Hey All....Been reading a handful of threads on here dealing with bad things Mini. Some have been kinda doom and gloomy, but I still hold a healthy amount of enthusiasm to get me a MCS here in the coming weeks.

I am buying used, low mileage.......Have or Would any of you folks buy a MCS with a salvage title?......I'm talking 2010-2012 vintage.....

 

That would depend on why it is a salvage title. I have seen salvage titles because of engine fires and theft. So IMO if it were from those I would buy it. If it was damaged in a wreck bad enough to become a salvage title I would be more leary of buying it.

 

Or if it has been in a flood or has water damage run away fast unless you have been there and done that before.

 

Nope..never have dealt with a salvage title....BUT some of the prices on these vehicles are very, very tempting and the pictures are high quality depictions. Just the word "salvage" is not very complimentary...lol

 

Can't speak for a salvaged mini but I bought a used car with a salvaged title with 32k and I just parted with it this week at 247k. If I had to do it all over again I would stay away because I wanted to trade that car in a few times but no dealer would take a salvaged title car from me. Hence, the reason why I drove it till it died because it was worth more to me than what any dealer would give for it. That being said, I could've done better selling it myself a few times too...

 

with a salvage title you need to be cautious. Being someone that has rebuilt many MINI's that have been totaled out I've seen it done right and wrong. Whenever I do it, and most honest people do they will take pictures before to show how bad the car really was damaged. Many states require receipts of all the parts used to do the rebuild also so you can ask for that.
But make sure you have a mechanic look at it top to bottom too.
If it's a flood car run away fast.

 

not me.

 

Every vehicle I've had in the last 30 years has been a salvage.I do them as a hobby and to keep up with late model cars.as way said you need to see pics of before.Also as was pointed out the salvage title is hard to trade in.I sell outright and wholesale them and both parties are happy.Dont pay more than wholesale and you should be fine. My mini was salvage and not a worry in the world towards the cars shape.you don't want one creamed and never ...never buy a flood car.never...will haunt you till you part ways.

 

I wouldn't touch it, too many scams. I bought a 2006 Ford expedition limited on eBay with a salvaged title. I researched what that meant and found that they have to be inspected before the title is issued. What a crock. This thing had frame damage and one shop told me they wouldn't touch it because it was unsafe. Found another shop who said it wasn't that bad. He told me that people who fixed totaled vehicles usually have no problem getting titles issued without any inspection or documentation of repairs. Drove the vehicle for 3 years, but it wore tires uneven and had a slight lean. Ended up getting in an accident and it was totaled and made more than I paid initially so it worked out.
Bottom line is that if you are not a mechanic, you just can't trust them.

Also, a lot of insurances won't cover or offer comprehensive insurance on a salvage title.

 

**** no, unless I was buying it to put it on the track or had no intention of getting rid of it.

 

Be careful as there are a lot of cars on the market that are salvage due to the Sandy storm. Best to avoid flood cars as the water is bad for the electronics....

 

I deal a lot with older cars.. You gotta realize that 20 years down the road, a minor fender bender totals a car.... But it can be fixed safely for $200 from used yard parts... I'm not talking frame damage.. I'm talking fender, bumper, headlight, hood damage..

The age of the car is key... And when it became salvage.

 

A couple additional thoughts about buying salvaged: Many banks won't lend on them (or do so at much higher rates} and nowadays insurance companies avoid totaling out a car unless they absolutely have to so I suspect that recent salvage titles were the result of more substantial damage than in the past.

 

I agree on the banks loaning money on salvaged vehicles. I disagree on what it takes to total a vehicle . I bought a 07 Chevy pu on eBay that was salvage.i repaired it for 250 including paint! Nice low mileage truck ..

I repaired my salvage mini for 1200 .. It had 23000 miles on it. They could have repaired it but didnt. I don't know what determines the line of salvage.I ran a dealer body shop.if someone hit you and you showed possible signs of complaining of injury they were eager to get you to sign off ASAP and totaling your vehicle was a fast and painless ways to move the claimant to get on with life.The squeaky wheels get the grease if you are civil with them.
Here is the eBay pic of the pu I bought that was salvaged.i replaced the fender, headlites since the plastic tabs broke and bumper.never touched hood or door.same radiator and ac condenser and grill.Only painted the fender! I did pull frame a little.Clean truck.

 

I think people are understanding what it means to total a car. The damage has to cost more than the value or become unsafe to repair and drive. Most of the time they go hand in hand but, in cases of flood it doesn't. The same thing happened after Katrina and will probably happen after the San Antonio flooding.

 

You didn't understand my post. The post was to show that there are times when damage isn't bad at all. As I stated before,"never get a flood car"

I would imagine that I would have a problem buying a vehicle that someone else repaired. Don't think I could..