Quite often when you are looking for a used car in the newspapers or online you will see the phrase salvage title. What exactly is a salvage title? And is the vehicle worth the money the seller is asking for? Salvage titles are actually pretty handy if you are looking for parts to fix up your Mitsubishi Canter with. But the buyer should be aware that salvage titles may not always be what they are cracked up to be. It is important to do your homework about these vehicles before you buy them, even if they are a great way to fix up the Mitsubishi cars sitting in your driveway.
A salvage title is given to a vehicle that has had damage in excess of 75% of the cars actual worth. So if you had a Mitsubishi Canter that was worth $9415 and it was in an accident where it suffered $7200 worth of damage, the car is going to have the word salvage stamped on the title. This means the vehicle is not fit to drive and can only be used for salvageable parts. In some states the term junk title is used to mean the same thing and in 11 states around the nation a stolen car can also be labeled as a salvage vehicle. You will need to check with the state you live in to know exactly what their laws are about salvage vehicles.
If you purchase a salvaged vehicle, the title will be stamped resalvaged. This is so the next person who gets the car knows that the car has had damage that deemed the car unfit to drive and work has been done on the car to fix it up. It is up to you to determine whether or not you want to purchase and use this car on a regular basis, and before you sign the papers for the car make sure the seller shows you exactly what has been repaired on the vehicle. You may need the receipts for parts and repair work in order to get your resalvaged title.
Buying a salvaged vehicle means buying major problems. To find out if the car is worth the money take it to a qualified auto body mechanic and have it looked at to see what major problems the used Toyota Sprinter or Nissan cube has. Additionally, have the airbag checked on the car if there is supposed to be one and see if it has been installed properly or at all. The last thing you need to worry about is driving down the road, hitting a bump, and having your airbag deploy at a very bad time.