Would you buy a car that had a salvage title?

Have any of you bought car that had a salvage title and did well or later ended up kicking yourself in the ****?

There is a huge place out my way that deals in these types of vehicles. They go to the insurance auctions and are constantly bring in stuff that was in a storm, recovered theft or a light hit.
I'm tempted to have a look!

What do you guys think?

Used vehicles are always a case by case situation.

Part of me says, "Are you crazy? There is no telling what can go wrong with a car that has been in an accident, been recovered or gone wading in storm water".

The other part says, "These are great prices on late model cars. I should be able to get a good idea of what I'd be getting into if the car wasn't hurt too severe".

 

[QUOTE=Flexfuel-Dave;8017022]Would you buy a car that had a salvage title?

Used vehicles are always a case by case situation.

Part of me says, "Are you crazy? There is no telling what can go wrong with a car that has been in an accident, been recovered or gone wading in storm water".

QUOTE]

Those are the key quotes. Each car is different. Unless you are a good mechanic and are very capable of evaluating a vehicle, a salvage may be a problem. There have been many articles about salvage vehicles due to the floods over the last few years.

Flood damaged vehicles can have all sorts of problems due to contamination and corrosion. Corroded electronics is a real pita to diagnose.

Some crashed cars can have poor structural repairs and may fail under stress.

If you have the history of the vehicle and know why it was salvaged, then you have a better idea of whether it is just cosmetic fixdes or major hidden problems.

A good example would be a car that was stolen and had the interior stripped, very common salvage. These are essentially just a replacement of missing "furniture" and usually pose no big problem to a fair shadetree mechanic.

The other consideration is that if you ever want to resell the salvage car, you will take a beating there. So plan to either keep the car forever or sell it at a loss or keep repairs to the minimum compared to resale value.

I have never bought a salvage vehicle but know several people who did. They knew the history of the car and either were good mechanics or had family that was.
Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

Pretty much just like that. It all depends upon why the salvage as to what to do with it. Flood vehicles are electrical nightmares after a while. I know of a number that were fixed after the floods here that they likely didn't even report. Light damage is not a big issue, but if it was such that frame straightening or sectioning was required, I would stay away from it.

 

Chris...haven't seen you around in a long time!!!

The advice from the other guys is good stuff. Why it was totalled is critical to your decision making. I know a few guys who have purchased vehicles like this with no major issues.

Keep in mind...in MA...rebuilders must have the vehicle inspected by the RMV before they can resell the unit. Once the title is branded...it will ALWAYS be branded. This...of course...will affect the value in the future...generally by 50% or more. Keep this in mind when determining what you will pay.

Good luck!!!

 

i have bought 3. 93 cougar, front end hit, insurance said it was not worth fixing.
bought it with 21k miles on it for $1300, put $700 in it to get it recertified. sold it 2 months ago with 210k miles on it for $600
2000 F350 4X4 5.4 auto trans with 12 k miles on it for $1500, fire damage.
put $1100 into it for new under hood electrical, vacuum hoses, radiator, belt,and rad hoses. it is used as a plow truck.
98 honda civic for my nephew with 60k miles on it for $1500, front end hit.
put 1000 into it. 5 weeks later, it was broadsided, and they totaled it again. bought it back for $200, they gave us $1700,
it is gonna cost around $1000 to fix it again.

 

Thanks for the straight shooting guys!

The more I think of it, many people have bought or own cars that have sustained the same amount of body damage as these salvage car's I've seen.
The obviously damaged cars that I might look at were light hits or were recovered stolen. The light hits are the small stuff. The recovered cars are generally missing their original wheels and furntiture.

I was wondering if you guys knew anyone that bought the storm cars regularly. I'm looking for repeat buyers who are sure that they have done well.

At the lot, these storm cars get cleaned up very good, but I'd be a little cold footed about having future electrical troubles.

Ken, I've been real busy. Got a lot of stuff going on at home and my best friend fell off a ladder during the summer and broke his hand and arm real bad. I've been covering him by cutting his lawn and doing small jobs around his place. This winter, I'll likely be moving his snow too.

 

On topic of flood cars, electrical can be a small ghost and then become a complete nightmare. The electronic brains are not cheap to replace and have a no return policy.
Generally the carpet is removed, dried, sprayed with frebreeze, and re installed. Same for the seats. You have a greater chance for mold and mildew. If you have allergies or children with allergies it could be havoc.

 

the only flood car i would ever buy is one with no electronics in it. as in something made before 1975, and even then, i would not pay much for it unless they proved the wiring harness was replaced and it ran perfectly with good oil pressure