Should you buy a remanufactured vehicle?

 

Picture it, the year was 1990 and I SO wanted to own a 7 series BMW at all costs! I loved the 735iL and was determined on my paltry salary to get this ‘show car.’ A friend of mine pulled my coattail and reminded me about remanufactured vehicles. Hmmm…show car…a hellava lot cheaper than a spanking brand new Bimmer. Who’d know, it would be my lil’ secret…hmmm…. Little did I know what I was in for—SHEESH!

What the heck is a remanufactured vehicle?

If the vehicle's certificate of title has been labeled "salvage" then an insurer has determined that the vehicle is a bust and the cost to fix it up right is way more than its value. This usually happens after the vehicle has been in a serious accident. Don’t get me wrong, not all salvage vehicles are cursed. If the vehicle has been properly salvaged, a remanufactured or rebuilt vehicle can be safe to ride around in. Total loss thresholds differ from state to state. In some states, the insurance company must declare a vehicle a total loss when the estimate to repair it exceeds 80 percent of the book value. In other states it is totaled at 60 percent. Oftentimes, many of these ‘total losses’ can be repaired. Some auto salvage auction companies act as "recyclers" of vehicles that have been declared total losses by insurance companies through finding buyers who will rebuild the cars or use them for parts.

What is the Seller’s Responsibility?

Folks have to enter into this kind of situation with both eyes opened. They have to realize, that they are purchasing a vehicle that has been salvaged which then has to be retitled as having been remanufactured. Most states require the owner to pony up sales receipts for the major parts that were used to repair the vehicle. Included in the ‘sale file’ are serial numbers of vehicles from which the parts were taken to repair the remanufactured car and in addition, snapshots of the "before" state must also be included.

What’s Your Role?

A totaled vehicle can come back from the dead via remanufacturing. Take my heed, before you get all giddy over your find, take some time to check that sucker out before you drive it off the lot. It will pay off in the long run to take a mechanic and body work expert with you to inspect the vehicle. Sometimes things are not easily detected by an untrained eye. An expert will oftentimes be able to determine if the car will make it off the first highway exit that it comes to! By all means, you want to make sure that the vehicle is structurally sound.

Commonsense catches…

Here are some quick tips on what to check for in a remanufactured vehicle:

1) Ask questions, don’t bite your tongue! Find out what was the damage to the vehicle. Is the body shop that repaired the vehicle legit? If the car was repaired by Felix who fixes cars out of his backyard, bow out gracefully!

2) Does the paint job look sloppy around the door jams, trunk or engine compartment? These signs all fall into the “the car has had bodywork” category.

3) Who wants mismatched body paint? Check the vehicle out in full sun to make sure that paint matches all around.

4) Are there unequal body panel gaps? Translation, bent frame.

5) Make sure that the doors shut properly.

6) Does the key open all of the same locks—doors, trunk? If not, then the parts came from other vehicles.

I know, I know, everyone is looking for that hot vehicle for practically no money but a word to the wise, save yourselves tons of money upfront by doing your homework….

BTW, I never did wind up getting that Bimmer. I found out the car was in a flood and when I started questioning the seller to death, he broke out in large beads of sweat…’nough said….

--Car Chick