A used car is an excellent option if you want to save money on your next car purchase, not to mention it’s a lot cheaper than owning a brand new car. If you choose carefully, you can buy one from a FIAT dealer in Silver City, NM, in an almost brand new condition and has substantial mileage left. But did you know that you can save more money depending on the type of used car you choose to buy?
Appraisers and insurance companies classify used cars according to various factors, including age, mileage, and the amount of repair work done. The good-quality ones, which have gone through a thorough inspection, refurbishment, and authorized certification from RAM dealers in Deming, NM, are classified as certified pre-owned. On the other hand, the poor-quality ones, whose value is less than half the original, are given a branded title.
What is a branded title?
A branded title is a permanent label given to vehicles that have sustained significant damage, with the value of total repair work now worth more than their original value. This label is permanent because it’s impossible to increase the vehicle’s current value further from this point. Insurance companies generally consider these vehicles totaled. Depending on the cause and severity of the damage or wear, a car may have a more specific branded title. It can either have a lemon, salvage, odometer rollback, hail damage, or water damage title.
Of the known branded titles, buyers find salvaged titles to be the most confusing. They often mistake cars with a salvaged title for a flooded vehicle, which makes sense since a flooded vehicle is one that has been “salvaged” from a flood. But the biggest mistake some buyers make is underestimating the degree of damage these vehicles had sustained. As a result, they still consider buying used cars with a salvaged title even if those vehicles are almost beyond repair.
Disadvantages of Buying a Used Car with a Salvaged Title
To put the true worth of a salvaged vehicle into perspective, let’s concentrate on the value change from when the car was brand new to when it was first sold as a used vehicle. That’s about a 50 percent drop from the original value. For the same vehicle to have a salvaged title, its value should drop by another 50 percent or more. In other words, a used car with a salvaged title now has zero value, or even less in some cases.
Get ready to encounter tons of problems with your salvaged vehicle. Some of its wires may have already lost their insulation, increasing the risk of short circuits that could easily cause a fire. You may also encounter issues with the vehicle’s suspension system. Severe damage may have caused the wheels to permanently lose alignment, which is considered one of the major causes of road traffic collisions.
Another serious issue you should expect to find in a salvaged car is its ineffective or missing crumple zone. It’s a section above the front tires that scrunches inward during a collision to absorb the impact. The vehicle may have lost its other safety features to deterioration, exposing you to all sorts of dangers on the road.
When buying a used car, always remember to consider road safety before cost. The last thing you want is to use a vehicle with a 90 percent chance of breaking down or malfunctioning in the middle of a freeway, leading to accidents. Visit one of the most trusted Dodge dealers in Alamogordo, NM, to get access to certified pre-owned cars. Visit Viva CDJRF for more helpful tips.
