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sdilley14 · Sep 22, 2009, 11:49 AM

I'm just wondering what the general consensus is on vehicles with rebuilt/clear titles. Is it situational, or should they all be avoided? I'm somewhat in the market for a new vehicle and I came across these two on eBay Motors...

Acura : TL:eBay Motors (item 280397548772 end time Oct-06-09 21:00:20 PDT)

Volkswagen : Jetta:eBay Motors (item 320423855058 end time Oct-04-09 10:30:09 PDT)

Both vehicles look great and are priced very attractively, but the fact that they have "rebuilt" titles makes me pretty skeptical.

Anyone have experience with this? Advice?

Doofy · Sep 22, 2009, 11:53 AM

Depends on who's rebuilt it. Koenig? Buy it. Anyone else? Stay clear.

Gankdawg · Sep 22, 2009, 12:00 PM

Would not buy it unless I (or someone I personally know and trust) was the rebuilder. You just don't know what shortcuts an unknown person or shop would take to get the car running again. Are you willing to risk your life or your friends/families lives on a shortcut or lack of knowledge from a rebuilder?

sdilley14 · Sep 22, 2009, 12:09 PM

Maybe do some further research on the shop that did the rebuild, see what sort of feedback they have gotten? Test it and take it to a mechnic I know and trust and get their opinion on it?

Thorzdad · Sep 22, 2009, 12:22 PM

It's a crap shoot, to be sure.
That said, we purchased a salvage/rebuilt '97 Jetta about 3 or 4 years ago. It was dirt cheap, but looked to be a good rebuild. The key is to have the car gone-over thoroughly by a mechanic you trust, preferably one with experience with the make, which is what we did. To date, it's held-up admirably, save for the usual issues one can have with VWs, as well as the wear-and-tear inflicted by a teenage boy. I would never, never, never, never, buy any salvage/rebuilt car online, unless I could first see it and drive it in-person, and then take it to MY mechanic for inspection.

FYI...on the Acura ad, they state the car is not a salvage, that it has a clear/rebuilt title. This is a technicality. Usually, a salvage car is issued a clear/rebuilt title once it passes inspection after the repair. Rest assured, the car probably held a salvage title at one point. The fact that the seller says "No further inspections are necessary" would make my spidey-sense go off like a fire alarm.

This does vary by state, though. Here in Indiana, the rebuilt "inspection" consists of a State Police officer showing up at the rebuild shop and doing a quick walk-around visual inspection. Nothing more. It's a racket, and is further proof that a thorough independent inspection is called-for.

A rebuilt vehicle will never be as solid as a normal car, though.

sdilley14 · Sep 22, 2009, 01:03 PM

Good advice. Maybe I just need to listen to the "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" adage and steer clear. It's just so hard to bite the bullet and pay the prices that these vehicles carry. Bah, oh well I guess.

mduell · Sep 22, 2009, 03:20 PM

downinflames68 · Sep 22, 2009, 05:10 PM

Depends on why it was salvaged. Sometimes cars are salvage for fairly stupid reasons... other times not. Basically, if you don't know cars very well, avoid them.

shifuimam · Sep 22, 2009, 09:35 PM

It really depends on the circumstances. A car that has been totaled (been in an accident where the cost of repairs quoted by the insurance company exceeded the blue book value of the car) but is still in fine condition will have a rebuilt title.

I got into a front-end collision in a 94 Nissan Maxima that ended up totaling out the title - the front of the body was pretty beat up, and just the replacement of the hood and the front bumper was enough money to total the title of the car. It was still in perfectly good condition, and I drove it for another year and a half after the accident and then sold the thing for $1200.

One important thing to note, though, is that a car with a dirty title (rebuilt/salvaged) cannot be insured for anything beyond basic liability. Just something to keep in mind.

I'd get a Carfax report for the car. If it's been in an accident with the current owner, find out the details. You never know.

imitchellg5 · Sep 23, 2009, 04:45 PM

Depends on why. My Accord was totaled by hail damage... even tho nothing broke, just has a bunch of tiny dents. Mechanically it's exactly the same as it was before it was totaled.

Edit: I noticed that TL has some marks on the rear bumper, quite a few actually. Might have more damage than the seller says.

sdilley14 · Sep 23, 2009, 05:45 PM

So would the Carfax report typically indicate why it was totaled? I just have a hard time believing anyone who I'm not familiar with explaining the vehicle history to me.

downinflames68 · Sep 23, 2009, 06:41 PM

Depends. The only reliable way to know is to take it someone who doesn't have anything to gain or lose: an independent shop. They'll be able to tell you if it was smashed really hard and repaired poorly, or if it was just something stupid.

residentEvil · Sep 24, 2009, 07:37 AM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

Depends on why. My Accord was totaled by hail damage... even tho nothing broke, just has a bunch of tiny dents. Mechanically it's exactly the same as it was before it was totaled.

Edit: I noticed that TL has some marks on the rear bumper, quite a few actually. Might have more damage than the seller says.

my first car was a hail damaged salvage vehicle! too funny. 1988 cutlas supreme. nick name: the golf ball. i swear it got better gas mileage because of all the dimples.