Yes, I know, it's risky. Anyone ever done it with a good outcome? Tricks of the trade you care to share?

Question, do you mean a vehicle that has been written off by an insurance company?

In Arizona, that's called a "salvage title." Nearly 20 years ago, I bought a Nissan Sentra that a local body man had repaired. The local auto shop teacher recommended him. Good price. Transportation for new drivers. Sold it when no longer needed. I still see it in town occasionally. If the frame is straight, most anything else can be fixed.

Yes

This ^^^^^

Yes. Then rebuilt and a new title issued called a "Rebuilt Title". The issue is how serious was the original damage and how competently was it repaired.

No. It would depend. Body damage is one thing, but I'd probably avoid anything that was 'totaled' because of flooding. Way too many electronics on modern vehicles.

I absolutely agree on flooding. No way would I purchase. Collision damage? It depends. That's what I am looking into.

Make sure your insurance company will cover it

Yes.

One of my suppliers drove around in a Honda Accord the insurance company had totalled because of hail damage. It was near new, and ran for several hundred K more miles, but looked a bit pimply.

Sure. We’ve bought several wrecks and rebuilt them. They drive the same as any other vehicle. They do not sell as well as one with a clean title. I’ve learned that buying a car from another state with a salvage title is no bueno, at least here in Tennessee. As others have said, avoid flood cars like the plague. They may he fine now, but once corrosion starts, you’ll have all manner of electrical gremlins.

I got one.... salvage tile is what it is called up here.

2014 Toyota Rav4 I bought to haul the dogs around in.... it's cheaper than a full size pick up at 14mpg and driving this little dog hauler will make my pick up last twice as long...

I did some research. Turns out, the original owner hit a deer in North Dakota at a high rate of speed and poped all the air bags.... insurance company totaled it.

yes, some of the gaps in the body panels don't look perfect... Ya, the dome light dosn't work right. When you open the door the door open buzzer dosn't work.... horn won't work.....

Other than that.... the freaking thing is flawless... Paint looks good. no squeeks or rattles...Open the hood and the motor looks just like it is brand new. I love the car. Got it cheap enough to pay cash for it... It dose just what I need done, haul the dogs, save gas and extend the life of my full size pick up. I will drive it until it is junk... and by the way things are going, that will be a long time from now.

Running full coverage or no?

Bought a Toyota Highlander a year or so ago. Someone had apparently mildly crunched the left front, almost a sideswipe against something like a concrete hightway divider. Screwed up the wheels on that side as well. New front end, four new wheels, and good to go. Love it. Saved about $5K.

We (my family) and I have had several “R” titled cars over the years. Back in the 70s and 80s the state required it and any vehicle with frame damage or rust repair.
Had couple that were totaled by insurance companies for accident damage and repaired as well.
Can’t recall any of them giving problems related to the original damage.
I wouldn’t buy one planning on resale, but for a personal vehicle for work and around town transportation, it wouldn’t bother me at all.
7mm

Recently bought a extreme low mileage 2013 wrecked truck from a friend, cosmetic damage, insurance totaled it, said it would cost more to fix it than it's worth. After it's fixed it must pass a standard state safety inspection and a VA DMV inspection before the state will issue a salvage title. Unscrupulous shops used to weld two wrecks together and sell, now a salvage title gives you a heads up. Having dealt with a couple flood damage vehicles, I would pass.

It will never be worth what one with a clean title will be. If done right and you now what your looking at it could be a very nice ride. Otherwise a POS that you will get nothing for.

Haven’t bought anything but new vehicles since 1976. It cheaper in the long run in my opinion. I keep my old one, drive it, save miles on the new one. My 2018 Dodge has 16,000 miles on it, use the 2004 to go to work in. I have my 89 jeep also for a back up if need be. I drove jeep to work for years to save miles on the 2004 Dodge. Wifey has her own vehicle.

In my recent search(s) for a new ride....

If the title stated 'Salvage-Rebuilt' I keep looking

What I always want is 'Clean' meaning no lien holder info listed even if 'released'

But that's me...bring a vehicle in from another state with questionable issues

Nuthing but a head ache

This

I was looking at one a few months ago and called my insurance company to see how they worked with R titled vehicles, they won't insure them. If I found something cheap that I only needed liability for I'd consider one though.

My son totaled my Daihatsu Rocky and we bought it back and had a cousin repair it. There was no frame damage and I knew exactly what was damaged and repaired. We drove it for a long time after that.

As said, one of the biggest problems with them is cars that have been under water, often during a floor or hurricane. The electronics might dry out and be working but they often have expensive problems later.

Any one that buys a car can easily end up with a wrecked one.
Worked in a Ford dealer as a kid, saw 4 or 5 new cars get bent up in some way.
Including sideswiping a guardrail. (I bent a Mustang)

They went to the body shop and got fixed, no paperwork.
The fix was cheaper than the devaluation from acknowledging the accident.

The sideswiped car?
A T-bird Turbo Coupe that went to the showroom after the fix.
The wrecked side was straighter than the factory side.

Also, there are a lot of cars wrecked at midlife that might be totaled if
turned into the insurance company/police.

But it's better for the owner to get them drug out quick and then sell them
to a shop that will fix and sell them.

No Carfax report, no R-title.

Collision damage and a working vehicle for big $ savings... Yes

Flood damage.... NO

High dollar vehicle to use and trust as if "Not Totaled"... probably not... unless a really really really TREMENDOUS DEAL.

95 F 250 Ford, salvage title.

I had a salvage title F150 with 3500 miles on it. I sold it with 175,000 miles. I saw the truck before I bought it and the damage was in the rear. Overall the truck was OK and I had far more issues than one might expect with a new vehicle, or one that wasn’t damaged. I paid less than 1/2 of new at the time.

No problems insuring it and I sold it, with full disclosure for about 1/2 of what I paid. I’m not sure I’d do it again based on the issues.

Car Fax is your friend.........

Usually available to view free.......never had to pay for it

Will give title information also

Wife bought a 2001 civic in 2007 to save miles on her new truck. I think she is 4 trucks since then, and I somehow get the civic as my commuter car. 290k miles, bought with 90k. Paint wasn’t perfect, but we bought for $4k it has been cheap transportation. Having liability on it adds like $9/month to our insurance.

Different states have different rules, but I dont know of any insurance company that will insure a salvage/rebuilt titled vehicle, except for liability insurance.

Rebuilt or salvage is clearly written on the title. Carfax is only good because people believe it. It doesn’t know anything unless it was reported. I destroyed a little truck once. Had the frame pulled, replaced the entire cab, etc. Did it myself, so carfax would have shown no problems. Same would go for engine or transmission replacements or other repairs not done at a dealership or paid for via am insurance claim.

I agree with gregintenn My title had salvage on it. And my insurance company fully insured it.

Wife had a 10 year old Subaru that a blind guy backed into (no kidding he just came from the eye doctor). The strut was bent on front side, wheel bent, little body damage. I "bought it back" from the insurance company, put a $89.00 strut up in there, aligned the front with string and levels, and drove that car another 200,000 miles. Sold it to a needy lady as a favor when it had 335,000 miles. So not all salvage titles mean the car is bad junk.

Only if the accident was reported.

Yep, 96 Dodge 2500 with a Cummins. Had a minor R side front whoopsee, air bags went off and was totalled. Had 6,200 miles on it. I bought it for 8,500 and drove it all over hell and back for 18 years, sold it last year with 295,000 miles for 5000.00.
The only problems i had were self inflicted, axcept for 2 water pumps.
At work we have a 2016 Chevy 4x4 that the outside operators use and every weekend one of them takes readings on the wells that pump water to the plant, total round trip is 140 miles of paved and dirt roads. Last year the airbags deployed during this wellfield run, driver had hit nothing but a bump. Vehicle totalled.

Yes, confirmed with insurance we are good to go and covered it with comp and collision with a 250/500 deductible. I'm sure I will be good right up to the day that I actually file a claim.... then we will see.

I wouldnt trust anything issued by Carfax. There is no requirement for ANYONE or ANY business to report damage to them.

We bought a 1998 Camry in 2005 in Yuma, it was a Salvage Title due to rear end damage , paid 5800 for it. the guy we bought it from had taken it over to Mexico and got it fixed up. We drove it until 2019, put 85,000 miles on it with nothing more than usual maintenance. Sold it for 4300. Not a bad deal IMHO

As can be seen with the varied replies, the answer is a maybe. It depends why it was totaled. Carfax is an OK guide bur never definitive. Get the VIN and do a google search. A lot of times pictures from an insurance auction will be found showing good pictures of the damage,

For me personally, I avoid salvage titles.

Have bought a couple over the years that had collision damage titles, mostly when I was younger and couldn’t afford much more. Did buy one that was pretty light body damage that I could fix myself when I was driving a lot to and from work knowing I would probably drive it till it died and not have to worry about resale.

My buddy got a work truck that was hit hard in the front about 7 or 8 tears ago. Still has it. Body lines dont quite match up, lots of rattles & squeaks, but it's not too bad otherwise. It's a work truck.

Way back... a dealer I worked for in PA bought an auction car that looked real good & sold it before the mech check was done. Diff & Trans got real noisy real soon after the new owner bought it. All of the electronic stuff started malfunctioning soon after that. There was dried mud behind the dashboard so the whole thing was under water for a while. We did some research & it was a Katrina car that got shipped up from Louisiana.

It doesn't take much damage for a total these days. If you absolutely have to have it, get it checked out thoroughly by an independent shop you trust & if it's passable buy it cheap.