Need help with truck purchase

[GWHaley]

Ok guys, I need some help and I need it ASAP. This is my first post, so go easy on me. I'm about to be a first time Dodge truck owner. The dilemma is this; I have a gentleman that is selling a 2001 quad, 4x4, shortbed w/ 11,000 mi. on it. He's asking $17,5. The reason it's that cheap is because it was damaged by a tree on the cab and hood. Both of those have been replaced, but there are a number of dings and dents in certain areas of the cab. The truck drives like brand new and the drivetrain looks to be in excellent condition. The truck has a salvage title on it, but I plan on keeping it for quite awhile and can fix most of the problems on my own. Does anybody see any reason why I shouldn't buy this truck/should I wait on another used truck to come up?? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Gordon

 

[willyslover]

IMHO walk away. . if it had a salvage title it has a lot of damage. . probably more that he is telling you [to new to salvage unless large damage]... look at the frame... .



he bought it very cheep and that price is way high IMHO... [probably purchased in the less than $5000 price range]... you however will have a very tuff time selling it later. . especially if a smart buyer looks at carfax.com for history.



a savings of a few thousand will come back to haunt you IMHO



butttttt that is just one mans thoughts

 

[johnjackson]

Salvage title



Friend of mine bought a very nice looking mercedes sedan from a mercedes mechanic. Salvage title. Bumped hard in the ass. New rear clip welded on. new paint job. Car had to be inspected by DMV for safty reasons etc. Friend is still happy with car, so cheap and all, but..... there are some small thing that were not apparent at first. Sun roof leaks and does not seem fixable. Also windshield leaks. Car looks and drives very straight but the hard bump must of tweaked stuff beyound what was obvious. Not saying I would not buy a salvage for the right price. Just saying you need to look very carefully with a microscope.



John

 

[CFAR]

More likely he paid between 7000 and 10000 for the salvage.



See if he has pictures of the truck before repairs were done? Does he have pictures of the tree in the truck?



How much off of retail is it?



Is the mileage accurate?



Maybe a good deal hard to tell, you will need to climb over it with a fine tooth comb.

 

[bighammer]

How easy is it to insure and register a car that has a salvage title?

 

[CFAR]

Easy, after repairs are done you just need a smog (verify its a diesel) and a safety inspection.



Unless the seller has allready done this.



My last salvage dodge 96', was about 4750. 00 (4x4,auto,std cab) at a wholesale auction. They are a hot commodity in CA. After a new front axle, new cab, doors, left bedside, left frnt fender, and body work, I had a new truck, ins was easy CSAA (AAA) full coverage too. They took pictures and I was done. This was in 99' by the way.





Get a fine tooth comb, and if you are not an expert get one to check it out, worth the extra bucks in the long run. Most everything can be fixed and for that price it should have already been fixed.

 

[GWHaley]

Thanks guys for the replies-I'll still be checking this thread to see any more posts. This truck's retail bluebook is about $29,000. I looked at a '97 longbed w/115,000mi on it and this one looks as good and drives a whole lot better (and he wanted $18,500).



From what I can gather, the tree came down directly from the front, hit the hood and smashed the cabover camper that was on it. I know that saved it from more extensive damage. I'm reasonably sure that the frame is not bent-it just drives so good-like new! This truck was purchased from the feds here in CA at a gov. auction for $9300, so I think this deal is good.



Anyways, thanks again and I'll keep watching (and posting now that I have a CTR!)

Gordon

 

[Mtngoat]

Something to check into. .

I don't know about California, but a friend of mine from Colorado bought a Jeep in Missouri that had a salvage title. He put MAJOR money in it restoring it and building it up for rock crawling. When he went to register it and get a tag, they said, nope, the Missouri title says salvage, and thats what it is. Its nothing but parts. There was no way around it with the state of Colorado. Talk about a sad man!!! Anyway, it took him over a year and quite a bit of money to find a way to get it retitled and finally tagged. It was an ordeal but he got it done. Look into titling a salvage vehicle before buying.



Robin

 

[CFAR]

Not a problem in CA, the seller has probably already done the licensing, I think South Carolina is that way no salvaged veh allowed. If you plan on moving might be a good idea to check the state you plan on travelling to though. You can always check with your ins co to find out about their policy on insuring savaged titles.

 

[daveshoe]

I rescued my mom's car from the salvage yard. It was a '90 with few miles and no damage except for sheet metal. Reason for salvage was insurance would not settle any other way.

Reason for this post is to tell you that each and every part had to be listed and verified on a build sheet [ the DOT cops verify the serial nombers] They impound the vehecile if serial numbers do not match. Then they issue an application for a new title. That title will forever be a salvage title.

Perhaps you could get with the DOT and get the build sheet that lists all the replaced parts on the truck. That may give you an idea what repairs have been done and extent of damage.

Anyone out there know if this is possible?