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Lets talk rebuilt titles

Lazarus

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The Hen that laid the Golden Legos
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In looking for my Land Cruiser I've come across several trucks with rebuilt titles. Now I know what that means: vehicle gets into an accident or suffers enough damage, like a flood, to where repairs is greater than its worth, someone buys it fixes it up and then I'm guess in most states it has to go through an inspection to go from salvage title to rebuilt.

Where I'm a little fuzzy is how much of a red flag is it to a potential buyer? Not that I'm planning on flipping whatever I buy but if on the odd chance I need to resell this truck for some reason am I going to have a hard time, conversely should I even been looking at it myself? One I've seen has really low miles and is in pristine condition but they are asking the price one would pay if it wasn't rebuilt. Another I've seen and whats prompted this post is a little cheaper than similar mileage and condition vehicles but I would still want to talk them down even more to feel like it would be worth it.

I've always heard to kinda stay away from rebuilt titles but I dont know if that was more of a stigma in the past but now its not so bad assuming the price is right. I'll just add that I would never buy a flooded vehicle rebuilt or not.
 
Could have been hail damage. Could have been a full blaze fire.......


There will be documentation that had to be submitted to the inspector for the work done and all the replacement parts used with receipts and VIN numbers if they where used body parts. If they won’t show it to you, move on.
 
Could have been hail damage. Could have been a full blaze fire.......


There will be documentation that had to be submitted to the inspector for the work done and all the replacement parts used with receipts and VIN numbers if they where used body parts. If they won’t show it to you, move on.

Thanks. I never thought about like hail damage.
 
I bought a cheap rebuilt title Expedition once. It was just hail damage. Insurance companies will total out a hail damage vehicle in a heartbeat. Overall it was in good condition, but there were some pea size dings on the roof and hood that didn't bother me.
 
For a collector or high dollar ride, I would avoid.

A quick google search had an article that said for high dollar they would avoid but if was something like a GMC Typhoon or Integra Type-R they would buy if everything checked out which to me those cars are more so collectible but I guess not like an old Shelby or something. They also said if it was something like an off road rig they would be more inclined to buy a rebuilt which this truck would kinda be.
 
Personally I would avoid them because it's more of a risk to you since you don't always know the whole history and reselling it is harder. Just hail damage is okay, but accident damage is a bigger concern. If you find one you do like, I'd suggest getting it inspected by someone you trust, getting all the receipts showing the work that was done and by whom. If it checks out as okay, then the price should reflect that it has a salvage title. If it operates normally and is priced right, then just drive it until it is used up and then sell for parts value. It would be an A to B vehicle only.

Should you resell later on, just know the potential buyers will have the same concerns as you did. Be prepared to show them all of repair records and demonstrate that it operates fine after the work was done. You will probably not recover your expenses, but if you used it for years and didn't pay too much, it may still be a reasonable deal.

You can run a history report online and see what it says about the damage.

A co-worker bought an older used truck with a salvage title, caused by hail damage and it was fine. Just a used truck for pulling his trailer.
 
In looking for my Land Cruiser I've come across several trucks with rebuilt titles. Now I know what that means: vehicle gets into an accident or suffers enough damage, like a flood, to where repairs is greater than its worth, someone buys it fixes it up and then I'm guess in most states it has to go through an inspection to go from salvage title to rebuilt.

Where I'm a little fuzzy is how much of a red flag is it to a potential buyer? Not that I'm planning on flipping whatever I buy but if on the odd chance I need to resell this truck for some reason am I going to have a hard time, conversely should I even been looking at it myself? One I've seen has really low miles and is in pristine condition but they are asking the price one would pay if it wasn't rebuilt. Another I've seen and whats prompted this post is a little cheaper than similar mileage and condition vehicles but I would still want to talk them down even more to feel like it would be worth it.

I've always heard to kinda stay away from rebuilt titles but I dont know if that was more of a stigma in the past but now its not so bad assuming the price is right. I'll just add that I would never buy a flooded vehicle rebuilt or not.

My FREE advice... You can pay for it if you want to. :)
DON'T Do it!!!
Take an extended test drive, take it to carmax (or another reputable dealership) to get a value on it, they won't give you a dime for it.
A dealer may give you something... but it will be an eye opener.
 
My advice... You can pay for it if you want to. :)
DON'T Do it!!!
Take an extended test drive, take it to carmax (or another reputable dealership) to get a value on it, they won't give you a dime for it.
A dealer may give you something... but it will be an eye opener.



Tell us more how you learned you lesson
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FYI - If you how/what to check for you can get a good deal. One trick that the dealers or repair shops don't tell you is that if you have the VIN just do a goggle search with the VIN number. Most of the time pictures of the damaged car will be posted either in the insurance auction or title application/inspection. Some states require the pictures to be posted for reference.
 
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