There are millions of vehicles available for purchase on salvage auto auctions. Many of those cars look good visually, however, they may hide severe damage that isn’t visible to the eye. If you’re thinking of buying a salvage car from Salvagebid, consider safety first.
If you don’t want to buy a vehicle that may put you in danger on the road, you need to know how to differentiate safe salvage vehicles from unsafe ones. In this article, you will find a few tips on how to spot safe vehicles and be secure on the road.
Evaluate the damage
Most salvage vehicles are declared totaled by insurance companies after getting into a collision. Though no car remains entirely safe after it was involved in an accident, you still can choose one that is safe enough to be driven after making repairs.
Collision damage can be front end, rear end, front and rear, right side, left side, roof, or a combination of any of these. These are the most visible damage types, and you can easily see them even when browsing vehicle photos online. The repairs can be pretty costly, however, you can be sure about the damage the vehicle has sustained.
You can consider buying a vehicle that has its working parts damaged. For example, an engine, or its damaged components, can be replaced. After that, a car can be restored to driving condition.
Some other vehicles are indicated to have frame damage. A bent frame is tricky and can become a real headache for you, even when the repair is complete. But it can seriously compromise your safety, so it’s best to consider other options.
Beware of flood and fire
A collision isn’t the only way for a vehicle to get a salvage title.
Flood vehicles often look good and have an attractive price, but can contain serious hidden danger. When water gets inside of the mechanical components of a car, they start to rust. You may not notice this until one day you simply break down on the road. Primarily this concerns saltwater damage since salt is extremely corrosive. Since the damage is typically internal, flood vehicles are hard to detect from others visually.
The good thing about fire damage is that the seller can’t hide it. However, buying a vehicle damaged by fire can be pretty risky, especially when it comes to an interior burn. The most common reason for a car to catch fire from the inside is an electrical malfunction. Such vehicles have their mechanical and electrical parts severely damaged, and no one can guarantee that they are repairable. Even if they are, it may not be safe to drive a vehicle like that.
Detect fraud from sellers
On Salvagebid, you can find vehicles sold under the Remarketing Division title. Those cars often have low mileage and minor damage, and they can be both luck or fail for you.
If you decide to buy such a vehicle, make sure to look into the seller. If a seller is a well-known fleet company, rental car company, financial institution, or retail and wholesale dealer, then you can consider buying a vehicle from them.
However, if you can’t find any information about the seller, it may be risky and information may be falsified. Some individual dealers buy salvage cars from online auto auctions and then resell them under the Remarketing Division title. Those cars can be flood or non-repairable. So, it not only can be a waste of time and money for you, but may also be unsafe.
Run a VIN check
Whenever you decide to buy a salvage car, we recommend conducting an inspection or, at least, running a VIN check. No one can guarantee that a car you’re going to purchase is safe. At the same time, the car VIN number lookup or a license plate number lookup will help you make better decisions when it comes to buying used vehicles. So getting a comprehensive report about a vehicle’s history and its technical details is a good way to save yourself from buying a wrecked or non-repairable car.
Stay safe with Salvagebid
If you want to know more about the warning signs to look for when you buy a salvage car, read this article. And if you have any questions, contact our support center at support@salvagebid.com. Our managers will be happy to assist you.