Here in San Diego used xBs are selling for the same price as new one's. I have seen several on dealer lots going for up to 2k more than sticker. And they aren't RS 1s or 2s, either.

The market for xBs here is too hot. Any car with a salvage tag is toast in this market and wouldn't be considered except for parts, turning into a custom ride or into a show-only car. You would have to be desparate if it were to be a daily. Also, insurance companies don't or won't insure salvage vehicles for their true value. Liability only. There's that to consider.

 

what I am saying is folks avoid them once they run a carfax

 

i thought t-bone was when one car hit the side of another . . . T you know . . . T . . .
___ <-- one car
. | <--- the other . . .

am i off?

 

In a sense, yes. But the car suffering the t-bone is the car with the front end damage, not the car with the side damage. If a car hits a pole and damages the radiator, that is called t-boning as well.

At least this is how several collision shops and 2 insurance companies explained it to me in the past. I was believing just like what you are now describing.

But hey, things change all the time and definitions change too. There isn't a bible on this stuff but enough people start believing the wrong way and the definition starts changing...

 

Stay clear from a salvage title! My rule of thumb is a salvage is Worth 50% of the retail value. you are better off looking for a good deal on a "normal" Scion...

 

true that! But you can see a crappy car, over a nice car. Alot of people here in so cal are open minded to salvage vehicles. Not everyone has the credit nor the money to straight up, go out and buy a $15-16,500. Maybe they dont have a perfect driving record either, gonna cost about 3-4000 a year for bad/newbie's drivers, so they're gonna buy liabilty anyways. Salvage vehicles are not for all. But for many, it's a nice option.

 

If you goto KBB.com they will give you an estimate of your cars value ( clean title or not), you can rate it with the branded title, and for sure it's not half of the retail value. You might be able to buy a rebuilder for 50% of the retail( as you see on recycler and ebay), but the parts and labor that is required to make that car solid, will make the cars value at least 65-85% of the retail value, and at that price registration/smog/title are all included.

 

I'm gonna get a new salvage xb, I'll let you guys decide how it comes out.

 

I'm more interested how much you buy it as salvage, what was the insurance company that totalled it, and what specifically was wrong with.

 

I assume the $11.8k car you are talking about is a salvage title. My new one was $14.2 (MT, no options), the options added $1k, and PA taxes, registration, and other fees would have been ~$1k more. So the out-the-door price was about $16200, but I had a trade-in which reduced my actual payout substantially.

Anyway, in my case the $3-5k difference is worth every penny for me to know that what I have is new versus many unknowns. I'd rather pay near-new prices for something that isn't salvaged, but just "used". We just have different tolerances for risk and value.

 

yeah, it's also accessibilty to parts and free labor.

 

How about an opinion form someone that has owned a salvaged vehicle?

My Dad has a used car dealer's license and one of my uncles is a mechanic. They use to do repairables and then try to sell them for a profit. AT BEST, you can get about 66% of blue book price for the car when it is totally repaired. That was there rule of thumb. Never buy a repairable that you can't put back together and sell for ( AND MAKE A PROFIT) for more than 65% of blue book value. So that said, you'll sell a salvage 2004 Xb with average miles for like $8700. Not $11,500. Trust me it won't work

By the way, I bought my 2004 Xb w/ 11,500 miles for $12000 from a Dodge dealership with a CLEAN TITLE AND NO ACCIDENTS EVER. I know Scions are more popular on the West Coast, but if you can't buy and put a Scion Xb back together for like $8000, you are going to lose money.

My Dad and uncle put a salvage car back together for me. The car was a nightmare. About two weeks after it was put together, the transmission had to be pulled because something broke loose when it was in an accident and need to be repaired. The car had nagging electrical probelms for the first couple months. In General it is not worth it to buy a salvage vehicle. The car will have probelms. And when you sell the car to some buyer, and they come back a week later complaining of all these problems what then?

If you want some advice about salvage vehicles, her you go. BUY TRUCKS. Pick up trucks mainly. The people who are going to buy them are much more likely to accept a salvage title. They are also easier to pull apart and have more room in the engine compartment to work on.

 

nice opionion...

well first off 04 xb for 8700, not too many out there, unless you're buying junk. The kinda junk out there that's making a bad rep for "salvage". $11,500 for a 05 BCP xb auto with 2700 miles, that's a nice price.

Your dad and I seem like we're in the same business.

Sorry to hear your car was a nightmere to rebuild. Your Uncle & Dad didnt do a good job the first time around. Good repair man would've detected the electrical and tranny problem right away. Sounds like the first stages of any repair. Your car sound like it sustained it's major damage to the left-front of the car, where the frame beam was bent possibly crushed and damaged the tranny and harness, possibly the fuse box.. I've seen that. But that's all part of the salvage car. And it's on who does the repair, and if the repairs was done right. Sounds like that's what you get for about $8000 and 66% rule of thumb. You really get 66% of the car.

The car will have problems only if the repair was done poorly. You pay for what you get.

I love my salvage xb, I just dont like the BCP, I wished I wouldve kept my white one, but my friend bryan from AZ has it now, and that was salvage too.I've been driving the BCP around quite a bit now, has like 3600 miles on it now, and counting. No problems, drives really nice and almost perfect. knock knock (on wood)

 

Salvage vehicles are fine if they are for yourself. But the general public isn't going to buy Salvage unless it is deeply discounted. Many insurance companies will only let you put a salvage vehicle on liability, and many finnace companies won't deal with salvage vehicles at all ( I know mine wouldn't). Most used Xb's around me are going for $13000. Why would anyone buy a salvage vehicle for $11,500? It's not enough of a discount to soothe their worries. Not to mention the hassle you have to go through to get a salvage vehicle registered. In CT it's a pain in the butt because you have to drive all the way up to Hartford during regular business hours, and even then there is no gaurantee that the inspector will get to your car.

Trust me. My Dad dealt with a bunch of salvage vehicles, and selling them is a real pain. By the way, my Uncle is an excellent mechanic. He also was one of the Head machinists for 3M, and he also worked for the Defense department. The problem with the tranny was not with the harness. If I remember correctly, some of the teeth on the fifth gear actually broke during the accident.

I understand that there will always be a market for Salvage vehicles, but the economics has to be behind it. Supply and demand. Is there really a demand for salvage Xb's? The Xb is such a small, light car. I'd be pretty worried about problems down the road. Because let's face it, a repaired vehicle is never the same and it will always have extra problems down the road.

 

I'd buy a salvaged car I've had two of them one was an s-10 drove for 12,000 miles bought for 2,000 sold 2 years later for 6,500. I have a 86 bodydropped toyota in my drive way now that has a salvage title, it was stolen and recovered insurance let us buy it from them so it has a salvage title only reason it was totaled the interior was completly gutted and brain was missing. I would not pay 12,000 for a salvaged Xb, my insurance will cover it but not for that much money only for about half of that.

 

True that but hence the price difference.

Actually, the insurance company will insure this car for that much. The Kelly Blue Book on a salvage title xb is around 12,500.

I'm selling this car for $11,500 that includes
California tax,liscense,registration,smog & brake light inspection, chp inspection, and plates. Hassle free, Haggle free, Great car. Tax here is 8.25% (10G would be $825), registration ($200),smog & brake ($100),chp(is free),california plates (included in registration). Do the math the cars is selling for about $10,000. Thats a steal for a brand new car with excellent workmanship and 100% solid car.

 

If you can find someone to buy that Xb for $11,500, more power to you. But it is not brand new, and you must be very careful when you sell the car and make sure the person buying it knows it has a salvage title. I don't know if you are a licensed dealer, but if you are and the person who buys your salvaged Scion complains to the Dept. of consumer Affairs, complaining that you sold them a salvaged vehicle that you called "new" or in "mint condition" it could land you in a world of trouble and maybe in a court of law.

Caveat emptor, because when the person who buys that Scion tries to sell it 2 or 3 years later and they can't even get half of the book value they'll be ____ed. Or when they try to trade it in and the dealer won't even consider it or will only give them a couple thousand for it. And believe me, I've seen it happen.

And like I said earlier, nobody will finance a salvaged vehicle. Are there a lot of people who will drop $11,500 in cash on a salvaged Xb? Maybe. Seriously though, Good Luck and be careful and cover your ___ when you sell it. Make sure your bill of sale spells it all out.

 

Actually they do have companies that do finance and coverage full insurance for salvage.

Two thumbs up for the concern!

 

When I went to finance my Xb, I checked a lot of different financing companies and they all said that they would not finance a salvaged vehicle in their terms. Maybe there are some small, obscure companies that will finance a salvaged vehicle but most will not. There is no way they can accuratley determine the value of a salvaged vehicle. It's too much of a gamble for them. And financed vehicles MUST be on comprehensive insurance and some insurance companies will not allow you to put comprehensive insurance on a salvaged vehicle.

But, why would you finance a salvaged vehicle. The idea behind financing is that it allows you to own a vehicle that you cannot purchase outright. Buying a salvage vehicle is a way to save money. At the price you are asking for your salvaged Xb, a person would loose a lot of the savings from buying a salvaged vehicle by financing it. It doesn't make sense.

Not to mention they would be upside down on a salvaged car in no time.

 

either way I'm still selling for $11,500...just waiting to get my 50 post so I could post on classified