Many years ago when I didn't know a whole lot about buying cars, I would never have considered even looking at a salvaged car, let alone buying one. That's what I was told then--never buy a salvaged car. Now I'm a bit more analytical and if there's a car with a salvaged title, I may look into it and see how it got that title. A month back I was very tempted to look at this '98 or '99 SL500 with around 58k miles on the odo for $8700. It was in pristine condition based on the ad and pictures posted. The drawback was that it's a salvaged due to theft. The car must have been sold since I no longer see it on CL anymore. Looking back, a theft recovery doesn't so bad compared with a collision. I'm thinking what if....

This morning I found a 2005 Prius with 103k in excellent shape for $6500. It has a salvaged title due to a "minor" accident that didn't set off the airbags. No frame damage. I called the seller and he said the hood, driverside fender and front bumper were replaced and that he painted it himself after I asked about the color matching. This shocked me a bit. He said it was professionally fixed and inspected. This is very tempting but I was a bit discouraged when he said he's owned it for about a week or so and that he got it through an auction after I asked him about if he was the fsecond owner. He doesn't know. The car looks clean but I don't know if it's worth checking out.

Lately I've been thinking about getting a 2004 and up Prius mainly for its high EPA rating, otherwise I don't like the car aesthetically. My options are really the Audi TT, Honda S2000, and SL500 ('96-'00). Considering an SLK but it's such a chick car and looks too "cute."

My 300e had a salvage title issued at 194 (not a typo) miles back in 1991. The only sign of damage is the trunk and drivers side rear fender do not have a perfect gap, and the VIN is missing (sketchy...). It drives beautifully and I don't regret buying it one bit. It has its certain tweaks, but nothing that would be unexpected for a car of its age. If you do go for a salvage car, make SURE you get a PPI to ensure there hasn't been any botched repairs.

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

A salvage title would dissuade me on a very new car, but if the price were low enough I probably would consider it.

On an older car it really would not make much difference but probably would result in some reduction in value at pretty much any age.

What is book on that prius?

If it is 6500 I would try to negotiate it down if it looked like a car I would want to own.

If it is 12000 I would probably jump on it if it passed muster.

I probably would get it checked out by someone expert in Prius's.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Depends on where it was salvaged from.....

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

For the record... I've owned three cars with salvage titles.

No matter what you've been told, it's hearsay and of no value unless you can obtain documentation that allows you to pass this information on when you sell.

Theft recovery? Airbags didn't go off? Prove it!

Some insurance companies will refuse to cover a car with a salvage title,
and try to trade it in for any kind of money...

It's a good deal IF the car did not have serious damage, AND you can get the discount off the price up front.

In all three cases, I was the last owner, so having a discount up front worked out well for me.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

I tend to keep my cars for a long time, so I don't care much for resale value. I can't believe I've had my '90 190E for a little over 10 years now! Still love the car and love the design, but now I'm thinking it's time to sell it. My plan was to replace it with a sporty coupe. I have a Volvo 245 as my "practical car" and really don't want another 4-door. But the Prius may be an exception.

If I can sell my 190E, getting this Prius wouldn't be a big deal financially--if I can get get it below what the seller is asking for.

What's a PPI?

I looked at KBB online:
EXCELLENT: $9935
GOOD: 9185
FAIR: 7910

These prices are for '05 Prius w/ 103k and a clean title

I read somewhere that a salvaged car loses half of it's KBB value. So if this car is in good to excellent condition (looks to be very clean from the pics ad has), then rationally I can ask for $5000 without feeling I'm lowballing.

I forgot to mention that the hood, bumper, and fender are Taiwanese aftermarket parts and not genuine Toyota. I know nothing about the 2nd-generation Prius model but do know that it has Toyota reliability and good mileage. I would jump on a Prius simply for that since I don't think gas price is going down. If I can find a great deal then I will get one over a sport 2-seater, which is what my heart wants.

PPI = pre-purchase inspection. Get one done at an indy of YOUR choice (who knows, seller could be in bed with theirs) and then you can get a good idea of what you're looking at. Personally I wouldn't touch a prius, the batteries eventually need to be replaced since they wear out ($$$) and the manufacturing process pretty well defeats the "green" aspect. I'm also biased a bit toward diesels

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Not unless the car was rare and/or valuable enough to justify the hassle.

Many of my friends deal in salvaged titled cars....



It honestly depends on what happened to the car to make it a total loss.....



Some of the cars they have bought and sold just needed a new bumper cover and trunk lid, and they are fine... Some needed extensive frame work to be driveable. A friend picked up a 2007 Toyota Tacoma at auction for about $3k. It needed all new glass, and a paintjob, as it looked like somones girlfriend didnt agree with his decisions....

Then again, I have seen the complete opposite side of salvage cars.... Another friend bought a newer 07-08 Audi that had been rolled.... Needed a hood and a roof. Found a hood and roof at a junkyard, and had them installed on the wrecked car. Had the roof with damage cut off, and had the new roof welded on and painted.


Thats why, get a good bodyman to look over the car that your buying to make sure that its safe... I do not mind dealing in salvage title cars, as long as its not a hack job repair like some stuff I have seen...

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-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

Try to find as much as possible info for the car you are considering. A proper seller will have pictures before and after so you can see for yourself. Some of the salvage cars are bad some of them are excellent. Here in SLC there is a dealer that sells only salvage cars. He was selling recently new Accords with between 50 and 200 miles on them for 7/8 thousand less than the dealership. The "issue" with them was that during the transportation on a train they've left 60 of them with some of the windows open so they were very dusty inside. The dealer rejected them and the Insurance company paid off and sold them. He got the whole lot, cleaned them and resold all inside a week.

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http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v...7/scotflag.gif http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/v.../scot2flag.gif

"If women are so bloody perfect at multitasking how come they can't have a headache and sex at the same time?"
Billy Connolly

All depends on how the car was hit and who put it back together. I've been in remarkably unnoticable rebuilt rollovers and I've been in cars that got a half hour on the frame rack and they look like total crap after a 2mph collision.

I've owned a few, I like to buy them wrecked and rebuild them. Nice way to get cars you can't afford for cheap.

The rule of thumb in Oklahoma is that any car with a Salvage Title is worth 50% of book.

Many dealers will not take them in trade so you have to sell them yourself.

I don't know if this info helps, but these are two facts I know of.

Some dealers in Texas sell only 'Rebuilders' that they buy from the insurance pool. Body shops buy them and use them to keep their crew busy when there is a slack period.

In Texas a car has to be pretty wrecked up to get a Salvage title, so it is possible to buy a rebuilder with a 'blue title'. In Oklahoma if an insurance co. has ever said a car was totaled the title becomes Salvage and it can never be changed back.

Sure if it was the right car at the right price.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

I didn't even get to see the car! Before I left to look at it, I called the seller if he was available. He said yes, so I told him I was going to be there around n time. I get there and called him to let him know I'm outside. He said he's on the freeway and will be there in about 10 minutes. I'm a bit irked because I thought he was home. Then 10 minutes later he calls back and tells me the car is sold! Apparently he was with a potential buyer.

He apologized and said that this buyer had called earlier and he thought he'd drop by later that day. It turned out he decided to drop by unannounced. He ended up buying the car for the asking price of $6500 (I was a bit curious and asked ).

Oh well. I was a bit annoyed that I drove all the way there only to have it sold before I could even check it out. But the trip was a 30-mile round, so not that far, still.... The guy seemed genuinely sorry, but I can't blame him.