OT: cars on Craiglist with salvage titles?

[eddief]

I sort of know what a salvage title is, but why so many on CL, and to what degree are we talking about rolling pieces of crap?

[toytech]

craigslist is lousy with curbstone dealers ie illegal car flippers.
I would not pay more than half of book for a salvaged car usually with few exceptions they are really craptastically repaired.
I wrenched on cars for 30 years and have seen few good salvage cars.
I would pass on them.
Chris

[FlashUNC]

Not worth it. Run away.

[AngryScientist]

a salvage title simply means that a car was "totaled", or the necessary repairs to the car were more expensive than the car was worth, on paper.

there are some cases when buying a car with an S title is a good move financially, but you really better know what you;re doing if you get into one, most are hack jobs.

[jghall]

Cannot speak much to craigslist, but believe salvage vehicles are dictated be state guidelines. Not necessarly being quote un quote "totaled" vehicles.

It ties to a total loss threshold. Which if memory serves is; cost of repair + salvage value > acv.

[toytech]

A salvage car is one that is totaled by insurance for damage repair cost, usual the usual threshold is 80-85% car value in damage. the cars usually are bought from a wrecking yard or by the owner for a percentage of the settlement. They then receive a Junk title. In california they need a smog and a brake and lamp inspection to be titled, but no one checks to see if they were repaired properly (they aren't, that is why they were totaled, it would cost too much.)

[ultraman6970]

as some said it depends a lot of the car... for example they totalled our t-bird because the fender, one front light and the bumper was not in production no more and there was no way to find new parts from what the shop told us, they needed to add a new full car paint job and the price went to the roof, car was totaled.

The car just fine, hell I almost bought it back for 200 bucks.

Not saying that you need to get an S car but some are just fine, just check them out really well and ask the guy straight forward what happened to it.