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 buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restored 
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Post buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restored
Asking about vehicles with salvage titles. My brother in law bought one and got a really good deal on a Yukon XL from a local guy that has a body shop and completely restores them. According to the louisiana state laws, the salvage title is placed on a vehicle that has 75% or more damage....BUT must meet all state requirements in order to be hwy certified. I'm asking because my bro in law has put approx 30,000 miles on his in 2 years without a single hiccup. Now his was wrecked, no water damage. I could see where water damage could really fuck up some things with all the electrical. I know the guy that owns the shop and he does have a great rep, but its hard for me to get pass the salvage title thing. Looking at a truck for my son and with the prices of these f'n vehicles now and days, I need something to get him through college and then he can buy his own shit. ;) . So has anyone purchased one of these types of vehicles before? Good, bad, any info? Cuz I only have 1 opinion so far and Bro in law has never had an issue.


Wed Jan 03, 2018 6:46 am
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
You may want to make sure that your insurance company will insure the vehicle before you buy it. I know some are funny about that. And as long as you don’t expect a lot as far as resale value I don’t see a problem with it. Of course it all depends on what the damage was and who fixed it. I saw a guy rebuilt a 15 Denali Duramax. It had like 15k miles on it and by the time it was done he had about 35k in it. He did all of the work himself.


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Wed Jan 03, 2018 6:53 am
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
Yeah, insurance is good. That's the first thing i looked at. I guess i'm just trying to see if there are any horror stories out there.


Wed Jan 03, 2018 7:10 am
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
I'm positive there are horror stories out there if you dig around. It's really case by case though. If you feel the particular vehicle has been thoroughly repaired and is safe for your kid, then go for it. I'd be more concerned with something being compromised somewhere else in the vehicle that you can't see. They can straighten out and replace body panels, and replace air bag modules etc. but those impact zones in any modern (less than 15-20yr old vehicles I'm talking about) vehicle are only really meant to take one good lick. I'd spent some time crawling ALL OVER something salvaged before I put my kid in it driving. Especially for a first vehicle, because you know, statistically, it's going to have the highest possibility of being in some sort of accident of most anything on the road for the first couple years. That's just numbers. I'm sure there are good vehicles out there, I'd be really skeptical about buying one though. I'd need to know what caused the thing to be salvaged to begin with etc... and make an educated decision from there. And at least in Tx, a salvaged title is assigned to anything that has been declared a "total loss" by an insurance company, and repurchased. So it doesn't necessarily have to be any sort of 75%. The damage just has to exceed the appraised value of the vehicle. I've seen really nice trucks get totalled from being hit in the back at a stop light or whatever and the bumper getting into the bedside. Sometimes it's a really easy safe repair, and other times there is more to it. Which is why I say it's case by case and to just do your homework on whatever particular vehicle you are considering. Good luck with it.

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Wed Jan 03, 2018 7:55 am
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
My 03 F150 got nailed in the right front, the hit bent the a-arm, wiped out the panel and bumper and tweaked the frame. The insurance adjuster said it was minor and easily fixed as did the Ford dealership, in the end it cost almost 7k for repairs and the vehicle booked at just over 10k. After being repaired it never was the same. Damn thing should have been totaled.

Having raised two boys I can safely say if it is his first vehicle I wouldn't spend a lot on it. More than likely he will trash or crash it in the first year anyhow. I helped my boys get their first vehicles after that they were on their own.


Wed Jan 03, 2018 8:57 am
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
My wife had a ‘12 Chevy Malibu with a salvage title, the only problem we had was the frame wasn’t perfect so the front drivers tire wore fast, it would track straight and everything worked on it, when we got it there was only 25k miles on it. The main downfall is a bank won’t give you a loan so when you sell it it’s gotta go pretty cheap, but we bought it cheap so it don’t really matter on that part. I know one guy that every vehicle in his yard has s salvage title, just make sure to test drive it on every kind of road you plan on traveling. It does no good to test drive a vehicle in town and say it’s good then get on the interstate or backroads just to find a surprise after you already paid for it


Wed Jan 03, 2018 11:36 am
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
Yep to everyone of those replies. All of that is what worries me.


Wed Jan 03, 2018 12:29 pm
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
Just get him an older chevy suburban. Last forever and tough as nails and you can get them at affordable prices.


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Wed Jan 03, 2018 3:56 pm
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
When I was younger I worked for a shop that bought salvage cars and fixed them some were totaled with very little damage and some were a complete mess.With that being said its not worth the risk for my family to drive one(although I used to own one myself)unless I saw before damage as bondo and paint can cover up a lot.What my main concern would be is air bags and wiring also was the car sectioned or repair work on A and B pillars as that's the structure support for the roof incase of roll over. Good luck with your purchase just be very weary and have it looked at by a reputable body shop and mechanic shop before purchase.


Wed Jan 03, 2018 5:46 pm
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor

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Thu Jan 04, 2018 12:32 am
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
We bought a RAV4 for my wife to drive around and got it at 60K miles, it now has 180K miles on it. Only routine maintenance (Brakes, Oil, and Tires) has been done. The guy we bought it from is a good family friend who does the same thing as described above... Buys wrecked vehicles repairs and flips them... When we go to purchase another vehicle here soon the first thing we will do is have him keep a lookout for something...

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Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:40 am
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
I have started buying all my vehicles from a guy that flips salvaged, but he never buys with frame damage.

Picked up a 2012 Toyota Tundra, I told him to keep an eye out for me, with 16k miles. Thing is like having a new truck. Paid $22,500 for it.

Never worried about the resale cause I run them till they die anyway.

Just know who are buying from is probably most important.

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Mon Jan 15, 2018 4:50 pm
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
The guy I know has all the equipment to fix the frames. If he can't fix it or its too bad, he won't mess with it. Its the water damage vehicles that get me. With all the electrical items now and days, anything can cause a damn sensor to keep blinking.


Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:34 am
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
It all depends on the vehicle. Heard of ones with frame damage that couldn't be fixed and would run dog legged or eat tires. Know someone that bought one that wound up having a cracked bell housing thay wasn't noticed. Also if it is a unibody and peiced back together that can be weak spots in a crash.


Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:26 am
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
If done properly with a spot welder and correct welds in factory locations that wont be an issue with a unibody. The problem is smaller shops can't afford a lot of this equipment and the big dealerships won't mess with salvaged cars.


Tue Jan 16, 2018 7:29 pm
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Sun Jan 21, 2018 4:47 am
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Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:41 am
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Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:33 am
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Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:36 am
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor

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Thu Feb 01, 2018 10:44 pm
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor


Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:20 pm
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
My 4.3 truck got 15-16 no matter what, pulling the boat, 12 tops. The Tahoe is averaging 16-18 back and forth on the highway to work, and 14ish pulling the boat. It would probably bump 20 on an interstate trip. I don't baby it but I don't drive it real hard either. Both have 3.42 rear gears. I'd like to put a set of 3.73 or 3.90's in the Tahoe with a good locker. My wife's Yukon with the 6.2/6spd averages 16ish. I've hand figured 22 on a long trip out to west Tx. Kinda crazy considering the power that thing has.

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Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:28 pm
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor
My boat is a salvage title.

Try getting insurance on a mudmotor with a salvage title...yeeeeaaaa...no


Fri Feb 02, 2018 7:48 am
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Post Re: buying a salvage title vehicle that is completely restor


Fri Feb 02, 2018 9:34 am
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