I'm sure this as been asked and I'm also sure there is no clear answer but I'll put it out there anyway.

Saw an ad for a 98 coup. 45k miles....Corsa's (wanted Borla's) 6 speed
he says it's in great shape and is asking $15,900 but it's a Salvage car

Why does this car scare me?

 

some salv'd cars can be ok. some cant. take for instance the one u mention. its a 98. so its one of the older ones. say its left out in a hail storm that cracks the hood, both front fenders, roof, rear quarter panels, glass, hatch and distorts the other panels w/ huge hail stones. the cost to repair and repaint every panel on teh car will be so great it would likely be totaled. now if fixed w/ remove and replace parts it should still run and drive fine. good salvage find.
take one that floated down the boat ramp into the lake (if anyone has that pic of the yellow coupe posted a while back please put it here. i need that pic to show a buddy haha). no bdoy damage, but they may get it dried out enough to run and be ok but its 99% likely to have a problem or few down the road.

take a bad accident. obviously it can total a car and for good reason.
some accidents arent that bad. someone on here recently posted a pic of the drivers side scraped up and broken by an SUV and it was ~ 12k worth of damage. yes, it would likely total an early C5 or come close to it, but is it really hurt? if it was an 04 it would be fixed and be ok, same car, just different value. i guess what im saying is it depends on how badly it was damaged and what was the reason it was salvaged. unless u can find out that info its a gamble too great to risk IMO. also just as it scares you, its gonna scare anyone else when its time to sell/trade and dealerships dont want it, people will pass and go to on to a non salvaged one. good luck.

 

You really need to find out what caused the car to receive a salvage title. Like mentioned above, some may be OK to take the chance on, but remember, buyers will always be cautious when it is not a clean title on the car.

 

Run an Autocheck www.autocheck.com and see if it tells why the salvage title.

 

I'm a dealer and have built many cars with salvage titles. The first thing you want to do is see if they’re any detailed pictures of the damage. If not check with the body shop that built the car and ask question. If its just fiberglass damage no problem, suspension usually no problems if its replaced with new parts, if the frame is bent there could be a problem. Fames can be straightened and usually are no problem if done correctly. You can check it out by have a good body shop measure the fame and see if it is within spec. The big bug-a-boo with a salvage title is resale. Most dealers will not take a salvage titled car in trade and if they do they will not give you anything for it. A salvage titled car can be a less expensive way to obtain a high-end car. Be very careful and check it out from one end to the other. Just my opinion I would say away from a salvage title car that is more than four years old because for the about same price you can get a newer car. Keep looking.

 

Price is high for a salvage car, also remember, if you want to sell it in the future, it will be a problem. Avoid it, if it's a flood car, especially saltwater.

 

Hi Keyoracing: I have had the opportunity to purchase and own numerous cars and motorcycles since the seventies. And, with my resources, I do come across vehicles that have been conferred with "Salvage" titles. As hinted above, practice due diligence, and, thorougly research the vehicle in question. Moreover, please refer to the following informative link regarding some of the many issues brought to bear when considering a used vehicle that is now titled "Salvage":

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...9&forum_id=103

 

I was told that in some states you cannot register because it was salvaged? Any truth to this or something?

 

Mine is a salvage car. Never had a problem and still dont. Some are bad and some are good. Some insurance company's will total out a car just cuase of both air bags comes out (what happened to mine) So I would be careful. Good Luck!

 

First thing on your list should be to check with your Insurance Co. and see if they will actually insure a salvaged title vehicle, most wont, not full coverage anyways , only liability,meaning if it gets in an accident they will cover the liability aspect of it but not the repair to the vehicle, therefore your out of a vehicle basically.

And as mentioned before , resale might caue you a headache if you need to sell it asap for some unforseen reason in the future.

 

In California, if a vehicle is stolen and then recovered after the insurance already paid it off, it is titled as salvage. There are some steals in cases like those.

 

I just realized what I wrote.

 

yeah as much as I'd like to consider taking a shot at this car. (no not at that price) I may let this one pass.
I'm not really concerned to much about resale. I'm sure I'd hold on to the car for a very long time and by the time I was ready to sell I wouldn't be looking to make a killing on the thing in the first place.

All that being said the car is 1000's of miles away and I no little about it sooooo.
The bigger question here was if it was a good idea in ANY case to look at a car like that and I guess I agree....without knowing the history of the car it's a gamble.

Thank you

Keyo