They've been recovered after a theft, stripped of all parts during a theft and left as a shell, or crashed badly enough that an insurer totaled them. A salvage title indicates that the car was totaled, meaning it sustained damage that exceeded 75 percent of its value. When a car has that much damage, only the best restoration can get it back in good working order, and even that doesn't guarantee the car is totally safe. It is missing one wheel, all four doors, a hood, its motor, and both front seats, just to name a few parts. That does not include labor.
Money is what talks.
Lots of repairers will just slap the car together as quickly and as cheaply as possible. Painter explains that a repairer of salvage vehicles often has lots of incentive to get the car off the lift and into the marketplace because many owners of salvage-vehicle repair shops also own auto dealerships. Part of the sale goes to purchasing more salvage. And the zeal for profits often crushes safety assurance. The safety of salvaged vehicles is hard to gauge because there's no post-repair inspection process set up that allows an independent, knowledgeable third party to review the vehicle's condition before it goes back on the road, says Redding.