Junk/salvage question

The used car dealer tells me that the 4 junk/salvage notes in the car's records are because it went through an insurance auction.

Could this be the case, or should I run from this deal as fast as possible?

Thanks,

Mike

Reply to
Michael
Loading thread data ...

Unless it's like... free, run.

BTW, is this a new car dealer, of some used car lot?

Reply to
Bill Vanek

Used car lot. He says he's too small a dealer to get a CarFax. I poked through free CarFax as much as I could and it was last maintained in 2013 by a local Ford dealer up to 77K miles, but 4 years later the car is now advertised as having 75K.

I think it's time to move on.

Reply to
Michael

Absolutely. There's lots of used cars out there. And anyone can get a carfax.

Reply to
Bill Vanek

I think you should grab this deal before it slips away. You need more excitement in your life.

Reply to
dsi1

It's likely the other way around, that it went through an insurance auction because it was declared unrepairable.

How much is it, and is it an interesting car? I bought a car with a salvage title for $50, put in a week or so of work and 300,000 miles later I was still driving it. I eventually got rid of it because I could no longer get the most common parts anymore.

Just because it was declared junk doesn't mean it's not repairable, but it does make me want to very, very carefully inspect the repair job.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

In general, there's no such thing as an "unrepairable" car.

That sounds like BS, a salvage yard alone would pay more for a car that was able to be repaired in a week and lasted 300k miles, particularly if it had an operational drive train.

You said you did the repair. If it had been repaired before you acquired it, it wouldn't have been salvage.

Ignoring the contradictions, when the misnomer unrepairable is used, it only means the commercial cost of repair exceeds the item's book value.

Reply to
Clawed

I dare you to tell that to my wife.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

Mrs. Dorsey, in general, there's no such thing as an "unrepairable" car.

Reply to
Clawed

s records are because it went through an insurance auction.

My wife totaled two cars. She hit a car and that car hit another car in fro nt of it. She said the car she hit looked like an accordion. The force was so great that the bulb located in the bumper of our car had the filament be nt back 90 degrees. I replaced the bumper and the struts for about $125. Th e car ran fine. We finally sold the car but I would have sightings of our c ar around town for over a decade afterwards. I used to get 27 MPG out of it but I've never gotten more than 20 MPG from my other cars. That must have been the most wonderful car ever. :)

Reply to
dsi1

I don't like accordians either. No wonder she hit it.

So sad. I had a car that leaked everywhere, engine, xmission, PS, radiator, but it ran great. I only added oil when, while going around a corner quickly, the light went on. Still ran great.

Reply to
micky

Grandson bought a salvage Camaro. Lovely thing, and scared the shit out of me when he took me for a ride. He put a lot of race mods on it and was heartbroken when it broke in half. The frame. Broke in half.

If it's dirt cheap, you like to fix stuff, and you can regard it as a throwaway, go for it.

My '88 Caddy was worth $250 to the wrecking yards I called. It had under 90K miles and used NO oil between annual changes, had new tires and brakes and was perfectly driveable if you ignored the need for shocks, AC, and some serious throttle repair/replacement that made driving a real thrill. I didn't tell them about the problems, of course. I suspect that people in the know know that Cadillacs are real POS.

Try to get the stuff that keeps the rain out of the windows for a 1970 Dodge pickup!

Difference between "junk" and "salvage".

You can buy running "salvage" vehicles that have been repaired. I think it just means they were in an accident and totaled out, but I'm not at all sure.

Which happens amazingly fast. My mom had been paying collision on the '88 Caddy up through 2007, when the premium was more than the totaled value. When I drove it the liability-only premium was more than the totaled value!

Reply to
The Real Bev

ar's records are because it went through an insurance auction.

front of it. She said the car she hit looked like an accordion.

Evidently you're not alone. She goes bat-shit crazy if she sees those thing s. This is why we have to live on a rock in the middle of nowhere. This kee ps chance encounters to a minimum. I hate lutes myself. Hawaii is a paradis e for folks that can't stand accordions and lutes. :)

ad the filament bent back 90 degrees. I replaced the bumper and the struts for about $125. The car ran fine. We finally sold the car but I would have sightings of our car around town for over a decade afterwards. I used to ge t 27 MPG out of it but I've never gotten more than 20 MPG from my other car s. That must have been the most wonderful car ever. :)

It certainly beats walking.

Reply to
dsi1

Was the frame spliced in the middle?

I have seen a couple cars where they cut the front off one and the back off the other and spliced them together, and if it's done well it can be safe but if it's done poorly it breaks in half on the road.

-scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

Like anything else, it must first be competently done, if not, disaster may well ensue.

Reply to
.

Indeed. I don't think he would have known.

Reply to
The Real Bev

If were playing Wife poker, my wife totaled three,wounded 2

90 Taurus wagon ran light 92 green Taurus got tbone 2014 rental VW accidentally let a truck hit her

1993 wagon got hit and run front strut damage would drive but junked shortly after

2005 grand prix mysterious front end damage looked like she rear ended someone she said parking lot damage...

bob

Reply to
bob

But doesn't it have ukes? Which is worse, lutes or ukes?

Reply to
micky

ar's records are because it went through an insurance auction.

front of it. She said the car she hit looked like an accordion. The force was so great that the bulb located in the bumper of our car had the filamen t bent back 90 degrees. I replaced the bumper and the struts for about $125 . The car ran fine. We finally sold the car but I would have sightings of o ur car around town for over a decade afterwards. I used to get 27 MPG out o f it but I've never gotten more than 20 MPG from my other cars. That must h ave been the most wonderful car ever. :)

If we were playing poker, I'd say you had an awesome hand! :)

Reply to
dsi1

I'm just kidding. I like lutes and I plan on getting myself a uke. As far as accordions goes, I knew a guy that left his accordion in a car and forgot to lock it the doors. When he came back to his car he found there were two accordions.

Reply to
dsi1

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.