Hey yall, im new to this website but so far have loved reading through all the forums and picking up information. So here is my situation, there is a 2006 King Ranch, 4x4 with only 10,500 miles that i looked at the other day and it is going for only $17,500. Now here is the catch, it is a salvaged title vehicle, i ran a carfax on in and supposedly it had rear left fender damage to it that happened in Arkansas, where the truck was first purchased. Now the truck is here in Texas and some man who said he got it from a body shop said he replaced the rear fender and tailight and had it painted. The truck is in very good condition, the interior is absolutely in mint condition, the exterior has a couple minor flaws here and there. The truck drove good and the frame and all the underparts seem to be well intact and looked like they had not been effected by the wreck. My question to yall is this worth the gamble? I know for salvage titles you can never really tell but it seems like a good deal to me? What do yall think? Money is an issue for me or else id just go buy a new one. Thanks.

 

I am surprised that it is just “rear fender damage”. Seems like a small amount of damage to total a vehicle of that value. Just my opinion tho.
CCB

 

Yea so he says "rear fender damage." i dont know what to do. I mean the truck with only 10,500 miles on it is practically like new but it is also a gamble buying a salvage vehicle. what do i do?????

 

I got a car fax report on my ’99 ‘scort when I bought that. It said clear and no accidents reported. The key word is “reported” because I soon learned that it was in an accident and had the front quarter panel, door and whatever else was bad on it replaced. Live and learn. A car fax report is only as good as the person who reports their problems. I can’t give you advice because I don’t know what you are going to be doing with it. Personally if I was buying a daily driver, everyday use truck I would shy away from any salvage titled vehicle. On the other hand, if I was building a TOY I am not so sure that would bother me.
In the end it is up to you. How big of a chance are you willing to take?
CCB

 

Having a salvage title on a vehicle is going to affect your ability to sell it in the future. Yeah, you can get a deal on it when you buy it, but unless you drive it until the wheels fall off you're going to have only a few buyers interested in it if/when you go to sell it.

Things just don't add up with this truck either: you're talking about $2000 or less worth of damage (that's if the entire fender was replaced). Insurance companies don't total a 30-something thousand dollar vehicle for that little amount of damage. It's also suspicious that a 2006 truck has only 10.5K on it. Obviously the truck has been doing a lot of sitting, and that might have been in a mechanic's yard waiting for repair.

If you do decide to go forward with it, have an independent mechanic do a very thorough check of the truck. Be sure any money you put down will be fully refundable if the truck "fails" the inspection (get it in writing).

 

I may be wrong, but I was under the impression that in order to garner a "salvaged title" an insurance adjuster had to pretty much total a vehicle or the vehicle must have had some direct frame insult.

Personally, I wouldn't do it. My sister bought a salvaged title Honda a couple of years ago and at first it seemed fine. All the fender gaps were uniform and it appeared and ran fine. After six months the gaps were all off, it started to rattle and all those little problems started to add up.

Your better off getting an '06 KR or Lariat with similar options (KR seats are a bit of a pain to treat, keep clean anyway) and a few more miles with a clean title. The price diff probably won't be that great. Especially if you wait a couple of months for gas prices to go back above $2.50

 

I would take it to Ford and see if they will be able to do there inspection on it to see what actually happened.

Isn't there another report called the Oasis report, try running that one?

 

That was a damn near $50,000 truck in 2006...and now 3 yrs later it is offered for $17,000 and only 10,000 miles?
I'd walk away man. It is a very nice truck for sure...but somebody took a huge loss on it. I'd bet money it has a different/repaired frame at a minimum, and there is probably alot of structural damage hidden that hasn't been identified yet.


Don't do it man

 

Could have been in a flood or could have been a theft recovery. Both could warrant a salvage title. I certainly wouldn't be real enthused about a flood damaged truck. I might be more inclined to look into a theft recovery vehicle. But if were to purchase, it would have to be with the intent on driving it for a long time as salvage title vehicles don't hold value real well in most places.

 

Worthless in 3 years because of the title, Minor fender damage...... right. You could buy the same truck with clean title well taken care of ( yes it will have more miles) for 3 to 4 grand more and not wonder or eat the the big one when stuff starts showing up. Not for sure but I cannot imagine a insurance company giving nearly as much value to a salvaged vehicle either, you may be way upside down in the event of another "minor fender damage repair". Might be worth looking into with your agent.

 

Alright from reading all these replies it sounds like everyone is pretty much against buying a salvaged titled vehicle. Here is the link to the truck Cars For Sale: Car Details - AutoTrader.com

i was planning on going to the bank and getting a loan to possibly purchase it tomorrow but now maybe not. i have driven it with a friend who has worked on a lof of vehicles in his day and he said its good. Before i buy it tmorrow if i do i was gonna take it somewhere and have them inspect the frame and do a mechanical inspection. What do you think?

 

I was gonna go back tmorrow and drive the truck again and take it to either ford or a mechanic and have them do a frame inspection and mechanical inspection? If they say everything looks good should i go for it, i was planning on going to the bank in the morning?

 

I've been in autobody for 22 years, and I will tell you what everyone else is pretty much saying, replacing the rear quarter panel on that truck will not cause it to have a salvage title. There is more to that truck than is being stated. Stay clear from that truck and look at another one. You're not saving the money you think. I'm sorry if I'm being blunt, but that's my opinion.

 

It's a nice looking truck but keep in mind that it's seducing you. It looks nice and it seems like an incredible bargain but don't let yourself become infatuated with the thing. In the end it won't be true love.

My last truck before the Ford was a Nissan with a salvage title. I only had it because I inherited it from a relative and even then it wasn't a bargain. More and more things kept going wrong (like when the front bumper began to fall off). I was lucky to sell it for not much money; people were scared off by the salvage title.

 

I think its a salvage with an unknown history...Don't do it...look away, look away!