Questionlooked at a mini 18,000 miles all options 17,500 asking. car came from maryland and has a salvage title (flood). i could not detect anything silt,sand etc. the car drives great and all the options work. the car was not mis-represented by the current owner. i read that some cars are not damaged to any great degree but the insurance goes ahead and totals them. what would a car like this be worth if the normal retail would be 24,000. 1/2 , 2/3 ?
AnswerHey Bob
First i must say answering hundred of questions on yahoo, and some on this site, I really like your question it caught my eye first with several in my mailbox today to choose from.
# 1...You could not detect anything during your test drive thats great but the odds are against you ...the vehicle was a FLOOD damage, think about the hundreds of feet of wires in vehicle for starters thats been exposed to water for how long ? it will be like driving a time bomb...
There were more than half million cars with flood damage during hurricane Katrina, where are they now ?... go to this webpage http://www.usedcartips.org/ and look at a 3 minute video about flood cars and the danger.
# 2...I like your statement about honesty, that current owner did not mis-represented the vehicle, but then again he had no other choice as title tells the truth.SALVAGE...
# 3...You read some cars are not damaged to any great degree, and I agree not body wise, but read my # 1 answer again why insurance total them...
As you can tell by now I am not a fan of SALVAGE cars, to me its like buying a lottery ticket, and for every salvage buyer being satisfied, there are 10 that are not...
# 4... You ask,,, would the car be worth..1/2, 2/3 ?
...EXAMPLE... If you bought a wooden chair real cheap becauce all four legs were broken at one point but now glued together...How safe would you really feel sitting on it, never mind going down the hwy at 70 miles an hour...thats SALVAGE, and I think the risk factor is not worth putting your life on the line...
Hey Bob...sorry to be so blunt, but I just dont like Salvage, and think when its an insurance write - off, these vehicles should be put to rest...
If you go on my website be sure to navigate to AUCTIONS...
Its funny...if you check all my previous answers, this one has got to be one of my longest, I enjoyed your question
Have a great day
Ray
PS...Dont be shy, have more Q's
