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After moving from FL to Sylva, we've decided to get a solid 4x4 for good weather, especially after dealing with getting stuck at our place a couple days at a time. While looking, I've come across a few Jeeps with what the owner calls a salvage title?
What are the ramifications of purchasing a vehicle that has a salvage title? Are there insurance and registering issues?
Basically, the vehicle was damaged in some way ( usually by flood, but could be others ) that caused the insurance company to write it off. Somebody rebuilt it, possibly from the frame up but a lot of times it's not so complete. Unless you have a very, very, very good reason to want this particular vehicle and have had a knowledgeable independant third party inspect it, and are willing to risk owning a potential huge headache, you should probably stay far away.
Be careful about buying any vehicle, especially a Jeep with a salvage title.
A vehicle has a salvage title when it has been damaged beyond the value of the vehicle (totaled out). While on some cars, like saaaay a 20 year old pick-up... that is not hard to do with a minor fender-bender that will cost over 1000.00 to repair. Cosmetically unattractive, but will have no bearing on performance.
The reason I say be wary of Jeeps with salvage titles is Jeeps are regularly used for offroading. The type of damage they receive that can total them out can be bent frames and other structural issues that will prevent them from driving quite right. Little things like doors that don't shut, drives with a dog-leg (where the rear end doesn't line up with the front end), uneven and bad tire wear, and the list goes on.
I know people who have had salvage titled cars. Some have proven to be great investments. But these people are also mechanics. They can compensate/repair the damages and make it a worthy investment.
My mother had an older car that got caught in a hail storm. Lots of little dents all over. Insurance totalled it out for $1900 and she bought it back on the salvage title at $750 and pocketed the difference. After a few more Texas summers, most of the dents had popped themselves out anyway.
My mother had an older car that got caught in a hail storm. Lots of little dents all over. Insurance totalled it out for $1900 and she bought it back on the salvage title at $750 and pocketed the difference. After a few more Texas summers, most of the dents had popped themselves out anyway.
This is when a salvage title is best. the thing is, your mother knew the history of the car, and knew the damage was cosmetic. Unfortunately, the OP is not familiar with the histories of these vehicles from craigslist.
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