im looking at a truck here in albuquerque and its pretty nice. 2002 f-250 superduty 4x4 with 5.4 litre. cant find any problems with it except it has a salvage title. present owner says the back end was wrapped pretty hard and everything had to be replaced. but it doesnt track or show signs of any wreck now. its gonna be a work truck but how much lower than regular price should it be?

 

I'm not sure, it depends on the vehicle, and what it books for straight. Unless you plan on keeping it forever, I would walk away.

 

About two years ago, I bought my wife a 2000 GMC Jimmy 4x4 with a salvage title. The bank said they would only loan 60% of loan value on any vehicle with a salvage title. I only paid $9500 for the Jimmy and it had a loan value of $21k at the time, so that was definitely not a problem for us.

We've put 30k miles on it without any problems and are very happy with the repair work that was done. It had been rolled over and the entire cab replaced.

If the price offsets the depreciation caused by the wreck/rebuild/salvage title, then it can be worth it. I have a friend who ONLY buys salvaged vehicles and has been doing so for almost 20 years. He has saved a LOT of money this way but you have to know that the repair was done right.

 

if the price is right which to me is about 40-50% of current value of a equel truck.

And most state require that it is inspected by a state inspector before it can be re-registered for license plates. be sure to have your own inspection done it before buying it. and if he has paper work showing the repair work.

 

Around here 1/4 of what ever The lowest book would be if the vehicle had been restored. I looked at a 2002 F-350 4 door and the guy wanted 8000.00. Everyone (dealers, DUCs, body shops, insurance Co. auction lots and Loan Co.) told me high retail price would be 3000.00. One DUC told me he would go 4000.00 if the seller had all the receipts for new parts and services.

P.S. I looked at the truck in September and he still has it for sale!

 

I bought my 97 a few months back with only 26,000 miles on it. The elderly owner had lost control, went through a fence , and basically was a tree hugger for a little ways until a big one decided to stop him. Total loss, but no frame or mechanical damage of any kind. I've been driving it daily, replacing body parts as I find good deals on them (still looking for a bed or driver's side bedside!). It drives like a new truck, and I got it ridiculously cheap, because I know the owner, and he felt the insurance paid him what he thoiught it was worth. I had it checked over at a front end shop before I bought it, plus did a lot of visual inspection underneath up on a rack. A good friend of mine back in Nebraska only rebuilds and sells salvage, and they are always just body damaged wrecks that end up looking and driving like new when he's finished. His advice on salvage titles...Walk away from flood or tornado cars.

 

Unless you know the actual wreck history and especially the quality of repairs-Run Away from any salvage!!!! Resale-tough to find a buyer and value is lower than dirt-safety, your putting not only your life but also your loved ones is this, was it repaired correctly? There is no going back on the manufacturer or repair facility after that salvage title is issued-inspected by state or not. Personally-I'd rather pay the normal price for an unwrecked vehicle and know the safety features have not been altered. Cosmetic damage is one thing, but an entire frame off restoration including roll over, T-bone, flood, Tornado, etc. is another-unless you know the specific history.

 

check and see what your insurance company has to say about insuring it. my $.02 worth (may also be what it is insurable for)

 

salvage titles were used on some buy back trucks. ford fixed the really broke trucks and sold them. They had to get rid of the long record of the truck being broke, SO new title, new S/N, new engine etc.

 

Whats with the yellow sig? very hard to read.

 

Thats the color of the car.

 

Can you run the VIN...check it out a bit more?

 

One thing i have noticed to weary are auto auctions that open to the public. Here in Fayetteville, NC. I have been to a couple the open to the public auto auction. I found a couple that owners had placed 90w gear in crankcase. I am not against salavage titles my dad has bought 3 or 4 vehicles from a dealer that does it all the time and he doesn't have any complaints and he usually pays half of low blue book value.
Darren

 

i own a salvage title ranger and F250 that i just bought. my mom has a salvage durango, my brother had a salvage mustang. my step dad who rebuilds tham drives a salvage F250 and benz. i have no prob owning a salvage truck. my ranger has worked great for 3 years. like was said stay away from floods and fires - they are hard to fix. body damage is nothin, and doesnt affect drivetrain, which if undamged will be just as reliable as a uncrashed truck. i would rather buy and repair a truck for cheap than spend more for the same truck. if you know what was wrong and what was done to repair than it shouldnt be a prob.

 

The guy that I bought my wife's salvaged Jimmy from does nothing but sell rebuilt cars for a living that he rebuilds himself. He invited me to his house to see the cab that he had cut off and what was left of the "donor" vehicle that he removed the cab from. The guy replaced the cab beginning at the front window pillars and under the front seats across the floor. I assumed that he had just cut the floor with a sawsall but he showed me where he had drilled out all of the factory spot welds and rewelded the new cab just like the factory did. It looks perfect from underneath and under the carpet.
The guy did this work in his garage in his backyard and he was set up perfectly for it. He had a 3 bay garage with one bay containing frame straightening equipment made into the floor with a walk under pit and one bay with a sealed paint booth with downdraft ventilation. VERY professional.
The insurance company insured it for the price that I paid for it and all they required was to physically look at it and to see the state inspection sticker in the door jamb. It's almost impossible to get a brand new vehicle insured for what you paid for it since they depreciate so fast. Even the insurance guy said that he couldn't see any signs that it was ever "totalled".
I wouldn't think twice about buying another salvaged vehicle.
As far as safety goes, a properly repaired totalled vehicle is just as safe as any other car on the road if the repair was done correctly.
I feel much safer in it than I would in a vehicle that had a major brake job done by a minimum wage "mechanic" in some quicky-lube place or "buy-here pay-here" used car lot. (No offense intended to anyone that may work at one of these places). I'm speaking from experience here as I lost a wheel once on a car that someone "forgot" to tighten the lugnuts on at a tire shop.
Luckily I was just pulling out when the wheel literally fell off so it didn't hurt anyone.

If necessary, take the truck to a reputable body shop or mechanic and let them check it out well before you buy it. Could be money well spent.