Opinion on rebuilt titles

Give me your opinion on newish cars with low miles and rebuilt titles. I'm looking for a new car for my daughter, and there are some buys out there, but I don't want a headache.

Its one of those "depends" things.

How was it totalled? How was it fixed? What is still bent? Will it piss you off knowing that things are not quite like they are supposed to be?

Ive owned a bunch. I prefer airbag deployment cars with a light front end hit, or sideswipes. Least chance of frame damage, but most expensive for insurance to repair.

Yes, it very, very much depends. There are salvage cars I'd snap up in a heartbeat (recovered thefts, vandalism, light front end hit on a car with expensive parts) and there are cars I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole (floods or certain types of impacts)

The resale value is going to be pretty low and selling the car will likely take longer because of the branding, but if you buy the car cheap and then just run it until it's basically worthless anyway, that shouldn't matter.

Most banks and whatnot won't write a note on a car with a rebuilt title.

Many insurance companies won't underwrite a comprehensive (or is it a collision?) policy on a rebuilt title.

A rebuilt title can be issued for many different reasons. Some of them are purely cosmetic and shouldn't present any problems. For example, a hail-damaged car or one that was stolen and had its interior trashed may be ugly, but won't have long term problems (although, with all the electronics in cars these days, be careful). A car that was hit, totalled out, and then rebuilt and sold likely didn't have a whole lot of budget between the cost of the salvage car and the final selling price to spend everything that really should have been spent to repair the car, so shortcuts are taken. Airbags are expensive and might have been removed and not replaced. Unibody repair may have been just "good enough". Areas that you can't see may not be right in ways that won't show up for a couple years. This part comes down to how well you know and trust the person that did the rebuilding.

How long do you plan to keep the car? Rebuilt titles make reselling a PITA.

Wae covered most. My experience involved taking a salvage vehicle and getting it to rebuilt. Stay away from salvage. it's seriously not worth it.

The vehicles are going to be cheap, but there's alot of variables to kill that deal. As you've seen, the resale value sucks. This holds true when you try to sell as well. It's not easy to sell a car with a salvage title. The bigger issue is going to be insurance. As Wae said, most companies won't do full coverage on a rebuilt. If she get's in an accident that's not her fault, you still aren't going to come out with a win.

Considering the likelihood of an accident before 18, I'd stay away.

One of the other depending factors is the states requirements. In PA to get a salvage title, like you bought your car from insurance after a wreck and want to title it, you're supposed to have a pretty comprehensive build log, pictures, receipts, everything.

That seems to vary by county even as a state law though.

Just another thing to keep in mind. If you're state is that picky you can be ok with things, but if no one actually pays attention or just hands out titles it can get dicey.

Do you plan to drive it to scrap? If yes then I'd make sure the repair work was done right and buy it. Reselling is going to be a huge hassle unless it's something rare or desireable (See FD3S RX-7.)

Of course, I've been watching waaaaaaayyyyy to much B is for Build lately so my risk perception may be a little skewed for my own personal plans.

In reply to RevRico:

That's a good point. If you do buy a rebuilt car, understand that in nearly every state the "inspection" to switch the title from salvage to rebuilt is almost completely checking paperwork on parts sources to make sure nothing was stolen. In KY, they also verify that the horn and lights work, but that's about it. So if the seller says it was inspected, it's likely that doesn't really mean anything.

If it's been wrecked once, it may be much less safe in a subsequent wreck. I had a previously wrecked Odyssey that although it had a clean title, didn't have any airbags. In addition, frame rails may be heated and bent back into place, unibody welds may be "good enough", etc.

I sure wouldn't consider that for my child, unless I was absolutely certain about the circumstances of the title being branded.

Thanks for talking me out of this. I know deep down that this is probably not a good deal in the end. If it was for me and I was going to drive it til it went to the junkman no problem. But its for my kid, and I don't need the worry that its going to break when she is far from home. And when she is done with school it will probably be worthless. Just not worth saving a couple thousand dollars on.

When I was car shopping for my daughter, a bunch of cars had salvage or rebuilt titles. One several occasions, I would put the VIN into Google and it would bring up a picture of the car as it sat in the auction. Several were minor door dings. I certainly would not buy one that did not have photographic documentation of what was done.

I went into a body shop way back in the late 60s and they were back-halving a Pontiac Bonneville. This was one of the best body shops in town. I didn't think it was worth all the effort. I did not think about the safety.