[Realdapkfmm]

Hello everyone,

I am in the market for a used car and I have come across a 2019 Chevrolet Spark with an In-Line 4-Cyl. 1.4 L engine. The car looks great and has all the features I am looking for, but the title status is listed as rebuilt, which has me concerned.

I am not familiar with the implications of a rebuilt title and I am hoping to get some advice from members of this forum who have experience with cars with this type of title. From what I have learned so far, a rebuilt title is assigned to a vehicle that has been salvaged due to a total loss from an accident, fire, or other incidents. The car is then repaired and restored to its original condition, and the title is updated to reflect its rebuilt status.

I understand that a rebuilt title can affect the value and reliability of the car, and it may be difficult to obtain financing or insurance for the vehicle. I also know that it is important to thoroughly inspect the car before making a decision, to make sure that the repairs were done properly and that the car is in good condition.

Can anyone share their experience with buying a car with a rebuilt title? What should I look for when inspecting the car, and what questions should I ask the seller? How does a rebuilt title affect the resale value of the car, and are there any long-term consequences of owning a car with a rebuilt title?

Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time and assistance!

 

[Browneye]

Why don't you find one that DOESN'T have a salvage title?
A salvage title is where a car is written off as a total loss by the insurer, the owner's insurance company. It could be major damage, or just something expensive that didn't warrant the cost for repairs. Generally if repairs are more than 75% or so of the cars value it is paid off and sold as salvage. Sometimes these cars can be fixed, sometimes not.

But you're right - you cannot get financing for a vehicle with a salvage title, and you can only get liability insurance - no comp or collision. And there's no guarantee there are not still structural or mechanical defects. And the selling price should be about half of a non-salvage in similar condition with similar mileage. Generally they are a cash purchase. We got one for a teen driver, it was fine, but it was a cash purchase for a ten year old car for a couple of thousand dollars. Sometimes salvage cars are from a flood, and you don't want one of those - the electrics are never the same.

Our sparky was parked out on an arterial street in front of my office when it was just a couple of months old - about a thousand miles on it. A truck passing by lost it's load - about a 450lb tool box fell off the flatbed, slid down the road and hit the back of our car. Not only did it cave in the tailgate, but the rear body shell as well, required a new bumper, cover, and tailgate, and repaint. About $4500 for repairs at the local chevy dealer. There was talk of it being totaled if they couldn't get parts. They told me there were no tailgates in stock and they would have to order one from the factory. I asked them if they realized the car was built by Daewoo in Korea - this was in the middle of the pandemic. Their eyes got big - I told them to find a used one - they had to repaint it anyway. Repairs were done in a week instead of months. I would have been fine with a total, but there were no other cars available to replace it with - I found one other one clear across the country.

The automatic is really gutless you know? And the car is downright scary on the freeway. We use ours for local trips, grocery-getter, and towing behind a winnebago.

 

[Realdapkfmm]

Why don't you find one that DOESN'T have a salvage title?
A salvage title is where a car is written off as a total loss by the insurer, the owner's insurance company. It could be major damage, or just something expensive that didn't warrant the cost for repairs. Generally if repairs are more than 75% or so of the cars value it is paid off and sold as salvage. Sometimes these cars can be fixed, sometimes not.

But you're right - you cannot get financing for a vehicle with a salvage title, and you can only get liability insurance - no comp or collision. And there's no guarantee there are not still structural or mechanical defects. And the selling price should be about half of a non-salvage in similar condition with similar mileage. Generally they are a cash purchase. We got one for a teen driver, it was fine, but it was a cash purchase for a ten year old car for a couple of thousand dollars. Sometimes salvage cars are from a flood, and you don't want one of those - the electrics are never the same.

Our sparky was parked out on an arterial street in front of my office when it was just a couple of months old - about a thousand miles on it. A truck passing by lost it's load - about a 450lb tool box fell off the flatbed, slid down the road and hit the back of our car. Not only did it cave in the tailgate, but the rear body shell as well, required a new bumper, cover, and tailgate, and repaint. About $4500 for repairs at the local chevy dealer. There was talk of it being totaled if they couldn't get parts. They told me there were no tailgates in stock and they would have to order one from the factory. I asked them if they realized the car was built by Daewoo in Korea - this was in the middle of the pandemic. Their eyes got big - I told them to find a used one - they had to repaint it anyway. Repairs were done in a week instead of months. I would have been fine with a total, but there were no other cars available to replace it with - I found one other one clear across the country.

The automatic is really gutless you know? And the car is downright scary on the freeway. We use ours for local trips, grocery-getter, and towing behind a winnebago.

Thank you for sharing your experience with a salvage title car. It's great to hear that you were able to find a solution to get the repairs done in a timely manner, but it's also understandable why you might not have wanted to keep the car for long-term use. The limitations on financing and insurance are significant drawbacks, and as you mentioned, there's no guarantee that the car won't have further structural or mechanical issues. I appreciate your honesty and will definitely keep your advice in mind while searching for a vehicle. Thank you again for taking the time to share your story.

 

[Browneye]

Our spark wasn't totaled, just an expensive insurance claim. The owner of the truck company's insurance covered everything. I'm sure it shows up on a carfax report.

A salvaged title vehicle is arguably worth half of market value. If you can get that one for four or five thousand and pay cash for it then it might be worth it. Otherwise keep shopping. YMMV

 

[Realdapkfmm]

I found something about the vehicle, which made me back out of the deal entirely. I am going to update my first post. thanks @Browneye

 

[Realdapkfmm]

Hello everyone,

I am in the market for a used car and I have come across a 2019 Chevrolet Spark with an In-Line 4-Cyl. 1.4 L engine. The car looks great and has all the features I am looking for, but the title status is listed as rebuilt, which has me concerned.

I am not familiar with the implications of a rebuilt title and I am hoping to get some advice from members of this forum who have experience with cars with this type of title. From what I have learned so far, a rebuilt title is assigned to a vehicle that has been salvaged due to a total loss from an accident, fire, or other incidents. The car is then repaired and restored to its original condition, and the title is updated to reflect its rebuilt status.

I understand that a rebuilt title can affect the value and reliability of the car, and it may be difficult to obtain financing or insurance for the vehicle. I also know that it is important to thoroughly inspect the car before making a decision, to make sure that the repairs were done properly and that the car is in good condition.

Can anyone share their experience with buying a car with a rebuilt title? What should I look for when inspecting the car, and what questions should I ask the seller? How does a rebuilt title affect the resale value of the car, and are there any long-term consequences of owning a car with a rebuilt title?

Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time and assistance!

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HERE IS THE UPDATE AFTER MY RESEARCH

Thank you @Browneye, and other subsequent viewers, I found out more about the vehicle after conducting a VIN check with DetailedVehicleHistory, the vehicle history report showed me former images of the car, clearly depicting the damages it had in the past, hence I have decided against buying such a vehicle. The vehicle even has a lien which am not even sure if it has been paid.
I got this detailed vehicle history report from Detailed Vehicle History, and it is surprisingly cheaper and more detailed than other services I have used, here is a link to the report.

Vehicle History Report for VIN: KL8CB6SA4KC812797

here are some images

 

[Browneye]

Yeah, a lot more substantial than what mine was, Just the rear tailgate, bumper, bumper cover. Didn't get into the rear quarter panels, and just a bit into the rear body compartment - they pulled all that back out, new talkgate, bumper, and bumper cover, repaint. Our dealer has a five-star bodyshop, qualified for repairs on Tesla, Mercedes, Ford Dodge, as well as GM. They did a nice job.

$14K damage is a LOT!

Again, if you could buy it for the original salvage price of $5500, and pay cash for it, it might be worth it. The rest of the car looks pretty good.

Here's a couple pics of ours - compare $5K worth of damage to $14K:

 

[Realdapkfmm]

Yeah, a lot more substantial than what mine was, Just the rear tailgate, bumper, bumper cover. Didn't get into the rear quarter panels, and just a bit into the rear body compartment - they pulled all that back out, new talkgate, bumper, and bumper cover, repaint. Our dealer has a five-star bodyshop, qualified for repairs on Tesla, Mercedes, Ford Dodge, as well as GM. They did a nice job.

$14K damage is a LOT!

Again, if you could buy it for the original salvage price of $5500, and pay cash for it, it might be worth it. The rest of the car looks pretty good.

Here's a couple pics of ours - compare $5K worth of damage to $14K:

Thanks Chris.. Really the difference is clear