Who, exactly, inspects the cars and declares them roadworthy?? Does this inspection involve putting them up on a lift? Or does the car simply pass a PA safety inspection to be declared roadworthy and the title cleaned up a little?
Miikey, you can never make that assumption. Buying a rebuilt wreck is risky, no matter how much paperwork the state invokes or how much inspection is done. The questions are always
(1) based on the cost, is it worth risking and
(2) based on your financial situation, can you afford to take the risk.
I would add to that one more:
(3) would I feel comfortable letting my daughter drive it.
Even if they repaired it “properly” it’s quite possible they didn’t apply the primer and seam sealer correctly. Then it starts rusting much faster than it should
+1 for @db4690
I had a female colleague who was a single woman and would only buy cars rebuilt from a wreck with a salvage title. One Oldsmobile Cutlass she purchased was at least 6 years newer than my 1978 Cutlass and her car really rusted badly, while mine showed no rust. She asked the reason and I told her I thought it was because the rust was due to not being properly rebuilt. She didn’t like my advice and replaced the car with another rebuilt wreck.
The sad thing is that she could afford a new car or a really late model used car, but liked to be cheap. She also didn’t like to seek medical attention and passed away at a relatively young age eighteen years ago, which, if she had sought properly medical care, might have meant that she would be alive today.
At 65% of an inflated KBB value it would still be overpriced IMO.
One thing I seen no mention of in regards to the state of PA rebulding, inspection, and sign off procedures is what happens IF…
What if that car turns out to be problematic, eats up tires bi-monthly, and so on? Rhetorically posing the question; who is going to be on the hook then…
I would seriously doubt the state will step in and offer a refund.
“Have the vehicle inspected and certified. Inspections are performed throughout the state at enhanced vehicle inspection stations. Your reconstructed vehicle will be inspected to ensure it has been rebuilt to its original operating condition and meets the original specifications and appearance, and all documentation will be reviewed. The inspector will also take four photographs of your vehicle that must be submitted with your title application.”
While this is better than nothing, it’s main purpose is to insure no stolen parts were used to rebuild the vehicle and that it will pass the standard State Safety Inspection…
You are taking a gamble, it’s as simple as that…You MIGHT get a decent car at a good price and have no problems…But if you DO have problems and decide to unload the car, you won’t get squat for it with that rebuilt title…If you buy it, you will have to drive it for the next 10 years to get your money out of it…
Also, are you paying cash for it? Financing might be difficult or impossible…And check with your insurance company as they might have restrictions too…
Try this…Look at the hood to fender seam on both sides…Are they identical? Is the gap even on both sides? They should be…Now open and close the passenger door several times. Get a feel of how it opens and closes…Inspect the door to fender seam…Okay, do the same thing to the drivers door…Do they both open and close identically? . Is the door to body seam gap the same on both sides of the car??
I see a lot of salvage cars on craigslist. A lot of them have unusually low mileage which I believe has to do with the fact that the mileage could be wiped when they get a rebuilt title.
Nonetheless, even though I have been tempted to check a few of these, my logical side has prevented this from happening. Insurance companies would love to save money. When they declare a car salvage, it means to fix it PROPERLY would cost more than replacing it. Now if someone wants to do a hack job and make a profit, the insurance company does not want to deal with it because at the end of the day it is more headache for them that they can’t afford to deal with.
I am not more business savvy than the big insurance companies, so I just sit back and watch.
It’s not that easy to “roll back” odometers nowadays
Because there is nothing physical to roll back
Even factory scan tools don’t allow you to just roll back the odometer by, say 75,000 miles
Even if you were to install a new cluster, it won’t show 0. The mileage is often stored in other modules, such as the body control module, central gateway, etc.
Rebuilt wrecks have low mileage because they have been out of service for a year or more…It takes TIME to clear all the paperwork, complete the accident investigation, transport the car to an auction site, sell it to a re-builder who must haul it to his shop. It waits there until all the required repair parts are assembled, usually shipped in from salvage yards. This can take months. Finally the car is brought inside and the reconstruction begins…While this is going on, the title gets sent out to a title laundry (if possible) and if successful, this adds great value to the car. Paint comes last, usually farmed out, pictures are taken and it shows up on craigslist a year to 18 months after the wreck…
A dealer I used to work for took in trade an extremely low miles Chevy Caprice that was showroom clean in and out. The car sold quickly and the buyer started returning with problems.
On the second or third trip in the diagnosing led to removal of the driver’s side knee panel and carpet. That led to the discovery that the car was actually 2 vehicles with the front half of one being welded to the rear half of the other.
A total deathtrap and no one ever knew until the carpet came up…