Totaled Truck...CARFAX

Carfax and Autocheck are tools. Sometimes they reveal good info and sometimes they don't.

As someone who frequents insurance auctions I can tell you the clean vs salvage title isn't clear cut science. You can get a perfectly running clean salvage title (exp recovered steal) and you can look at a lump of molten steel (fire damage) that was a car with a clean title. There are many variables that go into whether they title will be salvage (can be converted into rebuilt), clean or in some cases branded junk or parts only (can never be converted).

Some general rules are once an insurance company pays out for a vehicle from either accident, flood or other "totaled" incident most brand the titles salvage.

Rental car companies and other self insured companies (or municipalities) many times don't change titles locally speaking.

After seeing what body shops repair preserving the clean title status and seeing the minor damage many salvage cars have I don't have problems with either route. I have sold both but rebuilt title always lowers the price but there are some real "steals" that can be bought salvage.

Some examples:
2006 Lincoln Navigator with 100k miles salvage title listed as non running. Inertia switch needed to be reset, serpentine belt replaced (orig broke causing fender bender) only damage is grill, front bumper cover and radiator core support. Body man bought truck for his wife for 1/4-1/6 the price of clean title local listed trucks.

2006 GMC 2500 SLT 4wd loaded (LBZ) listed as non runner with accident. Both batteries were shot from sitting (most cars sit for a few months waiting on paperwork) mechanic took out and deep charged truck started immediately and after body work truck was sold for 3x purchase price.

2007 F350 CC SB Lariat 100K miles one owner TX truck not a scratch/dent on it. Recovered steal with keys and remote (strange). Coworker bought it and hasn't done anything to it no issues. Bought it half of what local dealerships were asking for trucks with double the miles that were rusted.

Rhagfo wrote:
Do you realize how little damage it takes to get a repair bill up p $2,000+?
If a fender and bumper are damaged even slightly,'but need replacement bill will be $2,000+!

Isn't that the truth!? My Passat was rearended, cracked the bumper cover and bent the very rear of the floor pan slightly. Total to repair was just over $4K.

jerseyjim wrote:
Stay away from the truck. Y'never know....really. It will never be the same.

Pablum. (If a good body man fixed it, it might be straighter.)

There is a report on youtube where cars and trucks from Sandy here on the east coast were sold by an insurance company, and that company chose not to report"salvage" on the titles. Some company name with "veterans" in it. The reporters found the previous owner of an F250 that was flooded to the glove compartment. He found his old tools in that glove compartment rusted beyond belief. It had a clean title. Power seats did not work obviously, but the dealer said "it's got be just a fuse" :) It was a ticking bomb. They went thru the records and it turned out that they resold hundreds of Sandy cars as clean....

thomasmnile wrote:
True, Carfax don't know what they don't know. Remember the furor over flood damaged cars from Louisiana in the used car market in the wake of Katrina in 2005?
Those that weren't scrapped were marketed as used, maybe with salvage title/salvage certificates, maybe not. I recall consumers gave Carfax a lot of heat over that, often fueled by consumer reporters at local TV stations that fixated on the story. Carfax info. is only as good as its sources. Even an educated buyer that does due diligence on a vehicle purchase isn't assured of a good purchase if the seller didn't comply with the legal requirements of their state on this issue.

Same thing happened here after the Memorial Day Floods last year. There was major flooding from the coast to central Texas up to Oklahoma. Thousands upon thousands of cars were underwater over that weekend. A lot of people ended up buying these flooded out cars from private sales or rinky dink used car lots. A lot were upset because they pulled the Carfax reports that didn't show any flood damage. Carfax can't show what isn't reported to it. It's no substitute for a good mechanic. A lot of these cars went straight to Mexico, but they'll be back one day and Carfax still won't know about the previous damage.

rhagfo wrote:


Do you realize how little damage it takes to get a repair bill up p $2,000+?
If a fender and bumper are damaged even slightly,'but need replacement bill will be $2,000+!

That's basically what is was. Essentially a damaged plastic grill, left light assembly, and plastic fender panel. Otherwise, in great condition overall. Wasn't an issue not to buy.

True, Carfax don't know what they don't know. Remember the furor over flood damaged cars from Louisiana in the used car market in the wake of Katrina in 2005?
Those that weren't scrapped were marketed as used, maybe with salvage title/salvage certificates, maybe not. I recall consumers gave Carfax a lot of heat over that, often fueled by consumer reporters at local TV stations that fixated on the story. Carfax info. is only as good as its sources. Even an educated buyer that does due diligence on a vehicle purchase isn't assured of a good purchase if the seller didn't comply with the legal requirements of their state on this issue.

Thanks for this thread. I had no idea.

Yup when your car was deemed totaled by your insurance company I.E. it was cheaper to just pay you off than repair it. A car that an insurance company 'decides' not to fix is NOT labeled salvage.

Then the totaled car is sold right to auction with a clean title. Then dealers go to the auction and buy the cars as-is. Fix them or not and then put them on their lot to sell. None of which are mandated to report to carfax.

IMHO carfax is a joke. The consumer is led to 'believe' that EVERYTHING is reported to carfax and it simply is not.

Only those that 'choose' to report to carfax. Some emissions stations are required to but then again not all of them in all the states.