Most of the damage shown is on the bolt on doors. The impact didn’t even wipe the running board or shatter the glass so how bad could it be…
Maybe the van had a salvage title BEFORE this accident happened…You could check and see when the salvage title was first issued…
I have helped a lot of friends buy used cars. A few would buy from dealers. The question would always come up about accidents and usually the dealer would walk you to one side of the car to show a minor accident and its repair. I would always walk around the car and start checking the other side/end for major accident signs.
"There has to be something else wrong with it."
I agree.
How about a possible scenario such as this:
What if the vehicle wound up with a salvage title originally because it was a flood vehicle, and–subsequent to that event–it sustained collision damage while in the possession of the second owner?
While that may not be what has actually taken place with this vehicle, I think that there is more to this story than is being revealed to the OP.
What red flags should I look for?
You already found what would be the biggest red flag for me “Salvage Title”
Do you see that big white paper tag in the windshield of the before picture of this van? It was placed there by an insurance pool company called Insurance Auto Auctions Inc. The little yellow sticker in the lower corner of the white page is their “RUN AND DRIVE” sticker. You can go to their website and see literally thousands of vehicles with those same white tags and yellow stickers any day of the week. It’s www.iaai.com You don’t have to be a member to have a look around. A look at the website will also show you how little damage it takes for them to total a vehicle. It will also show you some that are definitely beyond repair.
Because of that tag, I doubt that the van has a previous salvage issue. If it did, there would be a sticker, usually on the driver’s door hinge pillar, showing that it was totaled before. I think that sticker is a federal requirement. (Can anyone verify otherwise?) A new sticker might cover an old one, but only it the person who put it on was VERY careful. I’m assuming that the seller has already obtained a new title stating that the van is REBUILT SALVAGE, not just SALVAGE. There is a difference. Sometimes insurance companies will deem a vehicle to the unfixable, or JUNK. Those can not be put back on the road unless someone did something very dishonest. I don’t think this seller is trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. The damage shown is definitely enough for an insurance company to total it. I doubt the airbags were blown either. It was a side impact, and I doubt it had side airbags. That is a good question to ask the seller.