Tough one here for me. 2003 F-150. 5.4, 4wd. 35k miles. $13,900. Sounds like a steal. Here's the kicker. It's been rolled and repaired. Looked it over and drove it and can't find any defects. The body shop selling it said they replaced the doors, roof (I guess that means the whole cab?), fenders. He said he didn't do anything with the frame or drivetrain as there wasn't any damage. He said it was like it rolled down a snowbank. Not a ski hill, a snowbank. Any opinions? It's coming in way under NADA but that's for a unwrecked model. Having never bought a damaged vehicle before, what do you think the credit union will give? They're closed already or I'd ask them. Thanks.

 

Take it for a good test drive. Run it on the high way and through all the gears. Test out the 4wd at all speeds up to 55. And if there aren't any vibrations then you probably have a solid truck.

 

Just remember that it will always have that branded title and it will never bring close to retail. It cant be warrantied, and only safety recalls will be honored. It would have to be real sweet, certified by a technician to be sound in every respect for me to even look at it. You might want to call your insurance company to see what limitations you will have on insurance coverage as well. A good deal today could be a real bad deal down the road.

 

See if you can take it to a local frame shop or body shop to have them check it out too. Just so you don't wind up with somehting that is going to be breaking parts later due to a bent component.

 

Yeeeoowww. A repaired rollover? I'd be as leary of that as I would anything non-Ford. I'd do some VERY serious checking into making sure it was repaired CORRECTLY. You don't want to play with something that could potentially fall apart during a trip at 70+ mph. My personal opinion, walk away. That's scary business dealing with repaired rollovers.

 

Well i did built my own truck from a roll over... i bought an entire cab for my truck from ford brand new... came with doors hood and fenders all mounted... i stripped it and painted it then put it on.... i had fiberglass bedsides that werent hurt on the truck and just to be safe i put the frame on a laser straightener to make sure she was true... when i got done with my ford there wasnt one way to tell it was anything but brand new off the show room floor other than the title and the oddometer.... it was sweet lookin... take a look at my gallery to see some of the pics before i finished it.....

 

Just to add to my previous... its all about the person that builds it...and thats tricky because you will never know the man that built most of the time.... so i normally i dont buy trucks that are salvage unless i plan on not reselling it for much money or driving it till it quits....

 

For that price you could get one used off most lots with comprable miles if not better and a warranty. For piece of minds sake, Id pass on it and see if you cant find one that you know hasnt been rolled, most dealerships will give you a carfax on a used vehicle if you reguest one. My point ofview is this... its better to be safe than sorry... unless you did the work yourself or know who did it personally and know their work is quality it could be the worst $13,900 youve ever spent.
-Chris

 

It depends.. if it's clean, straight and quality work , and you are planning to drive it it until the wheels fall off, it's probably a good deal..but if you are looking for something you may be upgrading in 2-3 years, then keep in mind that the resale value willl be greatly affected by the branded title. A friend of mine had a vehicle like that he purchased for his wife, and they decided to trade it in 2 years later and got burned...

 

I wouldnt put that much money into any salvage vehicle,Dont forget when you get rid of it no matter how many years you drive it. the "salvage label" will cost you some of the money you may be saving now, no matter how good of service you get from it.

 

At 50 years old I think I've only had one vehicle that wasn't a salvage vehicle. Now, I fix them myself and the tough stuff I can't handle goes to a very good professional frame/body guy I've known for 30+ years. That being said, I have the advantage of KNOWING that they're repaired right. Agreeing with statements above, unless you know the people that fixed it, have it checked out top to bottom. There are some real chop jobs out there ........ makes people scared to death of a SALVAGE vehicle. I've seen vehicles that should have been totaled and weren't. I've seen vehicles that were totaled that shouldn't have been. With body shop prices as they are now days it doesn't take too much damage to total a vehicle that's several years old. Price??? Don't pay over 80-85% of LOAN VALUE and you should be OK. The title will be branded forever and in the past year banks have stopped loaning $$$ on salvage vehicles. Just do your homework and don't be scared off by those that automatically say "RUN!" from a salvage vehicle. Maybe you'd want it, maybe not.......it's a case by case decision.
.........and yes, all three vehicle listed in my signature are SALVAGE vehicles! I've put 67000 on my Crown Vic, 170000 on the clock, and it has come all to pieces ..... .... I had to replace one alternator!

 

Pull the trigger and mount the Doghouse on the wall

Like everyone else says, have a couple of other body shops look at it. If it was done properly, then offer him a lower price and haggle with him.

 

look for rust under the dash, might have been submerged, as well as the motor compartment, I got a flood truck didn't come up on carfax

 

When checking for flood history, look for sediment in places like underhood fuse boxes, inside frame rails, etc. After flood waters have dried all of the rinsing you can do will not remove the sediment traces. It has to be "rubbed" off, like with a brush or rag.
Carfax, Bahhhh-humbug! Not worth the paper it's printed on. I have several totaled "parts cars" in the field that have clear Carfax reports! Remember their liability is for $1000, which is chicken-feed compared to all of the $$$$$$$$$ they rake in! Lots of times the reports do turn up problems but they are definately not the gospel!

 

Oh I knew the truck was flooded, but the price 2k for a 97 reg cab loaded 4x4 with a rebuilt motor with only 20k on it. I took in a heart beat, got rid of every drop of fluid after the guy that gave it up cleaned it up, I could sell it now for a profit for sure, but thats besides the story it has no neg paper work and thats what counts if ever you want to get rid of a vehicle with neg paper. Mine Im keeping anyway I've put about 10k on it so far so good