QuestionHi Ray
I have a chance to buy a 2004 Toyota Highlander CERTIFIED SUV,
4 cyl. FWD with only 6800 miles on it for a great price (17k). It's
a Florida car that was issued a salvage title (before it was
Certified) and was bought here in Chicago at auction. It needed a
front headlight and some other minor front end passenger work
because it was in a fender bender. I don't know why it was
issued a salvage title as it looks and rides like new. I was doing
some research and I found that a salvage title could be issued if
the vehicle was stolen or if it was totalled beyond repair. Now,
this car couldn't possibly have been totalled. Like I said, only
minor front passenger damage which was repaired and you
couldn't tell anything was fixed. Looks brand new.
Seeing how it was sold at auction and in such great shape,
should I be concerned about the salvage thing? I ran a Carfax
report and the only thing was the salvage issue. Everything else
came up clean. No flood damage, not rebuilt, etc. Also, the
warranty was voided because of this salvage tag. The only part
of the warranty left not voided was "Specific Components". It had
basically 86000 miles left on that. What are the "Specific
Components" and how do I find out what's still covered? Can I
change this and get the Warranty back if I can show the car is in
excellent shape? I was going to call the Florida dmv and try and
get more info but I wanted to "ask an expert" first. Some more
internet research told me that "Other states, like Illinois, could
issue a clean title if it could be proven the stolen vehicle was
recovered without structural damage". I'm hoping this is the
case but if so, seeing how this car looks brand new, why wasn't
the clean title pursued? Because it was at auction, they didn't
care what the title said, they probably just wanted to get rid of
it, right? Some other site said: "The vehicle might have been a
recovered stolen vehicle without any damage at all". HELP!
Thanks!
Ed
P.S--I DO trust the seller, by the way. Friend of the family.
AnswerHi Ed
Dont know why but i am getting many Q's about Salvage cars lately...here is a copy paste from my last reply...
If you bought a wood chair that you knew all 4 legs were broken at one point but now glued together...how safe would you feel sitting on it? never mind going down the hwy at 70 miles an hour
Salvage means written of by insurer,i never have and never will consider buying a Salvage no matter how good it looks...
as for some components still being covered i find that hard to belive after its been declared Salvage, contact a Toyota dealer for an explanation...
If you want to buy the vehicle then for a few bucks take it to a body shop for an inspection they will be able to check for frame damage thats been repaired if thats the case, i think you will get some answers your looking for...
Again any expert will tell you to stay away from salvage
Regards
Ray
