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Rebuildable Cars - Salvage Cars - Repairable Wrecked Cars Wrecked cars are often repairable and can be great project cars for buyers willing to make the necessary repairs. Properly rebuilt cars can be just as reliable and safe as any other car. Salvage cars can be a great opportunity to save money and have a little fun too. Where do repairable salvage
cars come from? This can vary by state. In many cases these "distressed" vehicles are not rebuildable at all. However, in other cases, distressed vehicles have damages that can be easily repaired and are perfectly rebuildable to full safe operational condition. In cases such as those in which a large number of vehicles are damaged at the same time, as in a flood or hurricane, an insurance company may survey only a few vehicles and then, to save time and expense, declare large groups of similar vehicles as total losses even though some of the vehicles may have only minor damage. Some salvage
vehicles have little or no damage Salvage vehicles can also be recovered theft vehicles, fire-damaged vehicles, weather-damaged vehicles, and vandalized vehicles — all written off by insurance companies. Recovered theft vehicles may have no damage at all and be in near-perfect condition. Salvage and damaged cars can make good project cars for those who like the challenge of repairing and rebuilding. What happens
to wrecked cars? They go to salvage auctions or to salvage dealers. Salvage auctions are conducted on regular schedules by professional auction companies in cities in every state. Most are open to the public. Such auctions are good place to pick up wrecked and rebuildable cars – and project cars – but remember that there will other people attending and looking for good deals too. Some auction attendees are professional (or not-so-professional) rebuilders who make a business out of repairing and reselling salvage vehicles. Some dealers such as Elite Rebuildable Cars in New York specialize in selling salvage vehicles. Here's what they say:
When an insurance company pays a claim for a vehicle that has been stolen, the owner assigns the title to the insurance company. The insurance company becomes the owner of the vehicle. If the vehicle is recovered, the insurance company must apply for a salvage title if one or more major component parts are missing, destroyed, or damaged and not salvageable. This applies even if the estimated cost of repair is less than 75% of the vehicle's fair-market replacement value. Buying rebuildable
and repairable cars Get the details on
how and when the car became salvage with a
CARFAX vehicle history report There can also be safety problems. Airbags may be missing or disabled. Anti-lock brake systems may not work. Seat belts may have become unsafe. Warning indicators may not work. Steering system and wheel alignment may be damaged. Make sure you look for these potential problems before you buy. If you are
going to repair your salvage car, get the right parts A great online source
for replacement auto parts is Auto
Parts Train Summary Also make sure you can get a title in your state and that your state has an inspection process that will allow your vehicle to be driven after it has been repaired. Check with your state DMV. Most have web sites with the information you need. For more, see the following related articles:
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