asdfijl

hey guys i found a guy living in LA approx. 2 hours from me selling his salvaged 2005 c55 AMG for 26k it is fully loaded (navi, xenons, etc.). the warranty is unclear but he said i have to buy it, not sure if that means extending or purchasing from a third party (which i hope not). hear me out on this, the car has only 10,900 miles. however, a sign at the dealership fell on his car breaking his windows crushing part of his hood, and leaving scratches which probably led to a paintjob giving the salvaged title. he claims that the car is in perfect condition and runs new. what do you guys think on this? should i consider it? should i run a carfax and have the MB dealership give me the repair records so i can have full knowledge of what happened? tell me what you guys think!

asdfijl

also note that the guy fixed the car completely

Quicktwinturbo

To get a salvaged title, the car have to be pretty fawked up..
I would stay away from it.. But if you wnat to buy it and part it out, it may be worth it.

MercedesFTW

New hood, new WINDOWS, new paint job...I dunno could be a legit deal? I mean thats a lot of money...

Ryanr317

Definately run a carfax. I will let you know that you are going to have a hard time if and when you're ready to sell it. Seeing the word "salvage" is a major major turn off to buyers. Sometimes the damage is really not that bad when a car gets a salvage title. Some of the common misconceptions that some people have is that when i vehicle receives a salvage title that the frame must be bent, or the airbags have to have gone off. This is not the case a lot of times. The main reason a car is given a salvage title is when the cost to fix is surpasses it's value, at least that's how it is here where i live. I can't say too much for other states. Also, make sure it wasn't a flood car, i'd stay as far as possible from those. But i have seen cars given a salvage title due to signs falling on them so he may be telling the truth. I'd probably buy it if it was down here.

DarkXerox

It probably would be easy to find out if his story checks out just by asking him what dealership it was. Something as strange as a sign falling on an AMG car would be something that people would remember. Plus they would know if the warranty is still good too.

Slater126

Heh, I'd love to see that incident on You Tube! I'd be very leery about this as the impact from a heavy sign could have caused all kinds of damage to the suspension and unibody. The damage couldn't have been insubstantial to total out such a pricey car. Plus, as someone said, you're never going to be able to sell this once you buy it. And is it just me or is that price a bit high? You could get a low mileage '03 C32 for that or even a good C55 for about 5k more. Personally, I'd stay away but I guess that has to be your choice.

charl1exbr0wn

why did you make a second thread on the same exact thing?

1qikctr

Salvaged = garbage.

sdsilverm3

You've obviously been brain washed. Your statement isn't always true.

But to address the OP: a salvaged title will automatically void the warranty which in turn makes buying the car more trouble than it is worth. You don't want to own a modern Mercedes without a warranty.

blown93lx

This is VERY true.. Salvage can mean ALOT of things... I've bought alot of cars that ended up with salvage or not actual miles titles that had absolutely no damage at all...

Does the guy have pictures of it before it was fixed?

Post the VIN or PM it to me, maybe I can help you find some info other then carfax.

Slater126

Well, obviously, this one has damage. Why would an '05 Benz end up with a salvage title that had no damage anyway?

blown93lx

It happens every day ... a car that is stolen and recovered AFTER the insurance company paid out the claim gets a "Clean title w/ salvage history" ...

I've bought 3 cars this year that were salvage branded that 1 had hail damage from a dealership (brand new car) and the hail damage was laughable

1 had a window broken and it rained that night. Very little water on the interior.. the owner cried like a baby and the ins. co paid the claim

The third was stolen and recovered after the ins. co paid off the loan.. not a single scratch or ding anywhere.. still a clean title with salvage history..

i probably paid less then half of the actual values for all these

If your paying cash and don't mind it being salvage branded (only you would know anyway) it's a decent way to go .. It's not like the state requires you to write in the back window SALVAGE VEHICLE.. 99.9% would never know the difference.

and if you think you could never "unload" a salvage vehicle when your ready for something else, your out of your mind. Type in "rebuild title" "salvage title" "theft recovery" on ebay and checked completed auctions, dozens and dozens sell all the time.

okay on with the flames

Slater126

Perhaps, though my experience tells me that people looking for "something for nothing" usually end up getting burned in the end. The OP is looking at salvage titles and buy-backs (another thread). Darwin doesn't like this kind of stuff -- at all. And this particular car does have damage from what sounds like a serious accident, hence my caution. But, again, his money.

blown93lx

True I agree... If I can get the VIN, there is a chance I can find actual pictures of it before it was fixed ...... I guess it all comes down to the extent of the damage.... If it had a sign fall on the car, I would likely stay away ...

I guess I went off topic to try to explain that ALL SALVAGE TITLES aren't necessary "junk" .....

1qikctr

You have to understand, Salvaged title could be a lot of trouble and $$$ down the road. You have to be prepare for all the hidden problems to pop up, only salvage title ppl usually conisder would be a Flood title. Gl with the buy.

ndabunka

Why would ANYONE pay $26K for a salvaged C55 when they could buy nearly the EXACT same model year/miles for a non-salvaged car ($33K on this forum)?

If they were selling the salvage car for $18K it "MIGHT" be worth considering otherwise... nothing else to see here IMHO of course

sdsilverm3

What are you talkiing about? Flood titles are the worst. Please stop talking about a subject you obviously know nothing about and repeating uneducated hearsay.

My family had been in used car business for 22 years and there are all sorts of bargains to be had in salvaged cars but one must do their research before diving in.

In any case, as previously mentioned, the C55 is one car I would not buy salvaged.

1qikctr

I'm just giving my own opinion in salvage cars, relax its only my own opinion.

Eurowow

no offense, but Salvage cars = bad news.

rory breaker

Hes not saying they arent bad news at face value. What he is saying is that for the right person, the right salvage car with the right history can be a good buy. Hes right.

If you plan on owning the car forever, and you know the history on why its salvaged (IE body damage in this case) then it could be good. But again, financing, insurance, selling the car, etc...all could be hassles for you.

Hes not saying yay everyone go buy salvage, hes saying they can sometimes be good for certain people. Not black or white. Hes right.

To me the first question you need to ask...are you keeping the car forever? If not, run away. Selling a salvage car will take forever and your market will be full of people looking for a deal - deadbeat used car salesmen, people who are trying to buy a car they cant afford, etc. Not worth the hassle.

Hes also right about the flood damage thing. This isnt about opinion, thats a fact. Flood damage is the LAST thing a buyer would accept on a salvage title car, that and fire damage. Body damage is one thing...flood damage is the kiss of death.

Clk&Slk

If the cost to fix the damages is MORE then 75% (parts and labors) of what the car worth, DMV will consider the car is SALVAGED !!!

1qikctr

Well it's just my opinion on salvage cars, I know a friend who bought a Flood title cl600 only issue he had was some electrical pwr problems, again just my opinion & takes on salvage cars.

sdsilverm3

Rory, thanks for typing exactly what I was going to say.

We know it's your opinion that's why we're telling you facts. To say the CL600 only had electrical issues as a result of the floods is like saying "well that guy with HIV only has a virus."

I don't think anyone wants any electrical issues in addition to what already plagues a Mercedes.

Ryanr317

This is why i would only buy a salvage titled car to keep for a long long time. So many people hear salvage and automatically steer clear from it making it very difficult to sell. Trust me, i've been there and done it.

As for flood cars being the best, WTF?