Rebuildable Cars | Salvage Cars | Repairable Wrecked Cars

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?
Insurance companies often declare accident-damaged vehicles as total losses rather than pay for repairs. The typical rule is that if the cost of repairs will exceed 70%-75% of the replacement value, then the vehicle will be totaled.

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
Oftentimes there are vehicles among those that are flood damaged that actually have only superficial damage, or no damage at all. In some states all these vehicles end up with salvage or flood titles, regardless of actual condition. Repairing such vehicles may only require some minor body work and paint — or perhaps simply cleaning the carpets.

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.
Insurance companies sell wrecked, recovered, and damaged vehicles at salvage auctions where they can be purchased by individuals, used car dealers, and rebuilders. In many states, the vehicle title is marked "salvage" or "rebuilt salvage." In other states, the title is destroyed and such vehicles can only be sold for parts.

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:

"Elite Rebuildable Cars is the premier source for repairables with over 18,000 rebuildables sold to date. We provide late model foreign and domestic auto salvage cars, trucks, s.u.v.'s and motorcycles with various damage conditions. These damaged vehicles include fresh water floods, recovered thefts, collision damage, fire, vandalisms and many repossessed vehicles. Our experienced auto salvage buyers purchase these repairables from insurance companies nationwide, to provide our customers with quality salvage vehicles at the lowest prices available."

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
Buying repairable cars can be risky if you don't know what you're doing. It's difficult in many cases to be able to determine the full extent of the damage or estimate the cost of repairs. Vehicles that may seem driveable may actually have hidden damages that could be costly to fix. What initially seemed like a great deal might turn out to be just the opposite.

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
Use the best quality replacement parts and aftermarket auto parts you can afford. Although salvage yard parts are sometimes the right answer, it's best to pay a little more and get new parts and accessories.

A great online source for replacement auto parts is Auto Parts Train . We recommend them. This auto parts company has been around for 25 years with great customer service, outstanding customer testimonials, and a huge auto parts inventory. The company has guaranteed the lowest prices in the auto parts market and a hassle-free shopping experience. Give them a try.

Summary
If you think you might want to save money by buying and repairing a damaged car, or you need a good project car, make sure you know what you're getting and what it will cost you to do the repairs. Make sure all safety equipment is fully restorable and that the vehicle will meet state emissions requirements.

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.

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