anyone ever bought a car with a rebuilt title?
- Thread starter DirtyCake
- Start date
What's a rebuilt title?
Car was Totaled or deemed salvaged but some one rebuilt it.
I wouldn't take the risk
i brought a 97 ford f150 rebuilt in 2000 never had a problem with it i prob would have still had it but my cousin wrecked it in 2002 
but insurance cover the total cost and i got a lincoln ls after that
but insurance cover the total cost and i got a lincoln ls after that
I'm sure mechanics do it since they can provide the labor. Parts are the cheap part, especially with junkyards. I had a friend who's car was in a flood. The insurance company was quick to total it and it was less than a year old. She had to fight with them to fix it instead. I'm sure someone would have bought it and used it for more than parts.
I wouldn't do it from a dealer though, they're shady enough already.
I'd do it from the mechanic/friend, someone you can always go back too.
How much did it cost for a rebuilt car?
I wouldn't even know how much to pay.
I wouldn't do it from a dealer though, they're shady enough already.
I'd do it from the mechanic/friend, someone you can always go back too.
i brought a 97 ford f150 rebuilt in 2000 never had a problem with it i prob would have still had it but my cousin wrecked it in 2002
How much did it cost for a rebuilt car?
I wouldn't even know how much to pay.
I just bought a Acura TL 2002 with a salvage title. Absolutely nothing wrong with this car whatsoever.
In all honesty, it's a crap shoot. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. Always run a carfax on it to make sure you understand the extent of the damage beforehand and then prcoeed. Stay away from a vehicle with any previous water damage. Electronics simply don't dry out the way you'd like them to, and you can't stop corrosion.
Also check with your state's DMV to see what the titling instructions are because transfer of ownership doesn't always insure tags. Sometimes you have to have the car re-inspected by the state in order for them to title it.
Just take good time and care in your decision on buying one, and you'll find something out there worth the risk.
In all honesty, it's a crap shoot. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. Always run a carfax on it to make sure you understand the extent of the damage beforehand and then prcoeed. Stay away from a vehicle with any previous water damage. Electronics simply don't dry out the way you'd like them to, and you can't stop corrosion.
Also check with your state's DMV to see what the titling instructions are because transfer of ownership doesn't always insure tags. Sometimes you have to have the car re-inspected by the state in order for them to title it.
Just take good time and care in your decision on buying one, and you'll find something out there worth the risk.
it was a 97 with 11k miles on it rebuilt with a custom paint job and 20's and i paid 12k for it
thanks
rebuilt means it was written off by the insurance company as a total loss, whether it be a theft or accident.
what is important to note is that you CANNOT get full coverage on a salvage title.....
so you can forget about collision and theft.....strictly liability.
i would only buy a salvage whip as a beater. thats me though.
good luck.
what is important to note is that you CANNOT get full coverage on a salvage title.....
so you can forget about collision and theft.....strictly liability.
i would only buy a salvage whip as a beater. thats me though.
good luck.
I have a 2000 salvaged Nissan Maxima i bought for 10K in 2003/4 7000 miles on it when I got it. havent had not one prob except ignition coils & mass air flow sensor which are reg problems for that year. it has 76,000 mi on it now runs perfect. Best purchase I ever made.
Car is straight (frame) no visible damage. Be careful b/c some of them salvaged cars (depending on the type of damage) have bent frames & u cant align it for shit
Car is straight (frame) no visible damage. Be careful b/c some of them salvaged cars (depending on the type of damage) have bent frames & u cant align it for shit
Flood damage is different. If water gets in your wire harness you can forget it. You may have to replace your, entire wire harness, car computer if it shorted out etc.
Im not so sure about that in florida cause when my cousin wreck my truck insurance gave my 15k for it as a total lost ...
In MD you can - I ve had full coverage on that bitch (2000 Maxima) since i got it (State Farm) If you do a carfax report on it it will come up as a previously salvaged car and says so on the title.
The person that sold it to me fixed it b4 selling it to me & had to go to the Md State police to get it inspected so the title can go through MVA (something like that)
Only thing is i got into another accident in it and the insurance company noted it was in another accident previously & only fixed what was new damage
I do it all the time. My pops has his dealers licence so I go with him to the auctions and buy salvaged cars. He has his own body shop so I can get them fixed up and they ride good as any other car. It's always good to have a mechanic or a body man check out the car with you if you don't know much about cars mechanically.
he said rebuilt not salvage
Buying a salvage/rebuild titled car is a complete dice roll.
The most important thing you need to understand about doing it is not whether they will drive well and look good. Most basic craftsmen can find and fix theses issue - the question is god forbid if you are in a crash WILL THE CAR HOLD UP AND PROTECT YOU!
Modern cars, beneath the surface, are complexly engineered crash structure designed to take one major impact - absorb all the energy - and then essentially be disposed of.
By design, the are made to self sacrifice themselves to keep you alive and unharmed.
So, first, you have to know exactly what happened to it previously and why it was written off. Picture will help you assess the exact kind of damage it incurred and whether this was a financial write off (repair value exceed 75% of book value) or was it catrosphic damage where the major crash structures were damaged to the point that the insurance company WILL NOT allow it to be rebuilt for fear of futher liability.
The latter one is the one you really want to be cautious of.
Next step is to try to investigate whomever did the repairs and that they are absolute craftsmen, know how to properly rebuild a car, and didn't cut any corners to save money because crash damage is not just about he sheet metal and glass.
There are many substructures, electrical, and engine/transmission components that could have been damaged in the crash as well.
If you find out that the shop who did the work does a lot of work for a car dealer or that they're certified by certain manufacturers, this is a very good sign that they're credible and know what they're doing.
You can roll the dice a little bit with fresh water flood damage, (i.e. the car rolled into a pond or lake) but make sure the carpeting was removed, body dried and all electrical harnesses and wires dried fully or replaced.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES BUY A SALT WATER FLOOD DAMAGED VEHICLE OR A CAR THAT WAS "HALVED"!
A lot of those Katrina / Mississippi cars are still on the market and floating around. They should have been immediately crushed and destroyed but unscrupulous individuals are selling them.
Additionally, shady repair men will take two salvaged cars - one that was a front end total, the other a rear end total - halve them and then reweld the two good halves together. This creates a major structural integrity issues and the car will never perform as the designers intended in the event of another accident.
The most important thing you need to understand about doing it is not whether they will drive well and look good. Most basic craftsmen can find and fix theses issue - the question is god forbid if you are in a crash WILL THE CAR HOLD UP AND PROTECT YOU!
Modern cars, beneath the surface, are complexly engineered crash structure designed to take one major impact - absorb all the energy - and then essentially be disposed of.
By design, the are made to self sacrifice themselves to keep you alive and unharmed.
So, first, you have to know exactly what happened to it previously and why it was written off. Picture will help you assess the exact kind of damage it incurred and whether this was a financial write off (repair value exceed 75% of book value) or was it catrosphic damage where the major crash structures were damaged to the point that the insurance company WILL NOT allow it to be rebuilt for fear of futher liability.
The latter one is the one you really want to be cautious of.
Next step is to try to investigate whomever did the repairs and that they are absolute craftsmen, know how to properly rebuild a car, and didn't cut any corners to save money because crash damage is not just about he sheet metal and glass.
There are many substructures, electrical, and engine/transmission components that could have been damaged in the crash as well.
If you find out that the shop who did the work does a lot of work for a car dealer or that they're certified by certain manufacturers, this is a very good sign that they're credible and know what they're doing.
You can roll the dice a little bit with fresh water flood damage, (i.e. the car rolled into a pond or lake) but make sure the carpeting was removed, body dried and all electrical harnesses and wires dried fully or replaced.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES BUY A SALT WATER FLOOD DAMAGED VEHICLE OR A CAR THAT WAS "HALVED"!
A lot of those Katrina / Mississippi cars are still on the market and floating around. They should have been immediately crushed and destroyed but unscrupulous individuals are selling them.
Additionally, shady repair men will take two salvaged cars - one that was a front end total, the other a rear end total - halve them and then reweld the two good halves together. This creates a major structural integrity issues and the car will never perform as the designers intended in the event of another accident.
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No, not that. The car will never track straight. Your front and rear axles will never let the wheels follow in the same track so while driving down the highway, it looks like the car is crabbing.
F: l l
R: l l
I don't know how many times I've seen shit like that. Car with perfect bodywork, sparkling paint, but it's crabbing down the highway because whoever did the work never put the car on a Computrack rig and laser aligned the frame.
i had a 84 olds with a salvage title back in the 90's. bought it from the junkyard. it was yellow and my nigs would call me pacman. best car i ever had. i like big old cars. but..it really depends on who you buy the car from..i rode my shit for 2 years until some jersey cop felt like doing his job and took it from me. u can't really do anything with a salvage title so it's really not worth it. in the long run it will be a waste of money unless u can sell it.
Didn't know. A lot of dude on here spit nonsense and people not in the know accept it as truth.
Someone forgot to tell State Farm that when my Salvaged 2003 Toyota Landcruiser with 36k miles was stolen.
each state has different laws regarding insurance coverages on rebuilt/ salvage titled cars. but honestly it is a crap shoot. too many intricacies. airbag sensors/airbag unit/egine computer/abs/speed sensor/frame alignment, . . . etc
shit mofos are driving around in a car built from 2 halves. the front of ur shit is 99 and the rear is an 03 WTF?! (some custom places do this when making custom or stretch vehicles however most of them are reputable as they vehicles have to pass inspection in any state) but if ur lookin at a car with the front half white and back half black and dude talkin about we can paint the whole thing gray, you better run!! i would only take the risk from 1 a place/mechanic/shop I trust cuz u can keep going to them. 2 in a car i would never want to put my family in. i really wouldnt want to take the chance that my fam could get hurt because something was faulty on this salvage ride
shit mofos are driving around in a car built from 2 halves. the front of ur shit is 99 and the rear is an 03 WTF?! (some custom places do this when making custom or stretch vehicles however most of them are reputable as they vehicles have to pass inspection in any state) but if ur lookin at a car with the front half white and back half black and dude talkin about we can paint the whole thing gray, you better run!! i would only take the risk from 1 a place/mechanic/shop I trust cuz u can keep going to them. 2 in a car i would never want to put my family in. i really wouldnt want to take the chance that my fam could get hurt because something was faulty on this salvage ride
That's why I say it's best to just go to the auctions with someone with a dealer's license, purchase the wrecked car and take it to a trusted mechanic who will fix it right. It works out cheaper in the long run. People shouldn't assume that all clean titled cars never been in wrecks either 
. Even if you check the carfax and it says it's clean, you should still be cautious because it only shows up on the carfax if the insurance got involved.
. Even if you check the carfax and it says it's clean, you should still be cautious because it only shows up on the carfax if the insurance got involved.
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