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Is a Salvage Title Bad?

By Mike Richards Posted: 08/20/2019

Is a salvage title bad? The answer to this question depends on what you expect to get from a salvage car. If you are looking for a car that you can get for cheap and drive it on the road immediately, then a salvage car is not what you’re looking for. But if you are looking for a spare-time project for you to get your hands dirty, then getting a salvage car is something you should look into for sure.

Is a Salvage Title Bad? The Benefits of Salvage Cars

There are a few benefits to getting a car with a salvage title. They are dirt cheap, and even after you factor in the repairs, a salvage car can end up being cheaper than the equivalent car with a clean title.

However, when purchasing a car with a salvage title, make sure you inspect it thoroughly, or bring someone who can do it for you, so that there are no hidden issues with the vehicle that would see your repair costs soaring beyond what makes buying such a car viable.

How Do Cars Get Salvage Titles?

Cars get issued a salvage title for many reasons, the obvious one being damage sustained in an accident that the insurance companies declared too expensive to repair. These cars have visible damage and sometimes it really isn’t worth trying to repair them. However, some salvage cars can have external damage, bodywork, broken glass and such, but could be in a perfect condition mechanically, which might make them worth the effort.

But do bear in mind that even if a car looks good on the outside, it doesn’t have to mean the car is in good condition. Cars that have been flooded can be dried out and cleaned up to the point where you’d think that they are in mint condition.

However, these cars can have so many gremlins with electric installations that are almost impossible to repair. But, still if you could swap out the electrics for cheap, this isn’t an issue. The only thing you have to do is inspect the car and assess the repair costs as carefully as possible.

Insuring a Salvage Car

Some would also say that salvage title cars are hard to insure, even after complete restoration. While this is true, it is not impossible. Insurance companies will send their specialist inspectors to look over the car and you could get a quote if you’ve done the repair job according to the book.

The truth is that the premium will be higher. But after summing up all the costs, a rebuilt salvage can end up being hundreds if not thousands of dollars cheaper than an equivalent car with a clean title.

Where Can I Get a Salvage Car?

You can find salvage cars for sale at public auctions throughout the country. At these auctions you will find a huge variety of vehicles in different conditions. But they will all be very cheap. But there is a more convenient alternative to driving to an auction site and bidding in person: online auctions.

Nowadays you can go to online auction platforms like Auto Auction Mall, where you will find hundreds of thousands of vehicles, many of them salvage vehicles. Auto Auction Mall gives you online access to many auctions all over the country. You can browse the vehicles, get all the information you want and bid on the vehicle of your choice. And you can do all of this from the comfort of your own home.

Example Live Current Salvage Auctions

[auctions title=”salvage”]

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