[VeeDubDriver]

Here is a preview:
Each year hundreds of thousands of cars get wrecked and are declared total losses by insurance companies. INSIDE EDITION spent 18 months tracking some of these vehicles from wrecked car auctions to the driveways of their current owners, who are horrified when we tell them they are driving rebuilt and potentially dangerous cars. How can this happen? INSIDE EDITION investigates how some insurance companies might be responsible for creating a market in these rebuilt wrecks.
Check your local listings if you want to watch.
For anyone looking at a used car, whether it be from a private individual or a dealer (even certified used cars), it is well worth the $20 to get a CarFax vehicle history check done on the car.

 

[High Plains Drifter]

Re: Inside Edition tonight - A story on salvage titled cars being resold... (VeeDubDriver)

Unfortunately, this happens way more than it should. Getting a CARFAX report is soooooo worth it. It will definitely give you some peace of mind down the road. You won't be left wondering, as I have many times, if it was in a serious accident. In defense of the dealers, if they accept a car on trade, and it appears ok and has a clean title, they may not know it was salvaged. However, a good dealer will check it out. One word of advice, if there is a major flood, and a few months later you find the car of your dreams at a price that is way to good to be true, chances are it previously served time in the Navy!!

 

[~*VdubGiRL*~]

Re: Inside Edition tonight - A story on salvage titled cars being resold... (High Plains Drifter)

This happened to me... I had a clean title in FL but 2 days after it was 1st registered here from Mo... the people in Mo. applied for a salvage title there. Its called washing a title and i didnt know until I tried to sell it to CArmaX AND only got 2000 for a car i bought for 6500 7 months before...
IT SUCKS

 

[O_loung1]

Re: Inside Edition tonight - A story on salvage titled cars being resold... (~*VdubGiRL*~)

im not sure i understand the term "rebuildable title". i am interested in a used car which is listed as in "excellent condition" yet, it states that there are visible water damage to the carpet. price for the car is about $6000-$9000 cheaper than its average on autotrader.com. it also says, "drive home today... rebuildable title"
so the car was in a flood. its being sold cheap. honestly i couldnt care less if the frame was bent, as long as it drives.
now what is this "rebuildable title" i have the pleasure of dealing with?

 

[VeeDubDriver]

Re: Inside Edition tonight - A story on salvage titled cars being resold... (O_loung1)

Two things you need to think about here. First, since it has flood damage of some kind you will never be able to tell the extent of the damage. Sure you can replace or dry out carpet and other interior bits, but water may still be lurking elsewhere unseen. Delicate electronics can be corroding as we speak. Sure things work fine now, but three months, six months or a year down the road you may start to see a whole laundry list of problems that will crop up.
Second, the car will always have a record of flood damage. When you decide you have had enough of your money pit and you try to sell it, you may find it as difficult as selling ice to an Eskimo.
To be honest, I am not sure what needs to be done to rebuild a title or even what that means. But I am sure it probably isn't worth the trouble, time or money.

 

[O_loung1]

Re: Inside Edition tonight - A story on salvage titled cars being resold... (VeeDubDriver)

good arguements, VeeBubDriver, i havent even thought about the reliabilty later down the road, let alone worry about rebuilding the title. sounds like the old adage, if you dont spend the money to do it right the first time, dont do it at all...
oh well... but i would want to know what "rebuildable title" has to do with floods. my guess is that since the car is fairly new, 1999, has 35k miles, it was flooded and claimed by insurence as total or part loss. in turn, the previous owners, sell it or claim it thereby transferring the title to insurence. since insurence already paid for some/all of the damages and noone is still paying for the remainder of payments, they need to either scrap it or sell it really cheap. because of the damge- no one is claiming ownership of the vehicle/payments. the cheap price is to lure consumers in who will later pay for the damages/ but may also try to bail. however, since they dont have a clean title they are unable to make a claim against insurence...... anyone know for sure??

 

[h2ovwdrvr]

Re: Inside Edition tonight - A story on salvage titled cars being resold... (VeeDubDriver)

the best salvage title I ever saw was my last car I totaled it better I drove it off a cliff it was a brand new 96 trans am ws6 1le they only made 3000 and mine was the only one made with the equipment the 1le package six speed green exterior and tan interior on a ws6 according to pontiac 4 months after I totalled the car it apeared in the local auto trader with a clean title so I called the seller and went and looked at it it was my car by the interior. I never told them. I took the vin number down and did some research on it and it came up with a vin for a differnt car a v6 powered auto that had a record of being a retrieved stolen car that was sold at auction and they wanted 24,000 for this pos that had all doctored records after I gave the info to the local police they are no longer in buisness

 

[O_loung1]

Re: Inside Edition tonight - A story on salvage titled cars being resold... (h2ovwdrvr)

wow. you drove it off a cliff? good that you made it, unfortunate such a car didnt.
so using Carfax would be able to give you enough information about the car as in your ws6??