'Salvage' titles
 

Is there any reason to ever buy a salvaged car for anything but a
throwaway price? I'm talking about "normal" people here, not the
Roadkill Garage guys... Two friends, two disasters. One friend had
invested a lot in racing parts before the Mustang broke in half. The
other was given the car and gave it back when it broke.

--
Cheers, Bev
Segal's Law: A man with one watch knows the time.
A man with two is never sure.

'Salvage' titles
 

On 3/16/2020 8:06 PM, The Real Bev wrote:
> Is there any reason to ever buy a salvaged car for anything
> but a throwaway price? I'm talking about "normal" people
> here, not the Roadkill Garage guys... Two friends, two
> disasters. One friend had invested a lot in racing parts
> before the Mustang broke in half. The other was given the
> car and gave it back when it broke.
>

Good example! I've done that. At some price, it can be a
good value if you need the remaining parts for you project.

As far as rebuilding a crashed/totaled car to safe
dependable operation, I suspect enough not-obvious damage
(car breaks in half, as you note) might make that a dicey
venture. I wouldn't.

--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

'Salvage' titles
 

The Real Bev > wrote:
>Is there any reason to ever buy a salvaged car for anything but a
>throwaway price? I'm talking about "normal" people here, not the
>Roadkill Garage guys... Two friends, two disasters. One friend had
>invested a lot in racing parts before the Mustang broke in half. The
>other was given the car and gave it back when it broke.

No, but you shouldn't buy one without being very careful to look and see
why it's got a salvage title. Nothing wrong with assembling a car from
two salvaged cars... but there's something wrong with doing it wrong, as
your Mustang owner will note.

Flooded vehicles can be fine if they were cleaned up properly, or they can
be a horrible nightmare of hidden damage if they weren't. A search on
carfax and a little bit of time with a mirror and pick can save you a lot.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

'Salvage' titles
 

On 3/16/2020 8:06 PM, The Real Bev wrote:
> Is there any reason to ever buy a salvaged car for anything but a
> throwaway price?* I'm talking about "normal" people here, not the
> Roadkill Garage guys...* Two friends, two disasters.* One friend had
> invested a lot in racing parts before the Mustang broke in half.* The
> other was given the car and gave it back when it broke.

A vehicle is issued a salvage title due to damage that exceeds
the average commercial cost of repair with respect to its average
commercial value. Other than that, it alone implies nothing about
any aspect of the structural, mechanical, cosmetic or electrical
aspects of said vehicle.

'Salvage' titles
 

On 03/17/2020 07:37 AM, Heron wrote:
> On 3/16/2020 8:06 PM, The Real Bev wrote:
>> Is there any reason to ever buy a salvaged car for anything but a
>> throwaway price? I'm talking about "normal" people here, not the
>> Roadkill Garage guys... Two friends, two disasters. One friend had
>> invested a lot in racing parts before the Mustang broke in half. The
>> other was given the car and gave it back when it broke.
>
> A vehicle is issued a salvage title due to damage that exceeds
> the average commercial cost of repair with respect to its average
> commercial value. Other than that, it alone implies nothing about
> any aspect of the structural, mechanical, cosmetic or electrical
> aspects of said vehicle.

I conclude that the average decent home-mechanic (someone who would be
able to tear apart an engine for a valve grind excluding the machine
work, replace pads/shoes, engine mounts, alternators etc...) might not
be able to reliably recognize hidden damage causing the 'salvage'
classification. Correct?

--
Cheers, Bev
If I know that chaining yourself to a dead cow is stupid,
how come Carly makes so much more money than I do?

'Salvage' titles
 

The Real Bev > wrote:
>On 03/17/2020 07:37 AM, Heron wrote:
>> On 3/16/2020 8:06 PM, The Real Bev wrote:
>>> Is there any reason to ever buy a salvaged car for anything but a
>>> throwaway price? I'm talking about "normal" people here, not the
>>> Roadkill Garage guys... Two friends, two disasters. One friend had
>>> invested a lot in racing parts before the Mustang broke in half. The
>>> other was given the car and gave it back when it broke.
>>
>> A vehicle is issued a salvage title due to damage that exceeds
>> the average commercial cost of repair with respect to its average
>> commercial value. Other than that, it alone implies nothing about
>> any aspect of the structural, mechanical, cosmetic or electrical
>> aspects of said vehicle.
>
>I conclude that the average decent home-mechanic (someone who would be
>able to tear apart an engine for a valve grind excluding the machine
>work, replace pads/shoes, engine mounts, alternators etc...) might not
>be able to reliably recognize hidden damage causing the 'salvage'
>classification. Correct?

Most of the serious stuff should be easy to see... certainly a frame
welded in the center should be very easy to see once you get the car up
off the ground. What isn't easy to see on the car should be very visible
on carfax. Carfax tells you what to look for, then you have to go looking.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

'Salvage' titles
 

On Tue, 17 Mar 2020 11:06:43 -0700, The Real Bev > wrote:

>On 03/17/2020 07:37 AM, Heron wrote:
>> On 3/16/2020 8:06 PM, The Real Bev wrote:
>>> Is there any reason to ever buy a salvaged car for anything but a
>>> throwaway price? I'm talking about "normal" people here, not the
>>> Roadkill Garage guys... Two friends, two disasters. One friend had
>>> invested a lot in racing parts before the Mustang broke in half. The
>>> other was given the car and gave it back when it broke.
>>
>> A vehicle is issued a salvage title due to damage that exceeds
>> the average commercial cost of repair with respect to its average
>> commercial value. Other than that, it alone implies nothing about
>> any aspect of the structural, mechanical, cosmetic or electrical
>> aspects of said vehicle.
>
>I conclude that the average decent home-mechanic (someone who would be
>able to tear apart an engine for a valve grind excluding the machine
>work, replace pads/shoes, engine mounts, alternators etc...) might not
>be able to reliably recognize hidden damage causing the 'salvage'
>classification. Correct?

Depends on how "average" he is. I have bought 2 cars my son "totaled" from my insurer.
He replaced the damaged fenders and other parts that needed fixing and drove the cars for
years.

'Salvage' titles
 

On 03/17/2020 12:50 PM, Vic Smith wrote:
> On Tue, 17 Mar 2020 11:06:43 -0700, The Real Bev > wrote:
>
>>On 03/17/2020 07:37 AM, Heron wrote:
>>> On 3/16/2020 8:06 PM, The Real Bev wrote:
>>>> Is there any reason to ever buy a salvaged car for anything but a
>>>> throwaway price? I'm talking about "normal" people here, not the
>>>> Roadkill Garage guys... Two friends, two disasters. One friend had
>>>> invested a lot in racing parts before the Mustang broke in half. The
>>>> other was given the car and gave it back when it broke.
>>>
>>> A vehicle is issued a salvage title due to damage that exceeds
>>> the average commercial cost of repair with respect to its average
>>> commercial value. Other than that, it alone implies nothing about
>>> any aspect of the structural, mechanical, cosmetic or electrical
>>> aspects of said vehicle.
>>
>>I conclude that the average decent home-mechanic (someone who would be
>>able to tear apart an engine for a valve grind excluding the machine
>>work, replace pads/shoes, engine mounts, alternators etc...) might not
>>be able to reliably recognize hidden damage causing the 'salvage'
>>classification. Correct?
>
> Depends on how "average" he is. I have bought 2 cars my son "totaled" from my insurer.
> He replaced the damaged fenders and other parts that needed fixing and drove the cars for
> years.

I guess I'm wondering how difficult it might be to detect damage that
isn't obvious and which might be deliberately hidden by a cheap cosmetic
repair.

--
Cheers, Bev
I'd rather not have neighbors. If I can see them, they're too close.
In fact, if I can see them through a rifle scope, they're too close.
-- Anonymous Coward

'Salvage' titles
 

On Tue, 17 Mar 2020 14:19:42 -0700, The Real Bev > wrote:

>On 03/17/2020 12:50 PM, Vic Smith wrote:
>> On Tue, 17 Mar 2020 11:06:43 -0700, The Real Bev > wrote:
>>
>>>On 03/17/2020 07:37 AM, Heron wrote:
>>>> On 3/16/2020 8:06 PM, The Real Bev wrote:
>>>>> Is there any reason to ever buy a salvaged car for anything but a
>>>>> throwaway price? I'm talking about "normal" people here, not the
>>>>> Roadkill Garage guys... Two friends, two disasters. One friend had
>>>>> invested a lot in racing parts before the Mustang broke in half. The
>>>>> other was given the car and gave it back when it broke.
>>>>
>>>> A vehicle is issued a salvage title due to damage that exceeds
>>>> the average commercial cost of repair with respect to its average
>>>> commercial value. Other than that, it alone implies nothing about
>>>> any aspect of the structural, mechanical, cosmetic or electrical
>>>> aspects of said vehicle.
>>>
>>>I conclude that the average decent home-mechanic (someone who would be
>>>able to tear apart an engine for a valve grind excluding the machine
>>>work, replace pads/shoes, engine mounts, alternators etc...) might not
>>>be able to reliably recognize hidden damage causing the 'salvage'
>>>classification. Correct?
>>
>> Depends on how "average" he is. I have bought 2 cars my son "totaled" from my insurer.
>> He replaced the damaged fenders and other parts that needed fixing and drove the cars for
>> years.
>
>I guess I'm wondering how difficult it might be to detect damage that
>isn't obvious and which might be deliberately hidden by a cheap cosmetic
>repair.

A professional mechanic should be able scope that out. I would stay away from them.
Only reason I bought the 2 cars was we knew the cars and could see the damage.
Besides that, they were at the right place on the cost curve, and my son was gung ho to go
to the bone yard and get the parts to fix them. He was made for this.
As I recall the insurance payout - $6-700 - paid for buying the car back and the parts,
with some left over. But maybe we were lucky. Could have ended up with cars that looked
like crabs going down the road.