Hey everyone,

So i was looking around and found a steal of a deal for a used car. The only problem is it has a salvage title. I talked to the dealer to find out what happened and he told me it was a side impact on the left rear. He said he fixed everything up and it runs great. I was thinking about taking it for a spin and having a mechanic look at it. But what are your guys opionions on such a transaction. The price makes sense as its about 3K less than the cars value with a clean title.

Thanks in advance

keep in mind a salvage title means the vehicle was written off as a total loss by the insurance company. yeah - it was totalled.

Do you really want to trust the dealer did the full and proper repairs or would you think he did the minimum, using the cheapest parts to repair it. I'm guessing option #2 myself.

Side impacts tend to bend a unibody car. You never really get them back to perfect. Unless it'* a good deal, I'd pass on it.

Here is my opinion on Salvage Titles.
If you have been in an accident you will know what I mean. Your own body is like a car so you fall off a ladder and have a side impact with the ground. You go to the Doctor and get repaired. The broken ribs, cuts and abrasions heal and you are back 100%. Are you ever really the same as before the accident? No, you start having headaches, your legs wobble a little, your not as sure footed and you get aches that you never got before.
Cars can be the same way. After a good accident and after all the repairs, they can act up in ways that are not normal but are very expensive and troublesome.
OK with all that said. If the deal is so good, and take into consideration that if you buy this car you will have it for life because no one will buy it from you and it might be a car that needs lots of attention (quickly eating up that 3K less than other cars), then it is something to think about.
I own a Salvage Title motorcycle because the deal was too good to pass up. I was lucky. There are many horror story Salvage Titles out there. That'* my 2 cents.
Mike

i can add to this... my good friend bought a 2005 gmc sierra that had been in a front end collision and he and his dad repaired it. they did an excellent job and the truck "looked" like new, but as a result of this crash, he has had endless problems with the air bags since, problems with the drivetrain, and any other imaginable problem down to failed seatbelts and broken seat brackets. thing is, when a car is in a crash like that, it'll never be back to how it was before.

I also had a similiar problem with my Olds Alero. It wasn't totalled but the previous owner had a significant crash where the entire right rear had to be re-done with new sheet metal. now, i am experiencing bad rusting and paint peel from poor body shop work. also, I had supension problems because the sway bar was broken and never repaired.