If you’re looking to buy a car and want to spend as little as possible, you won’t be able to do better than a salvage car. Of course, you may have heard that these vehicles aren’t worth the money. The truth is a bit more complicated than that.
Not All Salvage Cars for Sale Are the Same
The simplest answer here is that you can’t judge all salvage cars for sale as being the same. This is a mistake a lot of people make and this misconception keeps them from scoring some amazing deals.
Some are absolutely going to be wastes of money. You wouldn’t want to spend a dime on them.
On the other hand, though, there’s a reason many people swear by salvage cars for sale and go back to buy them over and over.
You Will Have to Pay for Repairs
Now, that being said, all salvage cars for sale are going to need repairs. This doesn’t mean that they’re clunkers, though. What it does mean is that the government will not let you drive these vehicles until you’ve had the required repairs done. You can’t even drive the vehicle to your mechanic. It has to be towed or taken there on the back of a truck.
Once again, though, this doesn’t mean they’re not worth it. People still save tons of money on salvage cars for sale even after they pay for the required repairs.
In fact, many people actually buy salvage cars, fix them up and then sell them for profit. This should give you some idea of how much potential these vehicles have.
There Are Scams Out There
It also needs to be said that one big reason salvage cars get a bad reputation is because there are scams out there. If you use common sense, you shouldn’t have any trouble avoiding them, but let’s quickly review a couple.
The first one is just a vehicle that’s too good to be true. Remember, the government has judged these automobiles to be unsafe until certain repairs are done.
Therefore, if you find a salvage vehicle that seems like repairs really wouldn’t be required, you should probably walk away. Chances are that the real repairs this vehicles needs are going to be very expensive (and you won’t find out about them until later).
The second big scam we should mention is that some sellers will switch out VIN numbers. This way, if you do your due diligence, you’ll see a far more favorable car history than you otherwise would if the real number was in front of you.
To avoid this scam, always check separate places for VIN numbers. If you can’t find two examples, walk away. If you find that two VIN numbers differ, definitely walk away.
As we mentioned at the beginning, you can’t generalize these vehicles. Some will be great and some will be bad.
However, if you’re concerned about falling for a scam or overpaying for a salvage car, Auto Auction Mall can help. Our agents will work with you to understand what you want in a car and then bid on them based on your budget.
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