On 7/26/2010 8:07 AM, Tim wrote:
> I am looking for any input any one can give me about buying a car that was in
>an accident and has a salvage title. Is this a good idea or should we walk
>away from it. My daughter is taking a loan out to buy this car as she needs it
>for getting to and from work, college classes, and the schools where she will
>be student teaching; so we really need to get this (or something) done very
>soon.
Hard to say for sure. Collision shops have done things as radical as
weld a front half and back half together around the center, through the
B-pillars, etc. That's *not* I car I would want, or would trust to be
reliable or crash worthy.
Other times it can just be panel damage; and if the car's value is low
due to age or just being cheap to start with, it's easy to rack up a
repair bill large enough for the insurance to total it.
A friend has a 1993 300ZX. When it was 10 or 12 years old, he spun out
on an ice patch and onto a grass median. It only damaged trim pieces
and a couple dents that were Bondo-able. But it ended up totaled by the
time they added up multiple panels and spraying the whole thing. He
bought it out from the insurance company, and doing the labor himself,
fixed the whole thing for less then they paid him. It was never damaged
that badly, but it's now a salvage title.
So... guess I'm saying it's a big gamble unless you can get some
reliable info on what really happened to it, and how well it was
repaired. That's pretty difficult on any used car, though. It might
also affect insurance. Dunno if you can get full coverage on a salvage
car; check with your ins co.
-Wayne
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