I been thinking about purchasing this truck:
http://omaha.craigslist.org/cto/3255881562.html
From the looks of it I think it is the eddie bauer edition
I just don't know if it's worth it or not and after talking to the guy he said it has about 180,000 miles on it but mechanically it works great, also I think he mentioned it has salvage title but he doesn't know why. This will be my first vehicle and so I don't have alot of experience and I don't know what to look for. Does it seem like a smart buy or not? Thanks for the advice.

 

yes its an Eddie Bauer edition. for 2500 id keep looking, i dont like buying salvage vehicles especially if they dont know why its salvaged lol. if it was an extended cab 4x4 with like 120k miles then yea it would be a good deal.


like i said, the salvage thing would scare me away at any price over around 1k.

 

I ran into this last night and it was good food for thought.

http://consumerguideauto.howstuffwor...0-pickup-6.htm

Also ... check out KBB.com It doesn't cost all that much to get a carfax or Vin # search report. That might shed some light on what the salvage title was all about.

 

I have some experiance with salvage or branded titles and unless you are just looking for a beater at areal low price stay clear.1st you will not be able to insure it except for just minimum liability coverage 2nd if your ever in an accident thats not your fault the other guys insurance wont cover your damage. the ins co. will argue that they have already bought the truck once and wont pay twice. 3rd you dont know why it was totaled and how well itwas repaird or how safe it is.

 

the truck looks like its in good shape- but what the others said sums it up-(salvage title) maybe if you find out what that was about then we could help you a bit more.

 

That is definitely a clean looking example of a f150 but I'd dig deeper and maybe even run the history report. Also, it depends on why you are buying the truck. If you are looking for a daily driver then you might want to keep looking, if you are looking for a weekend warrior to haul around firewood then it's probably not a bad truck.

For what it's worth, my f150 is also on a restored salvage title. But it's not my daily driver.

 

As has been said it all depends on what the salvage was for some insurance companies will still carry abit of insurance on a vehicle depending on the situation.

One of my friend's bought his ranger from a junkyard after somebody turned it in cause they blew the engine and the transmission apart. He put in a new engine and a new trans and had to apply it as a salvage.

 

I remember my first F-100. Bought it used from a dealer and overpaid for it. The darn thing cost me a fortune in repairs and after the first year i traded it back to them for a new one.

The link that i posted to the consumer guide gave our trucks a rating of 33 out of a hundred. The rest is a no-brainer for a first time buyer.

It's ok if you're handy with tools and can buy em' on the cheap .... Otherwise ?

RUN FORREST RUN !

 

I grew up in a body shop and we rebuilt many vehicles that had to have salvage titles. It could be something as little as a minor wreck or it could have had extensive damage. I used to carry full coverage insurance until I realized that a wrecked fender cost more to replace and paint (in a shop) than the book value on the truck. Full coverage insurance cost me more per year than the book value. If I get in a minor wreck, it's pretty much totaled and I'll never see what it's actually worth. A good body shop can inspect the truck and tell you if it's worth it or not. You could and should ask the seller if you can have a shop inspect it before you purchase it. My grandad was known for his quality work and he wouldn't touch a rebuild if he couldn't make it as good if not better than new.

 

I dunno ... i just hate to see someone starting out on their first vehicle make the same mistakes i made. Unless you need a truck for work it's not a good choice.

With a budget of 2,500.00 $ WC could pick up one of the older Volvo 240 DL's and then he/she would have something solid & reliable that doesn't cost an arm & a leg to operate.

Granted ... the old box on wheels has absolutely no cool points but it's built like a tank.