Can I buy this Prius 2011 Salvage...?

Would you have crossed the Silver Bridge at Point Pleasant, WV on December 15, 1967, or the I35 bridge between Minneapolis and St. Paul on August 1, 2007?

Both were considered safe.

As I get older, I prefer safety over money. Dying is a FINAL act.


Brian, the guy who developed the BT Plate died in a motorcycle accident. I'm sure that he had no plans to do so when he did.

 

Judging my the number of negative answers, can yu imagine how hard it will be to sell it once you own it.

 

It was opinions that the OP wanted and he got plenty of them. Positive or negative, he's going to do what he wants. It is his money. My best to him and here's wishing him the best of luck.

 

Almost every other weekend, here in Western South and North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee and North Georgia, someone is killed while riding a moped to save gas by other drivers. It's NOT worth your life.

You can't stop stupid. Call it what you may. Call it FREEDOM.

You have the FREEDOM to be stupid.


Darwin called it NATURAL SELECTION and SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.


Think those with the mopeds were the FITTEST?

 

What relevance is a question that compares assured death to something that has an extremely low probability of death?

The rebuilt vehicles will be purchased and driven by someone, regardless if the OP is the purchaser. It follows that there are hundreds of thousands of rebuilt vehicles operating on public roads at all times, and I have yet to hear of an epidemic of deaths or crashes that were attributed to the fact that these cars were rebuilt. If it were a problem, the local news would LOVE to pounce on the story and convince you that they provide a valuable service.

Not only is a rebuilt car likely safe, but a person could severely wreck their car, repair it themselves without involving insurance or the authorities, and sell the vehicle as a clean titled car. A clean title and a Carfax report are exceedingly poor measures of vehicle condition and history.

Most everyone here will die of heart disease. If I am to believe "old people" in their fear of dying and aversion to risk, then I would have to see evidence that they exercise at least twice per week, and give up bacon when the doctor delivers the news that their cholesterol is high and they are 60lbs over weight. Otherwise, I chock it up to being a curmudgeon.

 

It matters much less when you go to sell since the bulk of the depreciation will have been due to driving it so many miles. Selling a car for 30% less than $5,000 is small when compared to buying a $20,000 car for 30% less. Having a long history and many problem free miles will also be stronger selling points, and people have the means to pay cash for an old rebuilt vehicle compared to a late model one.


If someone is truly interested in the economics of purchasing a rebuilt vehicle, they must consider all aspects of ownership; not just the single act of buying or selling.

 

In the US, the likelihood of a motorcyclist dying in a motorcycle accident is 0.0007234. This equates to 1 out of every 1,382 riders. It's 5 times the rate of automobile drivers. As stated previously, the most dangerous Prius in the world would be safer than riding a motorcycle, and yet millions do it.

Bicyclists are twice as likely to die than the average for all modes of transportation combined.

If a person were willing to ride a bicycle or motorcycle, they should also be comfortable driving a rebuilt Prius.

 

For me, I prefer a zero possibility.

 

I would prefer to have zero possibility of dying of prostate cancer, but no amount of resources can assure this; just as no amount of resources spent can assure zero possibility of dying in an auto accident.

Some fear death by heart disease, and some fear death by catastrophic mechanical failure. One is much more likely than another, but one things is sure for both people; death.

My own anecdotal story is that I was looking at a 2010 with V with technology package with 30k miles on the odometer. Since it was a rebuilt car, I could buy it for about $15k. I normally would not be able to afford safety features such as lane keep assist and pre-collision detection, but the rebuilt title brought the price down to something I could consider. These safety features are more likely to save me, than for the car to fall apart and kill me.

 

No need to "run away" as many are saying. If you have the know-how or have someone who does and will work with you on it, it can be repaired and highly drivable. Of course, the structural integrity will not be the same and you have a greater risk for serious injury if you were to get in an accident where the same front end is involved. However, a good welder can work magic on these things and not just cover it up. It all depends on what you or the person you're going to hire knows to do. Best wishes.

 

Hell no for that price.

And, the OP should note that all or virtually all of the warranties that the Prius came w/are void due to it being a salvage title.

 

By the sole fact that the car has been repaired for major damage, the safety system has been severely compromised.

Who knows if the air bag system will deploy in an accident?

The panels and front are designed to "crumple" on impact. Placing new metal elsewhere, will without doubt, change these characteristic to some unknown quality. A reinforcement added in an unknown place, might even, in an accident, intrude into the passenger compartment and impale an individual.

Cars today, have extensive anti-corrosive treatment on their bodies a the factory ONLY, because the metal is lightened and thin to a low safety margin. Years ago, a car would be scrapped long before even half the structure is compromised by rust and corrosion. How much rust proofing is done by the local body shop in the repair?

Even if my own car had a major repair from an accident, I'd trade it in for a NEW one soon after.

I never even wanted a motorcycle, NOT because I would not be able to ride one safely, but because of the reckless and drunk drivers who kill so many of them. Once or twice a week, here, someone runs off the road and overcorrect, both either in a car, a pickup truck, an SUV or a motorcycle.

 

I would buy a salvage prius if the price is right. I'd say under 10k maybe $7500 would make me start thinking and $5000 I might just do it. Keep looking.

 

They are making recalls on poorly routed wiring that can scrape against metal that could a short or loss of control of the vehicle.

Do you even think that the body shop checked every wire on the harness for scrapes, cracks or bad connectors?

 

Although the crash safety factors might be compromised, it's the gremlins in the electronics and the mechanicals that could crop up, that would make me leery of buying a rebuilt salvage, especially one as high tech as the prius. I had a minor fender bender it and almost new '70 maverick and for months after, I had problems with fuel filters plugging and carb problems. The exhaust started falling apart from the hangers that were stressed in the crunch. Can't imagine the possibilities of gremlins in a Prius that has took a hit.

 

This goes back to my point. If you are knowledgeable enough to determine if the repair was done right, or know a guy you can trust to tell you the same, then maybe you can roll the dice on a salvage. If not, you probably shouldn't gamble like that.

 

Some car salvages are very interesting. Here's one:

Nissan Altima 2dr CPE I4 M | eBay

KBB is $20,500.

 

Here is my favorite Craigslist Jeep ad. Its a salvage title too.

*** 1997 wrangler ** 6cyl , 5spd , low miles

 

I recently (3 weeks ago) purchased a rebuilt salvage title 2010 Prius Base with 30,000 miles on it for $8,000 on eBay. The original car was a flood car totalled out from Hurricane Sandy and rebuilt using a donor vehicle for its engine/tranny/air bags. Several other items were needed to make the car whole. Considering current KBB on the car $17,000; I consider it a deal for me, and I have the time and mechanic capability to deal with the minor issues tha arise from a flood car. Keep in mind that I am going through the titling process now in which you have to pay a licensed salvage car mechanic in your state to get a "rebuilt title" and this cost can be as high as $1300 in certain states just for the fee and surety bond for the liability. Keep all of that in mind when you buy a salvage Prius. So $15,000 for this vehcile I would say is way too high. They sell for under $10k on eBay all of the time, and there is a reason for that.

 

In the first Century of automobile design, cars were built without much attention given to except as an afterthought to the protection of the driver and the passenger.

With the beginning of the new Millennium, driver and passenger protection became the paramount issue of car design.

Ideally, cars are basically designed, today, like bicycle and motorcycle crash helmets.


Ask your self, if you would buy and used a bicycle or motorcycle helmet that has been repaired after having been in a crash. Not for me!