so now that im looking for a new car i have finally started asking myself
what is the big draw back about salvage title vehicles???
other then the fact that you may have a tough time re selling it
arent the inspections extensive and eliminate the chance of the car not being straight etc.
I just find myself questioning the old advice people always use to give me
“OH ITS A SALVAGE TITLE, FORGET IT”
lets here what you guys have to say
The issue comes down to the quality of the repair, the inspections will only tell you on the surface if it’s “safe” and the parts aren’t stolen. Doesn’t address how the job was done underneath.
Electronics and sitting while waiting for re-title are my main thoughts as concerns. Especially electronics though. If you were selling me an iPhone and told me you dropped it 2 times even with no visible damage I’d pass on the deal. Of course it all depends on the type of accident and what happened I guess. Can you find that out or do you just have to roll the dice with a “salvage” title? I dunno, never bought salvaged. I would never buy a flood/water damaged car no matter what. My 2 cents anyhow.
id buy a theft recovery, but no way id buy a flood/or bent frame salvage titled car
So basically they never put the car on a frame machine to ensure taht it is straight?
flood and water i agree on but i dunno i have just been debating on the entire thing because some are so well documented and so much cheaper
care to elaborate why? i do like peoples opinions but they arent worth much without an explanation in this case
They are cheaper to buy, as such resale value is cut in half, or thereabouts. If you can get it at or below half book and it’s not from a flood or major wreck it might be worth it.
Basically you risk taking over someone elses trash if you don’t know what you’re getting into.
I’ve thought about it before but in the end I have stayed clear thusfar. If the right deal came up I’m sure I’d do it.
Only difference between a salvage title and a car in an accident is the fact that on a salvage title the repairs cost more than what the car was worth.
Technically true. A major impact could limit the longevity of electronics, one reason for the stigma & the decreased value. Flood damage, same thing really. The frame can be straightened out and it’s a single item you can verify repaired with a measurement. Electronics are an unknown and there isn’t any way to assure longevity or condition.
Same thing for any car in a wreck. Any issues can be repaired, just a matter of cost.
Correct; and as such, typically the repairs are then half-assed to get the car functional again enough to pass the state inspection to be able to drive using the $$ the insurance company coughed up to total the car. There are some people out there who do good jobs on salvage repair, but more often than not even the good jobs have a lot of corners cut to save time/$$.
Some of the stuff I’d worry about:
Bent Frame/suspension
Motor/trans issues (cracked cases that weren’t caught)
Like said electronics (typically don’t like high-G impacts or water)
Body (panels that have been polyester filled to hell instead of repaired properly)
and a crap load of other little stuff.
Essentially it comes down to who did the work, which is almost always impossible to find out unless you’re buying it from that person and they are a collision tech; and even then, they’re going to cut corners because they know how/where they can! (My brother is a Heavy-Hit collision shop tech, been doing it over 30 years now, and he’s done a few salvage’s for himself/friends, and they had corners cut; although 99% of the population couldn’t tell the difference)
Repair and warranty issues. You are buying something that was broken and rebuilt which can have more things potentially go wrong then something set from the factory.
My first car in college was a salvaged title. I had a family friends state of the art collision shop buy it at an auction, replace the dash and front end stuff and got a 2 year old car for very cheap. It lasted and was solid so I don’t have huge issues with them but someone who has the repairs done at a random gas station or personal garage I would be very worried about. You need someone too who knows what they are looking at to check it out at the auction and make sure it’s worth it to repair and what needs to be replaced isn’t a common element that breaks.
First off, it depends on the car and the extent of damage that it had sustained.
Second, a lot of the drawback comes from the way NYS ass fucks you to try and get the car through their system. (If buying out of state)
Like anything else, it takes discretion when making the purchase and you have to weigh out the pros and cons. My current car is a salvage. While it may have been a bitch to get through the DMV BS, I don’t regret buying it for a second.
I don’t know, I just wouldn’t get involved…unless the car is so cheap where resale is not really a concern, and you have driven it/inspected it at a pretty thorough level…but I also like protecting my automotive investments…
You pretty much buy a salvaged car with no expectations to resell it. The KBB value of a salvaged title is like nothing so if you are looking to buy something of value, don’t.
Dealers wont touch them so no trade in.
its really just about the quality of the repair. my dads car was totaled and i fixed it properly. the car was old enough that it didnt have to be re titled as salvage or go through inspection so it made sense to fix the car as there was no frame damage.
find out what was the reasoning for it being salvage, if there was extensive flood or frame damage i would stay away. if it was due to cost of airbag replacements, theft, or body panel damage then i would consider it
Good luck getting one financed or selling it later on to someone who needs financing.
Banks WILL NOT touch a salvage title’d car.
Credit unions will.
Very few and definitely the exception.
I appreciate all the responses
I dont have a specific car in mind and to be honest they seem to be a lot harder to find then i remember but i figured it would be worth it for a car that i plan on keeping for a long period of time
Ive been go back and forth between a higher milage evo 8 or 9 salvage (depending on the reason for the salvage)
or a S2000
where is the best place to look for salvages? auctions im assuming?