would never buy a car with a salvage title.

 

[wand3r3r]

Salvage titles vary, but the underlying decision was that it was too damaged to repair and therefore was determined to be junkyard material.

The fact that "someone" tried to fix it could mean they fixed the visible defects but there can be bent or weakened parts or even the frame itself could be compromised.

Handle with care, I would never buy a salvage title, unless I personally knew the details about the damage, and the mechanic who fixed it. Even then I wouldn't because they are hard to get rid of because everyone is wary of them for these reasons.

It could also be flood damage, in which case it may take a while before the electronics start randomly failing, two acquaintances had electrical issues which were never diagnosed properly (cheap flood cars which looked nice from the exterior).

Personally I would avoid it too. There's a ton of risk, and hardly any benefit (a couple grand perhaps, at what risk).

 

[MrCassdin]

Don't do it. Buyer beware.

When it comes time to sell it, you can't, or it is very difficult. Not to mention the other problems already spoken about.

I don't know what your price range is for buying a car, but I would consider a brand new econobox or a used one before the salvage car of the same price. For instance the Mazda 2 is $14,720 brand new. The Ford Fiesta is $14,855 brand new. The Chevrolet Spark is $14,170 brand new.

 

[k3n]

If it's a 20+ year old per say, with a value of $2000, the insurance may have decided to give a salvage title, since it wasn't worth $1500 to repair the fender bender (for example). In that case it would probably be worth buying.

If it's a car less than 5 years, then yeah it's wise to avoid, unless it's like a 2nd car for special occasions, like "racing or autocross"; I think most insurance wouldn't want to insure it at an affordable price.

 

[ummduh]

Yes, pass on it. I won't buy salvaged,and I won't buy some one else's project. Stock with a clean title only. Of course that is only the start of it.

Besides, around here, people seem to think they can get the same price for a salvaged car as they can for a clean title. In reality, they're worth about half generally.

 

[halik]

Generally speaking i would't if you plan on operating it in snow climate. Welding body works strips the zinc from the sheet metal, so you'll end up with rust sooner or later.

 

[vincedea]

Thanks for all your responses. Iv been looking at a bunch of cars on craigslist and most have said salvage since my budgt is about $6k max. I am also looking at cars that are between years 200-2005 since my budget that is what my budget allows me

 

[vincedea]

are there any other places online i could look at for used cars sold by owner?

 

[MrCassdin]

There are plenty of good cars out there for $6,000 which aren't salvage.

How far are you willing to travel to get the car? Personally, I have bought and sold several vehicles on eBay with good sucess. eBay is like anything else, buyer beware - get everything in writing and ask good questions, get an inspection if you can.

Without knowing where you're located or what kind of car you wanted, I did an eBay search using these criteria: 1995-2010 model years, clear title (non-salvage), Buy It Now, up to $6,000.00

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Smart-Passi...9f2d3f010&item=111448158224&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Infiniti-I-...5949f0025&item=161407238181&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Oldsmobile-...8b424bcca&item=380979428554&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Saturn-Vue-...a42e05e43&item=181510626883&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cadillac-De...33f915376&item=151390344054&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Camr...59476dec1&item=161404608193&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

 

[hans007]

in college i bought a salvaged car from my dad's friend who owned a body shop.

it was a 2001 altima (i bought it in 2001... so it was less than a year old). someone had rear ended it, and it had sufferfed from and rear damage and the front bumper had gotten some damage

that said, i bought it for $7000 or so when it stickered for $20k at the time. My dads friend fixed it up semi decently for the cost of parts which were mostly non oem (i.e. used a non oem bumper), and i probably spent maybe $8500 on my first car.

it had a few issues that were annoying (had a small electrical problem that made me have to replace a tail light every 6-8 months) and the trunk leaked sometimes. but other than that it was pretty reliable. i had it for almost 5 years, and sold it for $4k or so.

my dad's friends body shop got quite a bit better at repairing cars that were insurances loss writeoffs, and eventually you could not tell at all. sometimes cars get salavaged when the "official" repair method costs too much. so a body shop can do things like say use an on OEM hood made of fiberglass instead of say a nissan OEM steel one etc. if its mostly cosmetic parts and you just need a car, some salvage cars can be worth it, and it can save you some money.

also sometimes , cars get salvaged when they get stolen too. so if i car was stolen, and the insurance has already paid out, if it gets found later, itll probably still get sold as salvaged . so yeah my answer is "maybe" its ok. i could have bought a used car that was older, or gone with a salvaged car that was newer with way less miles on it. so eh, it was a good car for what i needed at the time

 

[mmntech]

When a car is written off, it doesn't necessarily mean it's undrivable or unsafe. Sometimes they may deem the car's blue book value to be too low versus the cost of repairs. So if you're willing to sink the money into fixing it, it might be fine. Still, there's a lot of scams out there. I wouldn't touch a salvage car with a 10ft pole. Those things are only good for parts.

Hop on to Autotrader or whatever as there's lot's of inexpensive used cars in good condition within your budget.

 

[rommelrommel]

I might buy a very cheap salvage title car, say if it was a 10000 car pre accident, if there was more than 6000 or so in damage they would likely right that off. 6k could be mostly cosmetic damage.

If said car was 4-5k and I could accept that 1) I could never sell the car for more than scrap value so it would be a "drive it into the ground" special and 2) I would never have collision insurance on it and 3) was reasonably certain that I knew what the original damage was and felt it was repaired correctly, and 4) I had no better options, then I would buy the salvage title.

 

[MongGrel]

When a car is written off, it doesn't necessarily mean it's undrivable or unsafe. Sometimes they may deem the car's blue book value to be too low versus the cost of repairs. So if you're willing to sink the money into fixing it, it might be fine. Still, there's a lot of scams out there. I wouldn't touch a salvage car with a 10ft pole. Those things are only good for parts.

Hop on to Autotrader or whatever as there's lot's of inexpensive used cars in good condition within your budget.

+1

 

[T2urtle]

i bought one, 10+ years and i still have no it.

My first car, I was a dumb kid that just wanted a car. I bought a camry, with a rebuilt title. I didn't know what it meant at the time, i thought it was a new motor. Bought the car, 1st week radiator blew out. After that nothing out of the normal work needed. I found out later on it was in a front end accident. They welded up a new front radiator support and etc.

+100k and +10 years later its still running, however midwest winters is taking the toll on the body of the car. Its almost time to send it on its way. I paid like 75% of what the car was worth and I think i came up on top.

IF I had to do it again, I'm 50/50 on doing it again.

 

[VtPC83]

DO NOT BUY A SALVAGE TITLE.

It locks you in a vicious loop. No real dealer will ever take it in trade so you're stuck trading it back into a salvage dealer if you want something new and some money out of it.

If it is just a burner (not sure who can burn $6k these days but whatever) then check it out first thoroughlly.

 

[fleshconsumed]

i bought one, 10+ years and i still have no it.

My first car, I was a dumb kid that just wanted a car. I bought a camry, with a rebuilt title. I didn't know what it meant at the time, i thought it was a new motor. Bought the car, 1st week radiator blew out. After that nothing out of the normal work needed. I found out later on it was in a front end accident. They welded up a new front radiator support and etc.

+100k and +10 years later its still running, however midwest winters is taking the toll on the body of the car. Its almost time to send it on its way. I paid like 75% of what the car was worth and I think i came up on top.

IF I had to do it again, I'm 50/50 on doing it again.

Same here. Bought a rebuilt 2005 altima in 2007, and has had it ever since. So the car is 9 years old, coming up to 10 year anniversary, 7 years under my ownership. Granted, I'm not putting a whole lot of miles on the car, probably 6K a year and it is garage kept when not driven, but it's been good to me so far. I had to do alignment, but aside from that and regular maintenance such as new tires, new battery, oil, I've had no problems with it.

So it's not always a horror story most people are trying to make it out to be. The truth, as usual, is always somewhere in the middle. A rebuilt car does not automatically mean a piece of turd that is to be avoided at all costs. However, it is true that some insurances will refuse to provide comprehensive coverage for rebuilt titles, you will probably have harder time selling it, and dealers might be more hesitant to take it as a trade in, more importantly depending on the original accident it may or may not perform as well in the crash. So if it's a really cheap car or drive it into the ground car and the shop that restored it has a solid reputation, then it's probably a safe buy. However, if you intend to trade it in, or sell it several years down the road, then it makes sense to at least think about finding car with a clean title.

Having a little bit more money in my savings account now I would probably buy new when it's time to buy again, simply because it would be easier to sell a car with a clean title and because I'd be able to hop insurances for cheaper rate if necessary. However, all in all my rebuilt car has served me well, and for that I'm thankful.

 

[BUTCH1]

DO NOT BUY A SALVAGE TITLE.

It locks you in a vicious loop. No real dealer will ever take it in trade so you're stuck trading it back into a salvage dealer if you want something new and some money out of it.

If it is just a burner (not sure who can burn $6k these days but whatever) then check it out first thoroughlly.

This, it's re-sale value will be shit and as mentioned it's no trad-able so just don't..

 

[Excelsior]

This, it's re-sale value will be shit and as mentioned it's no trad-able so just don't..

People shouldn't be pissing money away on a trade-in in the first place.

And as far as resale, you're getting it for less in the first place so its a moot point.

Source: Owned and sold multiple rebuilt title cars.

Having a little bit more money in my savings account now I would probably buy new when it's time to buy again, simply because it would be easier to sell a car with a clean title and because I'd be able to hop insurances for cheaper rate if necessary. However, all in all my rebuilt car has served me well, and for that I'm thankful.

No insurance company has cared that my cars have a rebuilt title and also my insurance is not more expensive. It's quite cheap actually.

 

[BUTCH1]

People shouldn't be pissing money away on a trade-in in the first place.

And as far as resale, you're getting it for less in the first place so its a moot point.

Source: Owned and sold multiple rebuilt title cars.



No insurance company has cared that my cars have a rebuilt title and also my insurance is not more expensive. It's quite cheap actually.

Well I'd agree on the trade-in part anyway, I drive 'em to 200K if possible. There is the possible downside though in that if you were forced to sell it for financial reasons you would not get that much but then again you kind of got the discount up front so I guess it evens out.