Good deal bad deal?
 

ok so i currently have a 2000 GXE and it has allot of miles onit, its been giving me a few problems here and there so i was looking into getting another car i was looking for something diff than the max but my sister's friend had an accident (not in his max) and he's selling me his car for $16,000 it's a 2004 SL and it only has 15,300 miles on it, the only thing is the car has a salvage title which was from minor accident, he has 20" on the carthe car looks nice in and out and it's also the same color as my 5th gen. so what do you guys think?

I would say that no accident is minor if the car ended up with a salvage title. In that case there likely is structural damage that no insurance company wants to be held liable for in the event of another accident. Also a vehicle with a salvage title is NOT covered under any warranty regardless of miles, age or reason for salvage. If you want a 6th gen then I would look for a clean title. You should be able to find something around $18-20K range. In my opinion it’s worth the extra $.

(Salvaged title) sounds scary to me. Try running it thriugh car fax because there are very few fender benders that put a car on the salvage list. You may end up loosing out like dla said there is no more warranty coverage on it. An 04 sl with only 15k is very low which leads me to think it was out of commision for a while. Unless he never drove the car. I would probably go and just buy one that is clean on the title.

No salvage title, not worth it. Like dla said, for maybe a little more get a 6th gen w/ clean title or something else.

Back in 99 my best friend got a great deal on an 97 max with a salvaged title.
The car has structural damage to the front frame. He still has the car today and loves it.
Depending on finances, if you weigh all the negatives and still want the car, then by all means get it.

If salvage is the same as rebuilt title then it is no big deal......try and ask your sisters friend if he has pictures of the damages before it was fixed. I know this becasue our "mechanic" has told us that a rebuilt/salvaged title can get that name even if teh radio was stolen out of the car, or if the car itself was stolen and then brought back with no damage what soever. Point being that salavage/rebuilt title isn't really "scary" if you know what your buying, just ask where the damage was, and check the area out yourself for any visual weirdness or things like that, but other than that YES! it is a great deal! lol

well i dont know if salvage and rebuilt tittle are the same but i think he said rebuilt but i'll give him a call later he's had the car for a while he uses his bike as a daily driver so im assuming thats y he has the low miles, yea another thing is having a car out of warranty is a b|tch in the long run you end up wasting more money

2004sl 4 speed auto.. me no like

All 04s do not have 4 speeds, just the early ones. My '04 SL is a five speed.

Doesn't salvage title means the car was declared totalled at one point? For a new car, the repair cost would have to be greater than half the value to be declared totalled.

If the car had a clean title, I would say that is a great deal.

Do not buy a car with a salvaged title, especially something expensive, and especially a Maxima. Search www.autotrader.com or www.autoshopper.com if you want to find an 04' SL. I'm sure you'd only have to spend a few thousand dollars more, and it would be worth it.

Also, spend the $20 for a CarFax. I think its worth $20 for a CarFax, especially if your going to be paying $16,000 for the car. Hope this helps.

(www.carfax.com)
:hide:

I had been told at one point that insurance companies have bumped it up from 50% to 70% of the car's value (In order to total it). Do you know if there is any truth to this?
If this were the case, 70% repair bill of the cost of the car? That is a heck of a lot of damage!

Something to consider......

That's why I wasn't sure if "rebuilt" and "salvaged" meant the same, I know that re-built can mean that your car got a radio stolen and that's it! :jeffy: Stupid but that's how it is.

Re Salvage title
 

Bad idea! Why buy someone elses throwaway, even if you think your getting a good deal, you have no assurances that it won't cost you a ton in the future.

I had a 95 maxima and I bought it with a salvage title. Trust me when I say that it is not worth it to buy a salvage vehicle just to save a few bucks in the beginning. If you are buying a new or preowned car, do yourself a favor and buy one that has not been in any accident. If you buy salvage, trust me when I say that you will regret it later!

A car will not be declared as "rebuilt" for something minor as a radio theft. A car is considered "rebuilt" only after it is repaired allowed back on the road after it has been declared a total loss.

The value of a salvage title vehicle is only about 40% of its actual blue book value with no salvage title, no matter how good it looks after being rebuilt.

From my experience, a total loss is only declared when the price of damage EXCEEDS the actual blue book value of the car. I dont know if this is different among different insurance companies, but when I had geico many years ago, thats what they told me.

It IS scary when the person who owns a salvage vehicle realizes that no matter how good of shape it is in, a salvage vehilce is always worth about 60% LESS than its actual blue book value with a clean title. I was stuck with this problem in the past and I have learned my lesson.

sounds scary to me, but i would get it lazered.....or body alignment, so they can be sure there isnt too much damage.. but it is true that it can get that title if it was stolen and returned damaged, or even stereo equiment get ripped off...etc.. I would really get it checked out first....

It probably depends on what insurance company you have, some dont consider this salvage and some might. I have never heard of any car having a salvage title or rebuilt title just for the simple theft of a stereo or something similar. But of course, I dont know everything. :wavey: