Question about salvaged vehicles

Well, obviously, you want one that the frame and suspension is not bent. That can be fixed, but it's better if you don't have to. In a hard hit, the engine or ancillary equipment may get damaged, and that's bad. A rollover may not have any front, rear, or drivetrain damage, but you have to be a real expert to fix the roof if it gets tweaked.

Most cars that you will have to pick from will be front hits. In a front hit, a LOT of expensive stuff will get smashed. Declaring a car a "total loss" is a financial decision only. There are good and bad points to this. So, light front end damage may cause a car to be totaled without any serious damage. That would be okay to fix. Plus, you can unbolt front sheet metal and toss it aside, which you can't do with the rear. But, if you have a choice between a car with the nose mashed in 12 inches vs. the rear mashed in 12 inches, the rear hit may be mechanically perfect and driveable.

Keep in mind that all vehicles that are "totaled" aren't involved in collisions. You can pick up flood vehicles real cheap. A friend of mine drove her brand new Pathfinder through deep water on her residential street during a minor flood. She was in water only deep enough to get the carpet and seat bottoms wet, but no other damage to the vehicle, it didn't even stall. She called her insurance company to get the carpets shampooed and disinfected. Big mistake! Well, the insurance company forced her to total it. I mean forced. She had no say in the matter.

Also, keep in mind that any vehicle you purchase from the insurance company will be titled as "salvage". If you're keeping the vehicle or using it for parts it's no big deal, but it will lower resale value considerably. Then again, there are some people that have ways of getting that blemish off of a title.

Rita

That has to be a first. What reason did they give her? It would be a hell of a lot cheaper to put new carpet throughout the truck than to total it.

But a vehicle like this is something the original poster is looking for. I sure don't recommend he try to put something wrecked back together with no experience.

Yes, that's what I thought too. They considered it a "flood damaged" vehicle. I guess if the insurance company paid a minor claim to have the carpets cleaned or replaced they might feel that there is some liability on their part if the damage wasn't disclosed to the new owners if the car were sold. Keep in mind that one of the biggest fraud problems out there is buying used cars with flood damage not being disclosed.

Rita

Rita,

I have heard of that alot here in cincy, cars that were damaged in storms say hail damage all over or flooding and they can be repaired cheaply but from what my friend an underwriter told me is exactly as you say.

They don't want to be responsible for hidden damage or paint that may or may not hold. Because most auto insurance now gives a lifetime warranty on the repairs. Cheaper to total it than pay for repairs over and over.

here are links to a couple of places you can find flood or storm damaged vehicles for resale along with the rollover and typical accident.