Prior Damage, Salvaged or Wrecked Vehicles

Sometimes car dealers sell poorly rebuilt, wrecked or salvaged vehicles. Thus, after the purchase car buyers find that the vehicle is unsafe and moreover it is priced too high. The majority of these vehicles were involved in accidents or floods. Most of the vehicles look good on the surface, but they may have steering problems, defective brakes, inadequately welded parts and overall, poor handling.

Most of the state laws require car dealers to inform customers before purchase if the car has, to their knowledge, a “salvage title” or has been involved in an accident. If a car dealer fails to disclose any such information it is considered fraud.

Make sure to inspect the vehicle thoroughly before buying. Especially, look for the following;

• matching of paint on the outside and inside of the door frame.
• parts of the car should line up with each other and the spaces between the hood and trunk and around the doors are straight.
• flood damage is fairly evident in certain vehicles by the presence of mud or dirt under the mat in the trunk, or moisture under the seats or inside the trunk or hood. There may also be watermarks inside the doors.
• if the car has an out of state title, it may have been moved to another state due to its extensive damage.