How much would you pay for a salvage title TJ Rubicon?
- Thread starter garagecouple
- Start date
My brother is an auto body guy , so I grew up around the salvage world...and I see all sides of it . I have owned a few rebuilt vehicles over the year , but I generally bought them wrecked , then I knew what I was getting.See, I told you guys. $9300!
My brother ended up being a a workaholic- mention work, and he would get drunk.
Airjunky
TJ Enthusiast
We've owned a couple of salvage titled vehicles. One was a YJ that had tub damage & the entire tub was replaced. The other was a Chrysler Pacifica that had a wrecked left rear door. Replaced the door & it was fine. Both were sold for a little less than clear titled vehicles. But certainly not half or less. It definitely depends on the circumstances.
ejay
TJ Addict
Tigger09
TJ Enthusiast
What you’re really hearing hear is that if you are comfortable with the damage and the fix it’s not a deal killer but if it’s just a guy saying “I fixed it and did it right” then you should be cautious. Ask for pictures and receipts of replacement parts. Does your state require a safety inspection before it can be re-registered ? Did it pass? Is the Jeep registered in the seller’s name?
Ask lots of questions and make sure you are comfortable with ALL the answers.
Ask lots of questions and make sure you are comfortable with ALL the answers.
I paid $11,000 for my ljr with a salvaged title, but I got pictures and a list of replaced parts as well as the original owners story before purchasing. I also checked with my insurance company. I am not sorry I bought it as it is in great shape with zero rust and I don't plan to sell it.
Tigger09
TJ Enthusiast
If that PO was a dealer and said "I fixed it and did it right" but offered no other background would you still have dropped 11K?
TJs are becoming a commodity and will continue to rise in value over the coming years as they start to disappear off the streets. There are those that will take advantage of this fact and do what they need to to make an honest buck rebuilding them and those that will just use the situation to just take advantage of buyers.
Remember that vehicle registration varies from state to state. There are states where you can by a totaled Jeep with a clean that would have a salvage title in most other states. Bottom line is find a solid Jeep, check that you can insure it the way you want, negotiate to a price you can accept and make sure you're comfortable with the answers you're hearing.
For what its worth the number I hear most often is that a rebuilt car is worth 60% of the car with a clean title. I'm not sure how true that number is of cars (Jeeps) that have cult followings.
As always, do your homework, negotiate the best price you can and clean title or not, it's a crap shoot when you buy a used vehicle.
To me, the biggest concern about buying a salvage title is the unknown. Something big happened to cause it to get totaled, but that doesn't mean for the right price it isn't totally worth it.
I looked at an LJ with a salvage, paid to have a frame shop inspect it before buying it. The guy made up some story about why it was salvaged, and of course it wasn't related to the frame. The frame guy told me the front end had been hit hard, diamonded the whole frame. $75 well spent to save me a mistake.
I looked at another LJ with a salvage. Googled the VIN and found the original auction from the original accident with pictures. Front bumper and fender were beat up, and control arm bracket on axle was torn. Damaged axle brackets almost always total a TJ. Again hired a frame shop and he said the frame was dead on. The seller put tube fenders and a new bumper on, and I was going to replace that Dana 30 anyways, so I didn't care. Got a good deal on an LJ.
I don't ever plan on selling my LJ, especially after all the work I have now put in, but just in case, I keep a copy of the frame report and all the accident pictures so I can show someone exactly why it was totaled.
Allstate gives me full coverage in Oregon.
I looked at an LJ with a salvage, paid to have a frame shop inspect it before buying it. The guy made up some story about why it was salvaged, and of course it wasn't related to the frame. The frame guy told me the front end had been hit hard, diamonded the whole frame. $75 well spent to save me a mistake.
I looked at another LJ with a salvage. Googled the VIN and found the original auction from the original accident with pictures. Front bumper and fender were beat up, and control arm bracket on axle was torn. Damaged axle brackets almost always total a TJ. Again hired a frame shop and he said the frame was dead on. The seller put tube fenders and a new bumper on, and I was going to replace that Dana 30 anyways, so I didn't care. Got a good deal on an LJ.
I don't ever plan on selling my LJ, especially after all the work I have now put in, but just in case, I keep a copy of the frame report and all the accident pictures so I can show someone exactly why it was totaled.
Allstate gives me full coverage in Oregon.
This is as about a good of a mind set on dealing with this segment of the market as you're going to find.
You do not want something that has been creamed. Period.
I don't care how good it looks... I don't care how good it was fixed or anything... You start getting into problems that you don't want... Paint rubbing off the door because it's hitting the body... Plastic parts falling out from under the dash... Blend doors that don't work...one tire that wears out 50% faster than everything on the vehicle... An undescribable handling feel... You don't know what it is but you know it ain't right...
I'm going to say it this way...
right off the bat to get a good TJ you've got to know what you're doing...you got to know what you're looking for and you got to have a pretty good idea of where you're going to go with that vehicle...not only geographically but in terms of tire size ,lift and any other modifications you may plan to make.
To be successful buying one with a salvage title... You've got to be able to do all of that plus not get burned.
As a child I blocked out primer ....and I saw the difference between cars that had light damage and got totaled and cars that were cut in half and put back together.
I'm not saying it's evil ...but there's just another realm of things you have to look for.
I recently missed a 2016 Sahara jku... With 36000 highway miles... In absolute pristine garage conditioned that had gotten water up to the rear bumper in the back only...the insurance company totaled everything that had wet carpet on the lot.
I didn't need it... But it would have been an awesome example of how to get something with a salvage title that was near-perfect. If it has been a Rubicon I may have pulled the trigger.
Oh, I should amend my comment, with the following critical detail:
... BUT to say if it's worth it, you HAVE to figure out the answers to those unknowns. If you can't, or something doesn't add up between the story and the Jeep, walk away for reasons like @AndyG said. Only after I understood the story was my LJ worth it.
Also helps that it was my 3rd TJ, so I knew exactly what I was looking at.
... BUT to say if it's worth it, you HAVE to figure out the answers to those unknowns. If you can't, or something doesn't add up between the story and the Jeep, walk away for reasons like @AndyG said. Only after I understood the story was my LJ worth it.
Also helps that it was my 3rd TJ, so I knew exactly what I was looking at.
I was a lot better armed when I bought my second TJ than I was my first. Mostly thanks to right here
.....this forum.