Question about used car sales

[geechiedan]

A friend of mine is looking at a 2014 ford fusion titanium...he test drove it and was told that the rear brakes needs rotors but other than that the car seemed fine

I helped him run the VIN and a few things popped up but the most confusing is that it has a junk/salvage report but the title is clean?

the guy wants 6500 for it... I spoke to a mechanic who said he would do the brakes for 300... but we're confused about the junk/salvage thing but clean title

what up with that??

 

[Mo-Better]

That owner didn't take good care of that car. The fact the rotors need replacing is a warning sign. Brake shoe indicators start squealing long before rotors would be needed. I wouldn't touch that car.

 

[arnoldwsimmons]

As far as the junk/clean title, what report did you use? Was it Carfax? If not, I would get Carfax, and compare the two.

 

[ViCiouS]

A friend of mine is looking at a 2014 ford fusion titanium...he test drove it and was told that the rear brakes needs rotors but other than that the car seemed fine

I helped him run the VIN and a few things popped up but the most confusing is that it has a junk/salvage report but the title is clean?

the guy wants 6500 for it... I spoke to a mechanic who said he would do the brakes for 300... but we're confused about the junk/salvage thing but clean title

what up with that??

dont buy that car
might be a salvage title issued in the last 18 months

That owner didn't take good care of that car. The fact the rotors need replacing is a warning sign. Brake shoe indicators start squealing long before rotors would be needed. I wouldn't touch that car.

this

 

[ballscout1]

Some states allow a car that was deemed a total loss to be fixed and sold....The title is clean because there is no loaner lien on it.

If it has a salvage title that car has been in a wreck. Illinois wouldn't allow it to be sold but Indiana would...SO many used car places in Illinois would sell the car in Indiana and then it wouldn't have the salvage title

I wouldn't buy it

 

[geechiedan]

That owner didn't take good care of that car. The fact the rotors need replacing is a warning sign. Brake shoe indicators start squealing long before rotors would be needed. I wouldn't touch that car.

As far as the junk/clean title, what report did you use? Was it Carfax? If not, I would get Carfax, and compare the two.

dont buy that car
might be a salvage title issued in the last 18 months

this

Some states allow a car that was deemed a total loss to be fixed and sold....The title is clean because there is no loaner lien on it.

If it has a salvage title that car has been in a wreck. Illinois wouldn't allow it to be sold but Indiana would...SO many used car places in Illinois would sell the car in Indiana and then it wouldn't have the salvage title

I wouldn't buy it

thanx ya'll much appreciated!

 

[850credit]

Is that Carfax or something else?

 

[geechiedan]

Is that Carfax or something else?

not carfax

 

[mcguyver]

Fusions are dope

 

[geechiedan]

Fusions are dope

apparently not this one..

 

[mcguyver]

apparently not this one..

Like other's said, the previous owner.....

 

[xxironxx]

Yep salvage usually means it's been totaled out. Homie of mine bought a Honda odyssey that had a salvaged title. Had been rear ended. Owner showed us pics of it from the wreck. Shit ran great 4 him

 

[DVS X]

Depending on the state, salvage title doesnt always mean that the car was involved in a wreck. It could be something as simple as hail damage was enough to total the car out but was easily fixable through PDR method without requiring bondo/paint and perhaps windshield/sunroof had to be replaced if it was larger hail. So the car is still functionally as good as any other used car youd buy... Best thing you could do to find out is look at the car under lights in a big garage or some other structure. You can use the cut off of the lights from above to look for small dents or maybe small chewed up dents if the hail technician wasnt good. if the car is white/gold/silver/pewter, you might never notice it outdoors. If the techs were good tho, you wont be able to tell. even under the lights unless youre experienced at how to look for previous bodywork. With some cars weve fixed, I was surprised that they were totalled out since the damage was so small and easy to fix, but there was so much of it that the numbers added up to 3/4 of the value of the car. Happened a lot on domestic cars because the value drops so bad that getting to 3/4 of the value didnt take much after you factor in all the panels and the R & I for tailights/headlights/headliner/trunk liner etc to get access to the damage.

On the bad side... It could be flood damage. Someone couldve cleaned it up, but it means that salt water is eating away at everything. Take it to a mechanic and they can look for signs of flood damage. If so, youre better off unloading it.

 

[kidmegaii]

Hire a mechanic with a scanner, and take them to the dealership. Let them look at the car

 

[big enos burrnet]

Walk away......usually car fax will show why it was junk/salvage .....was it wreck,,flood damaged ,,ect..ect....no clear indication on why...

 

[knightmelodic]

Simply put, the odds of it being a good car are small and the odds of it being a pos are large. I could go into many, many reasons but if you have to do all this work it ain't worth it.
And a salvage could mean a whole list of things but cars *usually* get salvaged because the cost to repair them is greater than the value. Think bent frame or electrical issues like a submerged vehicle. In any case, keep looking.