89Mach1

Hey guys, I need your opinion on a truck. It's a Chevy 2500 HD Ext. Cab Long Box, 4X4 6.0L Automatic with about 120K on the truck and 80K on the motor. Motor had problems so they put a new one in under warranty I was told. Leather interior, loaded to the max. I can get the truck for $6000.

The bad part, it comes with a salvage title I'm told. A tree fell on the roof and it was totaled out by ins. company, bought back and repaired. I haven't seen the truck in person yet, but a friend called me about it and sent me pictures.

Knowing it's a salvage title, I'm not sure what to do. I DO drive my vehicles into the ground because I drive so many miles a year for work, about 30k a year but keep up on maintenance faithfully, so not much goes wrong with them.

What's your thoughts??? I have to make a decision by this weekend, go figure...

Thanks!!

tcuda499

I dont know man? I would try to find out what parts where replaced and if there was frame damage. whats the price for an 01 that hasn't been totaled? I cant imagine in this market it would be more than 8 to 10k. I think I would look for one that hasn't been wrecked and pay a little more. Than again I do make some poor decisions

89Mach1

Over 10k with close to 200k I have found so far, so I dont know, its a tough call.

BowenCT

Try to go see it and look at the roof repair first hand. If it looks ok and was fixed professionally, I say jump on it. Who cares if it has a salvage title. You're not going to finance it, and as you said you'll drive it into the ground so you don't have to worry about re-sale. If it was an '08 with 40k miles, then it'd be a different story.

It looks like a nice truck.......KMC Rockstar wheels and nice rubber. You say it has leather, so it's an LT and not a stripped work truck. That's a lot of vehicle for $6K.

If you don't buy it, shoot me a PM and maybe I'll look at it.

Good luck!

WARP1

As I understand it you will not be able to get full coverage with the salvage title. You will not be able to get a loan if you cannot get full coverage. This won’t be a problem if you are paying cash.

Ask for pictures of the damage. How was it repaired? Was the entire cab replaced (the best fix)? Did they replace the roof (I’m not even sure that’s possible)? Did they just pound out the damage (most probable fix)?

It doesn’t take that much to total a car. If the cost to repair the damage exceeds the insurance company’s idea of the replacement value (which is always less than what the car is actually worth) then the car is totaled. Cars are rarely totaled because the damage can’t be fixed, but because the damage can’t be fixed economically.

Put it on a lift and look under the truck. Check the windows and doors for leaks, (use a car wash) if you know the roof was damaged. Look under the hood and inside the door jams for signs of collision damage. If the seller cannot provide proof of why it was totaled then you need to check everything.

The salvage title wouldn’t scare me, if the truck checks out good.

89Mach1

Thanks guys, I just wasn't really sure about the salvage title thing. For dome reason just hearing those words makes me a little nervous, BUT like I said before, I will drive it into the ground so I'm not overly concerned about resale of it. I'm trying to set it up to go look at it Friday afternoon and make my final decision on it, but as of right now I'm leaning towards buying it. Anyone looking for a 99 Tahoe by any chance?

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

Sorry, but I wouldn't go near a salvage title vehicle.

Knot 4 Me

Check the frame closely under the cab.

Jupiter Sunsation

Too many stories.....new motor under warranty and roof caved in, salvage title. I would rather spend a couple bucks more for a no story vehicle.

handfulz28

A salvage title doesn't mean what it used to - a twisted piece of scrap...
Once the ins co totals it, it gets a salvage title. From there you have to take a close look. It's a truck, on a frame, so get under there and look. But the most important is to check the window seals and see how perfect (factory looking) they are. If they look super perfect, they probably just put a new cab on there. check for the VIN on all body parts for possible confirmation of the cab swap.
If it got a tree on the roof, most likely the ins co doesn't want to deal with potential liability down the road so it's an automatic total. If the windows don't leak, nothing else looks out of the ordinary, you can reg & ins to your needs, it might not be a bad deal.
Final thought: a true "LT" will have heated seats with buttons on the doors. I can't count how many "LS" trucks/SUVs got leather at the dealer and are falsely advertised as LTs.