Is Buying a Salvaged Title Car a Good Deal?

There are many reasons a car can earn a salvage title. Today we talk pros and cons of buying a salvage car, and if it's worth the savings. Remember there are many factors that play into this choice.

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[chrisc]

I bought many cars and just because a car is clean title doesn't mean it's never been crash it was just not reported to insurance

[frugalprepper]

I ran into a insurance company that wouldn't insure my mustang that I re-did that had a salvage title when I was a teenager. I had the car fixed great and then couldn't get insurance. I ended up "selling" it to a family member in the next state over and having them title it in their state. Then I had them "sell" it back to me and I re-titled it in my state, and POOF just like magic it was no longer a salvage car.

[hugoknight]

8 years ago I purchased a "salvage title" 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan from a private party. It had been in an accident and had front end damage but had been nicely repaired. No frame damage. It had 67K on the odometer and I have put another mostly trouble-free 200K on it since. My advice: if you plan on buying a salvage title, be prepared to drive it till it drops because resale value is terrible. But if you like the vehicle it can be a great deal!

[mayraarmas]

Just be careful when you buy a car, as a lot of ppl out there dont care and will sell you anything to get your money

[int]

I work at a body shop. Believe me there are cars on the road that shouldn't be. Including newer cars that had extensive damage that were repaired and really shouldn't have been.

[jrzzrj]

3 yrs ago (2016) I bought my first ever Salvaged Title car (2012 Chevy Equinox)...It is one of the finest cars I have owned and has not given me a bit of trouble....Still has that New smell interior....I don't know what the original damage was...nor did I care to know...as the car looks super good and no repair work is evident inside or plan to keep this vehicle a long time....I am fully insured (AFI)....

[ryantoomey]

NEVER, EVER buy a salvage vehicle that was flooded! It will have a lifetime of electrical problems.

[_Steven_S]

"they're looking for things to sell you, so they're going to find all of it." Love it!

[chrisc]

I've had clean title cars that brake down on me within the first few months and I've had salvge cars that are solid and run for ever so to me I feel salvge cars are worth it

[amak]

The BIG thing is how the car is deemed a "total loss". If it isn't worth much to begin with, not much damage is required for it to be a "total loss". Could be as simple as a bumper being torn off.

[CarSagan]

My current and prior two vehicles are all salvage titles. For each of my prior two, I was involved in accidents caused by the other drivers. Each of these cars were totaled, and the checks given to me by their insurance companies averaged at about 110% the cost of what I payed for the vehicles years prior. Quite a deal you can find with salvage vehicles, of which I paid about 60-80% of the lowest book value. As the video suggests, inspect the crap out of them. If you can find a dealer that does free alignment checks, take it there and ask them if they could give the vehicle a once-over for other concerns. Often you can get all this done for free.

[DENicholsAutoBravado]

Truly great advice my friend. The only salvage vehicle I bought, I bought because I ran into it while I was after a specific vehicle. It was a very reliable and safe for a long, long time. The seller didn't understand how much the salvage title devalued the vehicle, so I couldn't get the discount I rightly deserved. All that said, I did buy a very low mile car, which had a newer better engine in it, with 1 critical mistake. One of the 3, thick, very needed bolts on a motor mount were sheered off and the transmission almost had to be pulled to tap it out and got the motor mount fully attached.

This cost me more money than I saved 8 years prior. So some luck is important, and my case, the luck only ran out a LONG time after I bought it, lol.

[DefWun]

If I ever consider a Salvage Vehicle, it would have to be priced cheap and pass my personal inspection to my liking. I would also stay away from Flood Cars. They're usually trouble for multiple reasons(electrical problems and mold in the vents are the two major ones) I don't think it's ever wise to buy a salvaged vehicle for resale.Even if you 100% know the reason it's salvaged, the vehicle still carries a black eye being salvage. Great video BTW. Solid, realistic points as usual.

[lonegunmn]

"collapse into your face" - without a doubt, one of the funniest things I've heard in a while.

[rashaad]

one thing my boss tells my customers​ all the time. if the guy doesn't want you to do a pre-purchase inspection don't buy from them. there is almost always a reason why.

[rainhanger]

watching your old veds are always as fresh as the new ones. Thank you for the effort, and honesty.

[mymorningzion]

I'm a mechanic and I send your videos to friends who ask me questions to save time. thanks for that :)

[Atlamalia]

In Australia we have the Written Off Vehicle Register, or WOVR, cars can be marked as either a repairable write off or a statutory write off. Repairable write offs are able to be put back on the road after an inspection is passed, statutory write offs are never allowed to be returned to the road and are for parts only.

[midwestmods]

This is really interesting to see someone elses experience with salvaged cars, i deal with them everyday and just started making videos!

[TrentG]

Bought a rebuilt SRT Charger 4 years ago...I still own it, and still love it.