http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cg...946830&r=0&t=0

 

having a Salvage title will really reduce the cost of a car

 

ah, salvage title. nevermind.

 

Actually I am very impressed how people get repelled by a fact that the car is a salvage/rebuilt. A lot of cars have a couple of dents on them (after minor accidents) and people already consider them as junk. I think that 3-4K off the market price just because the car had a hood and a bumber replaced is a fair deal.

In a sence if you modify your car it becomes rebuilt (salvage).

 

Actually, I HAVE a rebuilt Maxima. The car was in a minor accident, and the radiator needed to be replaced, as well as the deployed air bags. And cosmetic fixes. That's it. I got a '98 SE with 30,000 miles for $11,700, and book was about $17-18k.

The car is perfect. I'd do it again.

 

I've been told that salvage cars are supposed to be valued at 1/3 of the book value? Am I completely wrong on this? Seems like people are paying way too much for salvage cars.

 

how do you know whether it was a hood/bumper replacement or whether the whole car was rebuilt? Yes, you can end up with a good car that was in a minor accident, but you can also get something that was completely wrecked. So, unless I knew exactly what happened to it, I'd pass (or the price should be really good).

 

Cars get salvage titles when they're totaled out by an insurance company. This means that they had some form of expensive damage. Not just a hood or a radiator. When was the last time your garage asked for your title when they repaired a dent in your fender. I worked for a body shop for some time. We bought cars for pennies when they were "totaled". If the work is done right the car can be as good as new or better. The problem is you don't know without measurements and stress tests (for structural components). Unless you're the guy who fixed it. the most expensive fixes are sub-frame,air bags,and engine damage. Anything that's pretty expensive relative to the car's value.
With a salvage title you basically lose the confidence of the factory construction.

-Zack

 

Agreed. Salvage is when the insurance company deems it more expensive to fix than worth, or when they believe the car cannot be put back into a state that is equal to how it was before the accident.

I don't know of any car that has been given a salvaged title because of a simple radiator problem or a few dings.

Usually frame damage is required, or enough cosmetic damage to make it more expensive to fix than it's worth.

My friend crashed his brand new Neon sport when it was new. He drove it off a cliff, got it airborn, and slammed into a tree, and then fell 20 feet to the ground.

Damage:
All Pieces of front end
Engine components and accessories (nothing internal)
All Four Corners needed massive suspension rebuild
It needed minor frame straightning.

The total price to fix was $7,000 and it still has a clean title.

I personally did $12,000 worth of damage to a brand new 4Runner Limited (first car) by rolling it on its side. It still has a clean title.

 

I saw the owner's invoice and insurance documents: the reason it was given a rebuilt title is because the insurance company had a policy stating that any amount of damage was "total damage" if the accident was serious enough to deploy both front airbags and if the repairs exceeded a certain percentage of the book value of the car. This car met those criteria, the car was "totaled," and issued a rebuilt title when the airbags, radiator, hood, bumper and right fender were replaced. I took the car to TWO independent body shops in the Philly area who charged me a total of $155 to inspect the car and look for frame damage. The found none, and neither did the previous owner's body shop, according to the paperwork he showed me -- and the phone call I follwed it up with.

 

I agree that cars with salvage titles can, and often are restored to factory quality. Most people just don't want to bother with finding out if the restoration was quality or quickie.


-zack

 

or, more likely, are not able to..


Roman

 

I was at a dealer auction (when i bought my maxima) and salvage and rebuilt cars were going at a very significant discount off the blue book, often more than 1/2. "Mileage uncertain" cars fared even worse though. People just assume the worse in either of these cases, and price the cars accordingly.