so while "still" shopping for prius, despite my last post, i ran across an ad of 07 prius with just 45k miles for $90k. he said he is selling it low because he has a salvage by theft title but car is in perfect condition. i'm very intrigued by it because there were "no" accidents. is this good deal or no?
I assume you mean $9k, because for $90k I could buy a bmw 750 lol.....nonetheless you have to check your local registration laws. can you register a salvage titled vehicle? I know in NY you cannot (unless it goes thru reconstruction which is a PITA) Also keep in mind, if you ever plan to sell, salvage will really hurt resale value..if you plan to drive it until it dies, as long as the structure is good, body is straight and frame isn't tweaked, you are good to go.
Don't buy a car with a salvage title unless you know the person who brought the car back to life well enough to trust them and you are savy enough to check the car out. There are bargains to be had, but you need to know what you are doing and have a reliable source. That leaves most of us out. Do not, under any conditions buy a car that has salvage status because of water damage. problems will show up in those car for years.
Over the course of the last 35 years I have purchased 8 cars with salvage titles. Only one of them was good to go on the day I bought it... and 6 of em I bought for parts to complete another vehicle and after I removed what I wanted from them, I sold the rest as scrap (I used to build and sell rods, mostly V8 Vegas). If the car has been under water, the wiring will go bad as will many exposed weld points of a unibody car... not to mention the transmission/powertrain issues or the possibility of mold growing in the car in places you won't see, but will smell. If the car hasn't been in an accident, but has a salvage title from Cali, it could have been a stripped car that was reassembled. If that is the case, your car is as good as the remanufacturer can restore it... sometimes they are reassembled right, sometimes they leave off a critical bushing or grommet that can keep a short from developing. $9000 isn't a bad price at all if it was reassembled correctly... if your nose doesn't find it a stinker, and you are sure of the accident/repair history, offer $8K...
Oh... I forgot to add: If you buy a salvage vehicle, don't expect to sell it later... if you do, then BONUS... But the reason you are taking the risk with a salvage car is because YOU want to drive it for less money than what it would cost you for a good clean titled car of the same make and year... If you do buy it Bra... buy it to drive the wheels off... that's why you were there in the first place, to save a few dollars... the longer you use the car, the better savings you will have made in the purchase. YMMV Bob Jr
Worldly true, existentially false. What is the point of saving and driving the same car forever when we all die anyway?
I know a salvage rebuilder well who self-finances the vehicles that he sells. If that is an option here, then this might just be the deal that you were looking for. By the way, these cars are virtually impossible to steal. Most likely, the thief broke into the owner's house or otherwise got their hands on the keys. It sounds like one of those where insurance paid the claim and the car was recovered later.
thats kinda like asking "why cross the street when you could get hit by a car?"....somethings you just gotta do
