Texas salvage/rebuilt titles

[4king]

Not looking to resale but looking for me. I've owned a salvage car snd had no problems with it, no issues with disclosure, and sold for the same price I paid. Just got a good deal.

I was just blown away by the sheer number of vehicles that are 3 yrs old and rebuilt. The value of collision salvage cars has gone way up from the old 50% rule in my opinion.

Was just curious if there are any legit and trustworthy shops doing it? We have one local but no deals like these

No there are no specialists dealers here.

I have family in Michigan several of them have bought salvage title cars from dealers that specifically fix and sell and do great work that can be trusted on a maaco level but are still very road safe

My 1998 trans am was rebuilt by a specialist salvage dealer in 2004 and driven here by the owner. When i bought it in 2011 it was still a great looking car but it was visible where the repair had been done on the quarter panel and where the rear control arm mounts were re welded after a hard collision.

A cars that is under 5 years old is just too damn expensive to fix correctly, which is why it's a total loss. There aren't plentiful parts in the junkyard for repairs so they all end up as Bondo specials.

[prostock1]

If the rebuilt title was done correctly, it's 20% off the value, most people don't even care any more. Someone in my town just got arrested for getting salvage cars, not fixing them, getting an inspection station to sign off, and then getting rebuilt titles back. People are always looking for a quick buck, just make sure to look it over real good.



Being a dealer is hard right now. No one really likes you and people say they want good cars, but they sure as fuck don't want to pay for them. I used to be that guy that would get the cheapest/most broken shit I could find, put it back together and sell it for dirt ass cheap. I changed that strategy this year, started buying some clean cars and raising the prices. Wanna know what happens?

People get on craigslist, see the clapped out shit for cheap and expect me to price match. They get pissed when I won't, then they go buy the clapped out POS, it breaks, and then they say "All dealers are crooked assholes!!!". No, you just got what you paid for. Fun examples.

I had an 06 Sebring convertible with 90K miles on it. Fucker was clean as hell, ran perfect, every single thing worked. Was asking $3500 for it. Had a guy drive 200 miles to see it and absolutely lost his shit over 6 minor hail bumps on the hood, that were visible in pictures!!! I got offered $2k on it several times because there was one on craigslist with 190K on it for $1700.

I've got an 05 Mustang convertible on my lot right now. 145K miles, not the prettiest thing, has some scrapes, not gonna lie. Not horrible, but not pristine either. Runs perfect though. I have it up for $4500, a grand cheaper than anyone else on craigslist. Nothing but lowballers offering me new edge prices for an S197.

04 Camry, 157K miles, clean as shit, $3500, no bites. FML.

I hear you 100%.... me being a mechanic wants to make sure everything on the cars works as it should. WRONG !!!

People only care about how the paint looks and how the interior looks....

Regardless how nice the car is, people always compare the price to the same model on craigslist and want to beat the shit out of the price.

[JC316]

I hear you 100%.... me being a mechanic wants to make sure everything on the cars works as it should. WRONG !!!

People only care about how the paint looks and how the interior looks....

Regardless how nice the car is, people always compare the price to the same model on craigslist and want to beat the shit out of the price.

Yep. Rod knock? No problem. Peeling clear coat? Fuck that shit.

[Gasser64]

Being a dealer is hard right now. No one really likes you and people say they want good cars, but they sure as fuck don't want to pay for them. I used to be that guy that would get the cheapest/most broken shit I could find, put it back together and sell it for dirt ass cheap. I changed that strategy this year, started buying some clean cars and raising the prices. Wanna know what happens?

People get on craigslist, see the clapped out shit for cheap and expect me to price match. They get pissed when I won't, then they go buy the clapped out POS, it breaks, and then they say "All dealers are crooked assholes!!!". No, you just got what you paid for. Fun examples.

I had an 06 Sebring convertible with 90K miles on it. Fucker was clean as hell, ran perfect, every single thing worked. Was asking $3500 for it. Had a guy drive 200 miles to see it and absolutely lost his shit over 6 minor hail bumps on the hood, that were visible in pictures!!! I got offered $2k on it several times because there was one on craigslist with 190K on it for $1700.

I've got an 05 Mustang convertible on my lot right now. 145K miles, not the prettiest thing, has some scrapes, not gonna lie. Not horrible, but not pristine either. Runs perfect though. I have it up for $4500, a grand cheaper than anyone else on craigslist. Nothing but lowballers offering me new edge prices for an S197.

04 Camry, 157K miles, clean as shit, $3500, no bites. FML.

Not a dealer just a flipper. But I can vouch for this. I also like how some people will sort of laugh when you tell them your job, and be like "oh so you're one of those people who screw people over..." Maybe they're just joking, but ugh. Yeah I suppose if you think a $1,000 car is a $10,000 car, you're going to get screwed over. Pretty hard. Or a $4500 should be a $14,000 car.

As for the customers comparing stuff, I've found a direct approach will work sometimes. The times that it won't, their cheap dumb asses weren't going to buy the car anyway. When they start with the comparison stuff, I'll just bluntly say something like "Well mine has a lot lower miles than that. Go to kbb or NADA and put in those miles, and you'll see the price difference." Not rude, just telling them how it really is. Same reply for the condition of the car. I'll tell them mine is in a lot better condition, (if it actually is) and you can't compare it to those junkers. About half the time it will wake them up. The other half were not going to buy it anyway because they thought it was too expensive.

Recently had a mechanic that was checking out a car for his kid, tell me that my $3500 car was a $2300 car online all day long. Yeah, that's why you're a mechanic and not a salesperson. Sold the car for to someone else for $3400

[JC316]

As for the customers comparing stuff, I've found a direct approach will work sometimes. The times that it won't, their cheap dumb asses weren't going to buy the car anyway. When they start with the comparison stuff, I'll just bluntly say something like "Well mine has a lot lower miles than that. Go to kbb or NADA and put in those miles, and you'll see the price difference." Not rude, just telling them how it really is. Same reply for the condition of the car. I'll tell them mine is in a lot better condition, (if it actually is) and you can't compare it to those junkers. About half the time it will wake them up. The other half were not going to buy it anyway because they thought it was too expensive.

Recently had a mechanic that was checking out a car for his kid, tell me that my $3500 car was a $2300 car online all day long. Yeah, that's why you're a mechanic and not a salesperson. Sold the car for to someone else for $3400

The guy that lost his shit on the sebring, I flat told him to go look at the shit in dallas and then come back to me. He left in a huff. I have zero patience for people like that.


Man, you wouldn't believe how many $4K offers I got on my 05 GTO because it had 192K miles. I had one guy tell me that he was doing me a favor with his 4K offer, because it would need a new motor.