I just got back from the dealership getting an oil change and inspection and the whole time I was wishing all the employees were as knowledgeable and took as much pride in their work as you do.
@@atticstattic you can pay the most skilled technician the most money they’ll ever make but it won’t change their customer service skills to any better if the person themselves do not care about the customer.
I flew up to Washington DC once, to buy a car that I saw online. It was stuffed in a warehouse with other cars so tight you could barely get past them. It looked in great condition, but the first thing I did was open the trunk pull up the little carpeting back there and do the smell test. It was obvious that this car had had water damaged and there was absolutely no way for them to get rid of that smell in the trunk.
He reminds me of my first mechanic. Honest and no bs. Too bad he sold his shop. He only works on trucks now. I’ve been learning how to fix my car myself now.
I was shocked by two luxury car dealers playing the markup game with used cars. One luxury dealer in Portlandia added a $695 “accessory” charge for the Stargard security system (remember, we are talking about used cars here). Another luxury dealer kicked that up a notch: not only did they add the Stargard system, they also “added” interior and exterior “coatings” for a total markup of $1,695! To me, that was the sort of thing that high-volume big-advertising dealers did 30, 40, or 50 years ago, not a luxury brand!
I purchased a 1 year old caddy with 9,300 miles in its damaged condition with its salvage title at a 60% discount. Had it professionally repaired, went through a series of State inspections, registered & insured the car. It functions perfectly! I own this $50K car at half the price with a rebuilt title. No one can tell the difference looking at the car. I don't have the $700. per month payment.
My dad (he has been a mechanic for roughly 40 plus yrs) always says one of most important things you can do if you are interested is check under the car and see how much rust there is... Are the fuel lines rusted out? Is the frame rusted out? How much rust is under the hood?
Learned that lesson on my current jeep. If it's older and things like that are rusty, it means the owner didn't care much for it and it likely wasn't well maintained. And there's also a difference between surface rust, and deep rust/rot. Go under the car with a key or a screwdriver and quietly poke at any rust spots. If flakes come off or even worse it goes thru, run away. You'll just end up fighring a losing battle with rust unless your a welder.
@@paperstacksfilmsthat's good advice! I've been trying to decide whether or not to buy a used Tundra that has a weird mix of very light rust in some areas, yet really heavy in a couple of others on the frame and undercarriage that are flaking as you described. I was thinking it can't be that bad, I'll just clean it up and treat it, but I worry about the future integrity of the frame. Especially in those areas where the rust is flaking right now. It's a shame because the truck runs and drives great.
@@steved0603 I just got an 07 Xterra. Had like 1 or 2 spots where it was kinda starting to flake but the metal underneath was still pretty solid. Ran a wire brush over it to debride the area of lose chunks and dust, and slathered some por 15 on there. I'll likely never have to worry about it again. It's really dependent on how much is flaking away and how bad the area around it is. Tbh any mechanic with about 10 years of experience should be able to tell you whether something is saveable or not. Also depends on where you live. Do they use salt on the roads when it snows? Are you near the ocean. Key factors in your decision
Was just about to go out and buy a car tomorrow. I LOVE THIS BEAUTIFUL MAN! Can't thank you enough for putting all of this absolutely priceless content for us.
In south carolina, you do not need a rebuild title to sell and register and insure salvage title cars (and this is common in the south east), as a matter of fact, lots of my friends do this for a living, buying damaged or totaled vehicles on auctions, and repairing them and reselling them. There is a lot of money to be had in it, or you can get a really nice car for really cheap, if you are willing to put in a lot of work. Some of them are rebuilt really, really well, almost to the point where I would never notice that the car was repainted or fixed in any way unless I took the body panels off. Some, are rebuilt poorly, usually when the person rebuilds the car for them selves and on the cheap (usually the evidence is under the body work in the weld quality and such. Not only that, but most of these people look for cars that were hit, but the damage wasn't reported, therefore the title is still "Clean title", and they rebuild the car and sell it as "clean title" because no one ever reported the damage. This is very common.
In Texas to register a prior salvage car you have to Make any necessary repairs and have the vehicle inspected at any state inspection station. A state safety inspection must be conducted by an authorized state safety inspection station in Texas.you can’t just take a salvage car & turn around and sell it!
I got a 2001 Camry back in 2013 that looked worse than this and is still running fine. Was a salvage title car. Has never left me stranded. Plan on driving it till the wheels fall off. Got it with 96,000 for $4800. Now has 247,000. Best car purchase I have ever made. I admit, I got lucky since I trust what you are saying.
bought a jdm 2000 toyota altezza AT for 3800$ a few months ago with 40k miles ( 65k~ km ) with no issues whatsoever. looks great. no rust anywhere. i even got it checked by mechanic who couldnt find any issues with it. feels like a steal in todays market tbh.
Not necessarily. It all depends. This car may have been repainted even the roof, because it could have been Hail damaged. Its hard to say. A salvage title gets issued to a vehicle when the value of the repair exceeds 75% of the car's value. This differs from insurance to insurance. It does not mean that 75% of the car is damaged. Every single car I own was a salvage car, but the trick is I fix it myself.
Exactly hugh, some people don't have the money to be picky, or have the time to see 3-4 cars. If it runs and drives great, and has been well taken care of I'll run with it. Even that jacking point rot op is so scared of can be cut and welded making it safe to lift. It's a shame the owner let it get that far, but the car is far from done.
So the person bought this 1997 vehicle used in 2003, and here we are in 2022. After 19 years of having a 25 year old car, I think he got his value out of it, whether salvaged and rebuilt, or not. I'd be happy with that. Of course, not everyone may be so lucky.
Hopefully, the owner paid a super low price and more than got his money's worth. I'd drive it now until death which is most likely soon because most mechanics will not lift it for service.
Strange that he thinks he's got his money's worth out of it. I bought a new Nissan Sunny 1,4 litre in 2001. I maintained it myself, as I'm also a vehicle technician. Now it's 2022, and the car is still rust free top to bottom, and the engine and gearbox is running just as the day it was new. I plan on driving this at least another 22 years, then I've got my money's worth. I'll then sell it for a maximum price ☺👍
Ive had my 1995 Geo Prism for 19 years as of todays date. Lots of rust along the drivers side 10X worse than this car and recently had the 2 front tie rods replaced with no problem on hoisting it up in the air. However, I am car shopping currently, I need a bigger car. My car has just 139,000 miles on it, still starts. Bought it in 2003..ready to sell my Geo Prism...
I found a car online that I wanted to buy. The pictures and description were great and I was confident I would buy it after seeing it. When I went to inspect it, it had 3 different brands of tires on it (with 36K on the odometer), the brake and gas pedals looked new but the steering wheel was very worn, and the seats looked perfect except the seat belts in the back looked water stained. There are some shady dealers out there.
I was going to say the miles were probably rolled back but no one with a brain would roll them back excessively like 36k. They usually have at least 150k so it's impossible to tell from looking at the car.
@@BubblesTheCat1 Haha-we need a couple more ‘evers’ to really drive the message home. People are stubborn. The more you tell them not to do something, the more likely they are to jump up and do it-and then put the blame on you
@@riazhassan6570 Yeah, I've seen the worst cars at used car dealers. And then they want ridiculous amounts of money for them too. If it wasn't for stupid people, they wouldn't even exist.
100% agree that the risk of salvage title isn't worth taking the chances; however, having said that, I had an 09 Camry that had been rear ended. The reason the car was "totaled" wasn't due to structural issues, it was the second time that the rear end had been hit and the insurance company stated that with the replacement of seatbelt tensioners and impact sensors and the 156k miles on it that it wasn't worth the repair. They cut us a check for 12k and we let the car go. The issues with salvage vehicles has become the electronic and safety feature repairs quickly outweigh the value of the car. I have seen cars that didn't have significant body or frame damage but because the airbag deployed, it was totaled. Structurally, the car was probably fine, but when dealing with the safety features, it gets exponentially more pricey. Something to keep in mind.
Really fantastic advice here. A 1997 Camry served my coworker for YEARS (up to 2019) but it wasn’t a salvage/rebuilt title either. I know some folks have no problem with salvage vehicles, but I’m way to cautious when “satisfactory” is very subjective after state minimum requirements are met. Not to mention the things that can’t be seen by anyone as mentioned in this video.
I really appreciate your content and attention to detail on all your videos. Just thought I'd mention that my wife and I just had our 2010 Toyota Camry V6 totally repainted. Many people living in the south will pay to get their cars repainted due to sun spots and sun fading. It's a hug problem in the souther part of the USA. Especially with darker colored cars. Just thought I'd throw this out there to your viewers in case they are looking for a good southern car and find one like mine that has had the whole car repainted and think it has been in a huge accident; when indeed it hasn't. Many people in the southern part of the USA will get the hood, roof, and trunk repainted on a southern car that is parked outside most of the time. The sun fades and bakes the paint right off the cars. Thanks for your great content.
I learnt something new today. We hardly look underneath the car while inspecting it. We mostly concentrate on the sides and inside. Thank you for this video.
I once worked for a new car dealership. Our used car buyers were once buying cars on the east coast auto auction. They purchase a beautiful very desirable model of car 3000 miles on it. The was bought by our dealership buyers and put on the car line. This car was bought about three days later by a lawyer for his daughter. The car rodaout fine but in two days later, it was towed in quit running. My tech checked it out and came got me. We went back to the car and he hit the top of the dash and large amounts of sand fell in the floor. Upon further inspection rust had set up under the dash and all the controls were rusting and shorted. The owner got a GOOD DEAL, on a new car for his daughter.
One reason I'm aware of that a salvage care might be a good deal is if it was totaled due to hail damage. We get a lot of those in Colorado. If you don't mind all the dimples, the rest of the car might still be good. But do check carefully....
It really depends on the car and the insurance. I have a 85 fiero that has a salvage title. It was rear ended, and the only issue was the rear bumper bar got dented. Two bolts and a new bumper bar/cover from the junkyard and it was good to go. No mismatched panels or anything.
Excellent advise. I always rinse off my car with garden hose after driving on salted roads, especially underneath the vehicle. Do it when car is cold. My 2006 Matrix is rust free with 200k miles here in Northern NJ.
This^^ I have a used 07 Accord and a 2018 Subaru Lgcy, I rinse the cars down after salty road driving in the winter. especially if it was freezing rain/snow driving. I pay special attention to the fender well edges and subframe. If it stays below freezing I leave it, but the second it goes above im out there with a hose. Even have a handy anti-salt solution I can hook up to the hose. Watch out for flooded cars too. We are seeing a whole bunch of them being dumped into the salvage market place, especially the parts from those cars being used to repair. If its too good to be true....
I have a salvage 94 corolla DX. While driving on a side street during the winter with snow and ice on the road, a car pulled out in front of me, causing me to hit my brakes and steer to the right to avoid the car. Subsequently there was a big suv parked which I hit. The result was the grill, hood and left fender was crushed up. At no time was my bumper hit and the air bag did not deploy, nor was the engine damaged. I had it towed back to my house, notified my insurance company who sent out an agent to assess the damage. Because it was a 1994 and the year it happened was 2009, the gave it a salvage title after paying me $2600 as I had full coverage. All it needed was a hood, left fender, grill, left light unit and the cross member which was all bolted back together. It runs well, steers straight etc. Why was it classified slavage when the main frame, engine, radiator was intouched?
@@jeffreyseeley2924 Your car was totaled. The cost to repair the car to standard was way more than $2600. You can probably get the parts for less than $2600 but the labor and painting by a certified shop would push it way past that. Car was totaled and then "sold" back to you and the title marked as salvaged. You were handed a check for the reasonable market value of the car, not the cost to fix it.
I got into a no fault accident that insurance paid for to repair . Got it back from the body shop and went back to normal life . After sometime I noticed it was leaking coolant from a crack in the block which I presume happened in the accident . I used some epoxy weld that worked for awhile but in the end that's a loosing battle . So things can manifest themselves down the road after a repaired accident that may have not been noticed .
That’s squarely on the collision shop you took it to. If you really want to help, inform the shop and tell everyone you know which shop it was. The insurance will not pay for things they are not told about unless they are unavoidably obvious.
@@AV84USA At the time there was no physical evidence of the crack when I received the vehicle back . It was over a period of time I noticed it leaking and was small . To much time had gone by and proving they were at fault by missing something that wasn't showing a problem is just what it is . You get into a accident and unknown problems from it can show up down the road
I've only made it halfway through the video and, boy you got this right. Body and frame damage is a big issue. And the rust. Oh Boy. As part of my career I worked at collision repair center for quite a few years, as a mechanic. Not a body man. And there's a lot of substandard work that is being done. I could go on about the certifications required, but that's another post. FYI. A four post lift works the best. With right attachments, you could almost do everything. And you don't have to worry about picking it up. Drive on up. Push the button and take a look underneath. Less intrusive and quick.
I had this happen to a 1995 Ford Escort four door hatchback I bought with 46,000 original miles. After it hit 95,000 miles, the rockers were completely gone, the suspension was down to the body in the rear, and over half the driver's side floor board was gone all due to rust. It was sad how clean the car was inside and out. However, one harsh winter on a older car definitely pays its due on them. Every car I have ever owned, I always use OEM parts and fluids. If OEM parts are not available, I then use good quality aftermarket parts. Great video!
Some cars are expensive to fix...if the fender bender cost more to fix than the value of the car, then total it...put a new fender, etc...on an it's ready to go, no issues...thus often happens with older cars....
@@andybub45 It will for sure, but you don't have to get rid of the car because one of the lift points is rusted out, I've worked on many many cars worse than this, I've seen cars from 2013 with worse rust that get serviced regularly, many people cannot afford to get a new car. I was just surprised he would not even attempt to work on this car.
My 11 corolla is getting mushy on the pinchwelds, I jack up the rear on the rear “axle” mount, and the front on the inner part of the unibody “frame” that’s about 6” in from the pinchweld. That car is getting sad but has a few years left in it. My car probably has 5-8 years left in it
I like this guy he gives good information to people that are not car people and or former Lexus technicians like myself. I'm on the I don't know how to put it line with the pinch weld, but on the other hand it's a good point to bring up to lower the price of a vehicle. 😭 Also there are many many things to look out for if the pinch weld is good that would disqualify a car and move on.
That's the problem, mechanics like this one you would have to travel far to get your car repaired because that's the breaks we get in life.Something we need or want is out of reach.
For a 1997 vehicle, it's been through a lot in 25 years, so yeah, I'm with you on this one, if you can't at minimum be able to change a tire because of all the rust, I believe that it's time to retire the vehicle, safety safety safety, and think about others who are on the road with these types of vehicles, at any given moment going down the road, hitting a pothole could cause a wreck and chain reaction, I've got an 02 Tahoe with 296k miles and it's almost on its last leg, I've only had it for 2 years and started with 165k miles, I drive 250 plus miles per day x5 delivering parts to paint and body shops in the west Texas area, I'm on the lookout for a newer used say 2016-21 Tundra or Titan, reliability is a key component of my choice in truck to purchase, the Tahoe has been running like a champ, I do regular maintenance of oil changes and upkeep as necessary, but I know it's getting close to retirement for the Tahoe, good video thanks for the great info!
My family bought a rebuilt sienna last year and it’s been great. In that case it was only body damage. The guy we bought it from was the owner a body shop for years and is semi retired. His whole thing is buying a few cars at auction that have body damage only and doing the rebuild himself. The price was great and we’re 20,000 miles into it so far with no issues. Sometimes it works but I’m not dying to roll those dice again unless it’s a great deal.
This is very solid advice. Rusted out body and frame? It's done. Sell it for parts, or buy a good one (same model / year) and strip the lousy one for parts. I did that with a couple of '79 f-150's years ago. I almost never had to worry about buying parts. Took a bit of space in the garage though. Good times.
Hi, I recently purchased a 2015 highlander limited, pristine condition with 47,000 miles, single owner and all dealer maintenance records every 5k miles. I couldn’t be happier, absolutely love it. I’m planning on draining coolant, atm fluid, oil, air filters and cleaning throttle body to basically start with a clean slate and I plan to drive it until the wheels fall off. your videos have given me the confidence to tackle the project and take care of the maintenance by myself. thank you for all you do sir and may the lord bless you and keep you.
My parents had one of these for many years in the same colour - called a Toyota Vienta Vxi here in Australia, built in Altona Victoria, Australia . Smooth and comfortable on long trips with the 1MZ V6. Glad there's no rust issues like that here in South Australia.
I always look over any used car I buy with a fine tooth comb. I bought nearly 20 over that time. Thirty years and no problems so far. But I never thought to look at the roof... 🤔 Good point. Thank you 👍
AMDs style is perfection, but there is always more to the story. Timing of the salvage title is very important. Had the 97 carry been totaled in 2020, a slight bumper dent repair if $500 would totaled the car without affecting its drive ability. Still great transportation for half the price. A totaled 2020 Camry would have at least $13000 in repairs to cover up, most likely never being repaired to pre accident condition.
He is absolutely right! But I rebuild cars as a hobby and own 5 right now. I only buy very minimal damage salvage. My cars and cargo trailer are beautiful and very low cost.
Exactly. Happened to my 2002 Lexus ES 300 New Year’s Eve day 2021. Some dude in the shopping center hit my bumper tore the bumper halfway off and the cost to fix it in New York State exceeded 70% of the value of my car and technically it was totaled. I got a cash payout from the insurance company got my car fixed and I even had the hood re-sprayed for $300 extra (labor only). Had my fog lights housings and headlights buffed out. Had a reputable body shop do the work who I’ve been going to for past 20 plus years. Not worried about selling it with a totaled title since ill be keeping this car for many years and if and when I sell it, it won’t be worth much anyway. It now has 172k miles but is in near excellent condition and this Gen ES are the best ever built and will last well into the 300k + miles if maintained well ! I found out in NY state DMV didn’t have to issue a “salvaged or reconditioned” title. But I’m certain an Autocheck or CarFax report will show my car was “totaled”.
2002 Nissan Pathfinder- drivers side back door only got damaged as in big heavy dent- glass ok frame not touched. Insurance said repair cost more than car took the $3K offered got salvaged title, spent just about $80 at junk yard got whole door everything attached. insurance wanted to repaint entire side- am ok with a shade off of same color. Note- not all salvaged titles are trash cars- some just little damaged.
I knew a guy who had his older car written off due to hail damage. He got an insurance payout for more than he paid for it and got to keep it and drive it looking like a golf ball.
One other thing to watch for when buying an older Camry like this is rust at the top of the windshield frame. When it's bad, there are issues about being able to replace the windshield because of structural integrity concerns. Oddly enough this car appeared to be rust free in that area.
I was so lucky to buy a salvaged 2014 Toyota with 23k mileage for $2800 in 2016. Replaced both rear and front driver side doors with $1600, got a rebuilt title, used for 5 years, and sold the car for $7600 this year.
Leaking trunk: I had a pool of water in the trunk on the drivers side under the board holding up the carpet next to the side. I always take good care of the rubber gasket around the trunk opening, so a leak there doesn't seem likely. As best as I could tell, the water must have been coming in the vent inside the rear bumper cover, probably around the plastic vent. I sealed around the vent with rubber weatherstrip adhesive last fall, and it's still bone dry, despite all the rain we've had since. To fix this yourself, you need to remove the bumper cover, which isn't too hard.
As I am in the market for a good used car, this video and the others you put out, are extremely helpful and so easy to understand. I hope you really know how we all appreciate the information you dispense here and the time you put forth to do these so very informative videos! Am glad I stumbled on to your channel; definite subscribe and thumbs up on all the ones I have watched so far just today! Thanks, again and keep up the good work my friend. God Bless you and yours!
What you need to watch out for is the salvage vehicle, that should of had a salvage title. They dont always get registered as such, and state to state the requirements are different.
Hey, once I had to drive through 3ft water under the bridge my Toyota Corolla VE 1999 (Canadian Model) several years ago, the engine was all watered but kept running fine. My car engine didn't have any problems, the water was dried out in few days, still running fine after over 7 years. Life is Good 👍👍
Thanks to your videos I finally managed to change my indoor air filter and holy moly was the old one dirty. Small leafs and even little stones were in there. In October I will finally get my new Corolla TS and I will take good care of that car. Keep up the good work, sir 😊
I purchased my 2005 Tacoma in 2008 as rebuild, and no issues not even 14 years later, It runs strong. It depends how good they fix it. I have towed off roading and always great.
Just bought a used Toyota C-HR 2.0L. Of course Toyota approved used car. Yes you spend a little bit more money, but you’ve 15 years of warranty on hybrid system and engine. And that’s why I love and buy Toyota. Great video as usual. Thank you for another great video.
I have personally suffered from a rusty car which made me spend a lot money so long I had it, and finally sold it very it very cheap. Very good to warn people about rusty cars.
You can jack up the back of these cars by the rear subframe. The car is not done because the rear rocker is rotted. The problem is one of the rear control arms is mounted near that rear part of the rocker panel. If that control arm mounting point rots out then your in a bad spot. There are other spots to jack the car up in the back besides the pinch weld. And yes, jacking the car up from other points works just fine, Ive done it with a 98 camry multiple times now. Maybe not on the road, but it still works just fine if you carry a regular jack with you and not a scissor jack. Im just saying there are many other places to jack these cars up at that work completely fine.
My wife and I bought a 1997 camry in 2001 with about 41k. We traded it in, in 2018 with 233k miles, no power train problems. We did have other problems though. Most problems started occurring after about 170k. Struts had to be replaced several times. Front engine seals at about 175k. slightly annoying emission problems after 125k(O2 sensers, gas cap seal, idle air control valve, etc) No Major engine or transmission issues the whole time we owned it.
My (daughter's now) 99 Camry is in excellent shape for its age. Except it has severe hail damage, and the paint clearcoat has peeled away on one side of the car. It's an XLE forest green like the one you had in the other episode. With the spoiler even. Everything on it runs great, and the interior is in better shape than this one, except for the driver's seat button part. It keeps coming off. I need to look and see if I can fix it one of these days. Recently had the original alternator die because of a bad battery. We know the battery was bad, because it killed the new alternator. These really are excellent cars. I've owned this one since 2008. Very few problems with it.
Absolutely. The problem is that in uk and many more places there are dodgy traders that sells rebuild cars without telling the buyer and this is a big issue. Also there are cars that has been rebuilt but not registered as salvage and these are the worst.
salvage title doesn't necessarily mean a bad purchase. depending on the magnitude of the damage and the overall condition will determine if you should pull the trigger on a salvage title. here's my experience buying a salvage title vehicle: purchased a 2011 Toyota tundra crewmax 90k original miles. 5.7 engine. purchased it wrecked directly from an insurance company that decided to totaled it (salvage) . the only damage on the truck was 1 rigth fender, bottom rigth dent on the front bumper, bottom bumper spoiler, and a cracked rigth headlight. note: airbags never deployed, zero seatbelts locking, and zero warning ligths. bought the truck zipped tie the lower balance so it wont rub on the tire. drove the truck of the insurance company yard. trip was nice and smoot. all in all took me 1 week to purchase all the new parts and put it back together. came along beutifull. bumper, ligth,fender, and the lower balance bolted on smooth. zero frame dame never taken it to alignment and was lucky to find the fender the same color thus keeping the original factory paint the same. had my tundra for 3 years and still running strong.
that car would be fine for me because I can weld, fabricate and paint. Those rust areas can easily be made from sheet steel. Mostly flat sections with folds.
Interesting video. It was nice to learn about the salvage/rebuild process. I've heard the terms thrown around so much in the past. Good information as I always have an eye out for a nice older Toyota .Quite a few years ago. I had that same 1997 Camry. I drove it to 256,000 miles and gave it away to some friends who used it as a daily driver. I remember when I was cleaning my stuff out of the trunk there was water present in the wells in the trunk. It was a good car though and had a lot of adventures.
I don't know why he said that he cannot lift car due to rust on running board. I understand that lifting points are on running board but we can lift car from frame area which is generally not rusted. My 2005 corolla is rusted like that since 2016 and now it is 2022 with 300000 kms running perfect and i will drive it to 500000kms hopefully 😀
Thank you for this information. I have passed along the video to a fellow senior on a fixed income who is presently shopping for a replacement vehicle.
I have always checked the vehicles underside first before checking the other mechanical aspects. Wow. Makes me appreciate my 96 Camry even more now that AMD reviewed on his channel a few months ago.
That looks like my brother's 1997 Camry. No accidents and good title but yeah, I am not lifting this car up, same Rust at the same place. I can use the frint and back lift points but you can't put a Jack stand on the pinch welds.
To be fair, a repainted roof can be entirely innocent. I've had the roof on my 1994 Toyota Celica resprayed because some of the clear coat lacquer was starting to fail.
When I was 16 years old in 1962 I bought a 1955 Pontiac for $500. It was only 7 years old but I thought it was a really old car. It's amazing how long people keep their cars now. Driving a 20 year old car is no big deal!
Bought my son a salvage titled 98 Civic in 2003. I got it for about half the price of a clean car. In 2006, it was driven into a flood, and the engine was destroyed. I was deployed in the military but gave my son instructions on how to remove the interior and dry everything out. When I got home, I put in a new engine and ECU. Car is still running perfectly today.
so the real problem is rust in the bottom. Not necessary the rebuilding process. My car was totaled by insurance company after it was hit by someone running the red light. There is zero frame damage, but a lot of slightly dented parts, including one fender, broken headlamp, hole in the bumper cover, cracked grill, small dent on the hood. Since it is a older vehicle, it got totaled even though everything else is in great shape. I owned it for 23 years and so I decided to rebuild it. And I am still driving it. I rebuild it personally using good used body parts and it is in great mechanical shape with no rust. My conclusion is that rebuild is not a problem if you know what you are doing. Lots of rust, especially on the structure of the car is!
Great video AMD, this is very common in Ontario and Quebec, older cars that looks good from outside but rotten underneath. It is pretty much a waste to put money on these cars to keep them going…Krown Rustproofing is really good investment if people want to keep their cars for long time.
@@volvo09 100% agreed, if it does not leak, it does not work. I have tried all the dealer up sell method they don’t work. There is no substitute for oil or water penetration solution.
This was very informative. Thanks for the knowledge! As for used cars that were not in an accident, salvaged, etc a red flag for me is when the car doesn't have all the original receipts of repairs, services, etc by the previous owner/s. A second red flag, the price tag. It's never worth what the private seller or dealership is asking for. If the price tag is in the range of excellent condition, you know the chances of that being true is next to zero.
I've had two rebuilt vehicles...2 Jeeps. I knew the guy who rebuilt them, what sort of damage they had incurred and most importantly...bought. them dirt, dirt cheap back when that was a thing. Under almost any other circumstance they are to be avoided.
Ugh this happened to my 2011 Subaru Impreza outback sport w/ 150k miles. Both rocker panels had several large rust holes. It had other problems (tires was one of the main ones) and I took it to two shops to get the other issues fixed and both told me exactly the same thing: “this is the end”. It felt like being in the hospital and hearing a loved one isn’t going to make it (sort of, not really)😂 But a bit of a punch in the gut and definitely hard to hear. My Subaru was not a rebuild, it just lived in Vermont! Rust capital of the car world. They don’t last long here.
Thanks so much for another great video! Have you done any videos on the 2009 - 2015 Toyota Venza ? That platform really fits my needs, and would like to hear from a Toyota mechanic on any major issues to look for; and, whether or not original parts will be a problem. Much Thanks, again.
If you ever mention football to my one friend he immediately talks about how the most important thing is the offensive line, it’s his football obsession. My new obsession with anything used vehicle related is “How’s the underbody?? Let’s get it on the lift!!” I’m obsessed with rust avoidance and frame integrity. I guess I wouldn’t have to be that way if I lived where there’s never salt thrown down because of snow.
Great video as always. I remember what you said some time ago - " keep your Toyota a Toyota " so I always buy parts that I need from the dealer. You are also right sometimes they are just as good price wise as after market part prices. Again thanks for taking the time to do these videos - I learn a lot from them
I found a nice Camaro last year for a decent price with a " Clean " title . But under the hood , everything looked too new for a 1995 . I took a picture of the vin and asked if he cared if I ran a Carfax on it . He said sure . Later that day I got the carfax for it . The car was : Stolen in 2000 . Recovered in Canada shortly after . Bought by a New Your State shop and rebuilt and issued a" Salvage Title . Sold to someone in New Jersey . Then Sold to Someone in Pennsyvania . Then sold back to NY state where the Title was now " Clean " .
A couple of years ago I was driving my wife's Suzuki aerio here in Florida and a Truck jackknifed thank God I got out of the way I would have been history her car right now has a salvage title but we're driving it around does not have no sticker on the door like the one you showed yes in my opinion it's best to avoid these cars cuz you never know if the car has a bent frame and now you're stuck with it I know this polish guy who's very good with cars I actually seen him put half of a car with another half together and if you seen it you would not have never know this he's that good
My experience with salvage cars has been pretty good. Had a truck that was salvaged. Only had an ac compressor fail within 10k but other than that I got about another 150K out of it with out issues before moving on. Any mechanic who looked at it said it looked fine.
Same here. I have a 98 4Runner with a salvage title. The reason? Totaled by insurance because of hail damage. Not a big deal if you don't care that much about aesthetics and it honestly isn't very noticeable.
I used to use Toyota Owner History to see if used car VINs would show dealership visits and all the recommendations. For some reason, Toyota ended it. Will it be coming back?
Yes sir! Structural Integrity is. EVERYTHING! When looking at a used car. Every used car including when I bought my 2000 Trans am back in 2008. Even tho it was kept in a garage here in Florida with the 2nd owner. I know the 1st owner of it lived in Kansas. Both military guys. But! I got the dealership to let me get it on a lift, go thru it with a fine tooth brush and light. Nothing wrong with doing this with ANY vehicle. Super old, or hell! Even new vehicle. LOOK it over. REALLY GOOD!
Living in Az, I can tell when owners don't take care of their vehicles. When you see a faded/peeling roof and/or hood😞. They blame the age and say, "well, it's old"🤔🙄😄 Nope! They didn't bother to wax at least twice a year to protect from the UV. Then there are the owners using those auto wash stalls where they have pressure washers to wash their autos every week😱yikes🙄😆 People, dust actually protects paint and clear coat from the sun, so stop washing your auto every week because you are f'n up the clear coat. And same things for the interior... Especially leather seats (😜it's not the age, AMD😄). If you don't clean and condition them twice a year, they will crack from the sun. Especially on how fat we Americans are becoming sitting on them😄 I
I waxed my 07 Civic more than twice a year & guess what? The hood, roof & trunk have no paint left. Regardless of maintenance, in-built quality matter the most. Salt will deteriorate any vehicle & you may prolong the deterioration by spending tons of money, but rust is inevitable especially in cold weather locations.
@@desi4lyfe379 Rust is NOT inevitable. Rustproof your car every year (oil, not paint\coating) and see for yourself. Missy people here in Canada do that.
@@shane250 It is not feasible when you park your vehicle inside the garage. Oils contain many toxic & carcinogenic chemicals which should never be exposed to humans.
I have never been a car guy, but I've been kind of lucky with a few cars. NOW I know how lucky. Tho I have seen lots of problems in those cars I realize that I need to learn A LOT MORE from now on. I am looking for a used car now and recognize that it's gonna take a little time. Thanks for the education. In 1 video the info was eye-opening. I'm subscribing, thanks again.
As someone who flips cars from time to time and rebuilds salvage cars, there is some misleading information here. There is some crappy ones out there for sure but the inspection for salvage car in order to become roadworthy is very intense and thorough. Also, rockers rotting out doesn’t have to do anything with the salvage issue, but the radiator support for sure. Good condition rebuilt title can actually be a bargain because they lose 25-30% value easily as well.
I just got back from the dealership getting an oil change and inspection and the whole time I was wishing all the employees were as knowledgeable and took as much pride in their work as you do.
Maybe if we valued labor and paid people what they're worth.
@@atticstattic you can pay the most skilled technician the most money they’ll ever make but it won’t change their customer service skills to any better if the person themselves do not care about the customer.
@@Knightfall23
Why should technicians care if their bosses don't?
@@atticstattic
Define the "we" in your first reply.
@@standoutpunching2936
not 'you'
A video like this one should be absolutely MANDATORY in High School Driver’s Ed. programs, NATIONWIDE!!!!
No we don’t want kids to know this….you have any idea how much money dealership would lose….geezes
Yes, indeed!
Um they don't have drivers ed in the majority of high schools today
@@DylanL69 ☹️
And how would this video aid a high school kid in learning to drive to start with
I flew up to Washington DC once, to buy a car that I saw online. It was stuffed in a warehouse with other cars so tight you could barely get past them. It looked in great condition, but the first thing I did was open the trunk pull up the little carpeting back there and do the smell test. It was obvious that this car had had water damaged and there was absolutely no way for them to get rid of that smell in the trunk.
You're are a genius!
This guy is a true professional. Honest , and takes pride in his proffesion. Need more like him👍
He reminds me of my first mechanic. Honest and no bs. Too bad he sold his shop. He only works on trucks now. I’ve been learning how to fix my car myself now.
The used car market of the past two years has REALLY brought out the worst in dealers, and inventory.
Like they can get even worse and more dishonest. 😠😈😠😈
@@BubblesTheCat1 They will with EV's joining the market
@@Spartan536 Yeah, especially if they know they can rip people off.
@@Spartan536 especially considering how obsessed they are with making it the new standard overnight
I was shocked by two luxury car dealers playing the markup game with used cars. One luxury dealer in Portlandia added a $695 “accessory” charge for the Stargard security system (remember, we are talking about used cars here). Another luxury dealer kicked that up a notch: not only did they add the Stargard system, they also “added” interior and exterior “coatings” for a total markup of $1,695! To me, that was the sort of thing that high-volume big-advertising dealers did 30, 40, or 50 years ago, not a luxury brand!
I purchased a 1 year old caddy with 9,300 miles in its damaged condition with its salvage title at a 60% discount. Had it professionally repaired, went through a series of State inspections, registered & insured the car. It functions perfectly! I own this $50K car at half the price with a rebuilt title. No one can tell the difference looking at the car. I don't have the $700. per month payment.
That is nice, but the resell value is very bad with salvage vehicles.
you are special.
My dad (he has been a mechanic for roughly 40 plus yrs) always says one of most important things you can do if you are interested is check under the car and see how much rust there is... Are the fuel lines rusted out? Is the frame rusted out? How much rust is under the hood?
How to care for those? Regular cleaning?
@@Bouledogue_Francais a nice coat of Fluid Film before winter, clean out when it stops snowing, rinse and repeat
Learned that lesson on my current jeep. If it's older and things like that are rusty, it means the owner didn't care much for it and it likely wasn't well maintained. And there's also a difference between surface rust, and deep rust/rot. Go under the car with a key or a screwdriver and quietly poke at any rust spots. If flakes come off or even worse it goes thru, run away. You'll just end up fighring a losing battle with rust unless your a welder.
@@paperstacksfilmsthat's good advice! I've been trying to decide whether or not to buy a used Tundra that has a weird mix of very light rust in some areas, yet really heavy in a couple of others on the frame and undercarriage that are flaking as you described. I was thinking it can't be that bad, I'll just clean it up and treat it, but I worry about the future integrity of the frame. Especially in those areas where the rust is flaking right now. It's a shame because the truck runs and drives great.
@@steved0603 I just got an 07 Xterra. Had like 1 or 2 spots where it was kinda starting to flake but the metal underneath was still pretty solid. Ran a wire brush over it to debride the area of lose chunks and dust, and slathered some por 15 on there. I'll likely never have to worry about it again. It's really dependent on how much is flaking away and how bad the area around it is. Tbh any mechanic with about 10 years of experience should be able to tell you whether something is saveable or not. Also depends on where you live. Do they use salt on the roads when it snows? Are you near the ocean. Key factors in your decision
Was just about to go out and buy a car tomorrow. I LOVE THIS BEAUTIFUL MAN! Can't thank you enough for putting all of this absolutely priceless content for us.
In south carolina, you do not need a rebuild title to sell and register and insure salvage title cars (and this is common in the south east), as a matter of fact, lots of my friends do this for a living, buying damaged or totaled vehicles on auctions, and repairing them and reselling them. There is a lot of money to be had in it, or you can get a really nice car for really cheap, if you are willing to put in a lot of work. Some of them are rebuilt really, really well, almost to the point where I would never notice that the car was repainted or fixed in any way unless I took the body panels off. Some, are rebuilt poorly, usually when the person rebuilds the car for them selves and on the cheap (usually the evidence is under the body work in the weld quality and such.
Not only that, but most of these people look for cars that were hit, but the damage wasn't reported, therefore the title is still "Clean title", and they rebuild the car and sell it as "clean title" because no one ever reported the damage. This is very common.
same in Texas
Wow, so buyer beware, because no one really knows what they are getting? Shameful!!
@@sarahfullerton6894 what do you mean shameful!!! It says "rebuilt" right on the title!
Welcome to America young people land of the Rich and corrupt
In Texas to register a prior salvage car you have to Make any necessary repairs and have the vehicle inspected at any state inspection station. A state safety inspection must be conducted by an authorized state safety inspection station in Texas.you can’t just take a salvage car & turn around and sell it!
I got a 2001 Camry back in 2013 that looked worse than this and is still running fine. Was a salvage title car. Has never left me stranded. Plan on driving it till the wheels fall off. Got it with 96,000 for $4800. Now has 247,000. Best car purchase I have ever made. I admit, I got lucky since I trust what you are saying.
Yeah sometimes you get lucky. Congrats!!!
Depends on why it was totaled. Bought an old van, was totaled for hail damage. Looks bad, at least up close, but still runs like a top.
bought a jdm 2000 toyota altezza AT for 3800$ a few months ago with 40k miles ( 65k~ km ) with no issues whatsoever. looks great. no rust anywhere. i even got it checked by mechanic who couldnt find any issues with it. feels like a steal in todays market tbh.
Lucky 🍀 break 😊
@@victorravn3075 that is a great deal! I have a 2001 is300 that still runs strong. I got it with 25 miles on it. Now it has been 23 years with 251,000
Great words of wisdom. I personally would NEVER buy a salvage car. Unfortunately most people are clueless regarding cars.
Let them eat cake.
Not necessarily. It all depends. This car may have been repainted even the roof, because it could have been Hail damaged. Its hard to say. A salvage title gets issued to a vehicle when the value of the repair exceeds 75% of the car's value. This differs from insurance to insurance. It does not mean that 75% of the car is damaged. Every single car I own was a salvage car, but the trick is I fix it myself.
What can you do when you are UNDER BUDGET and really need the car? NO CHOICE, BUDDY!
salvage = not "worth" repairing to a insurance company. Drive a NICE 20 year old Camry and ANY fender bender will total it.
Exactly hugh, some people don't have the money to be picky, or have the time to see 3-4 cars.
If it runs and drives great, and has been well taken care of I'll run with it.
Even that jacking point rot op is so scared of can be cut and welded making it safe to lift. It's a shame the owner let it get that far, but the car is far from done.
So the person bought this 1997 vehicle used in 2003, and here we are in 2022. After 19 years of having a 25 year old car, I think he got his value out of it, whether salvaged and rebuilt, or not. I'd be happy with that. Of course, not everyone may be so lucky.
Yeah that thing is hazardous it should be out of service if you can't lift it
I’d say they got their money’s worth! Apparently if he’s wanting the speed sensor fixed, he’s plans on driving it till it’s death ☠️
Hopefully, the owner paid a super low price and more than got his money's worth. I'd drive it now until death which is most likely soon because most mechanics will not lift it for service.
Strange that he thinks he's got his money's worth out of it. I bought a new Nissan Sunny 1,4 litre in 2001. I maintained it myself, as I'm also a vehicle technician. Now it's 2022, and the car is still rust free top to bottom, and the engine and gearbox is running just as the day it was new. I plan on driving this at least another 22 years, then I've got my money's worth. I'll then sell it for a maximum price ☺👍
Ive had my 1995 Geo Prism for 19 years as of todays date. Lots of rust along the drivers side 10X worse than this car and recently had the 2 front tie rods replaced with no problem on hoisting it up in the air. However, I am car shopping currently, I need a bigger car. My car has just 139,000 miles on it, still starts. Bought it in 2003..ready to sell my Geo Prism...
I found a car online that I wanted to buy. The pictures and description were great and I was confident I would buy it after seeing it. When I went to inspect it, it had 3 different brands of tires on it (with 36K on the odometer), the brake and gas pedals looked new but the steering wheel was very worn, and the seats looked perfect except the seat belts in the back looked water stained. There are some shady dealers out there.
They are after your money. If you crash an hour after you buy the vehicle, well, that’s no concern of theirs
I was going to say the miles were probably rolled back but no one with a brain would roll them back excessively like 36k. They usually have at least 150k so it's impossible to tell from looking at the car.
Don't ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever buy a used car from a used car lot. They are ALL CROOKS!
@@BubblesTheCat1 Haha-we need a couple more ‘evers’ to really drive the message home. People are stubborn. The more you tell them not to do something, the more likely they are to jump up and do it-and then put the blame on you
@@riazhassan6570 Yeah, I've seen the worst cars at used car dealers. And then they want ridiculous amounts of money for them too. If it wasn't for stupid people, they wouldn't even exist.
100% agree that the risk of salvage title isn't worth taking the chances; however, having said that, I had an 09 Camry that had been rear ended. The reason the car was "totaled" wasn't due to structural issues, it was the second time that the rear end had been hit and the insurance company stated that with the replacement of seatbelt tensioners and impact sensors and the 156k miles on it that it wasn't worth the repair. They cut us a check for 12k and we let the car go. The issues with salvage vehicles has become the electronic and safety feature repairs quickly outweigh the value of the car. I have seen cars that didn't have significant body or frame damage but because the airbag deployed, it was totaled. Structurally, the car was probably fine, but when dealing with the safety features, it gets exponentially more pricey. Something to keep in mind.
Most bmw and Mercedes involved even in minor accident falls in this category
And I still wouldn’t buy your car
@@XX-166Good, move on.
@@DS..69 thanks for your permission girl
@@XX-166 Yo mama. 🤣
Really fantastic advice here. A 1997 Camry served my coworker for YEARS (up to 2019) but it wasn’t a salvage/rebuilt title either. I know some folks have no problem with salvage vehicles, but I’m way to cautious when “satisfactory” is very subjective after state minimum requirements are met. Not to mention the things that can’t be seen by anyone as mentioned in this video.
"However ..."
When a person like you says that ("however") - there will be a pearl of good info to follow.
Thanks for the wisdom.
I really appreciate your content and attention to detail on all your videos. Just thought I'd mention that my wife and I just had our 2010 Toyota Camry V6 totally repainted. Many people living in the south will pay to get their cars repainted due to sun spots and sun fading. It's a hug problem in the souther part of the USA. Especially with darker colored cars. Just thought I'd throw this out there to your viewers in case they are looking for a good southern car and find one like mine that has had the whole car repainted and think it has been in a huge accident; when indeed it hasn't. Many people in the southern part of the USA will get the hood, roof, and trunk repainted on a southern car that is parked outside most of the time. The sun fades and bakes the paint right off the cars. Thanks for your great content.
I learnt something new today. We hardly look underneath the car while inspecting it. We mostly concentrate on the sides and inside. Thank you for this video.
I once worked for a new car dealership. Our used car buyers were once buying cars on the east coast auto auction. They purchase a beautiful very desirable model of car 3000 miles on it. The was bought by our dealership buyers and put on the car line. This car was bought about three days later by a lawyer for his daughter. The car rodaout fine but in two days later, it was towed in quit running.
My tech checked it out and came got me. We went back to the car and he hit the top of the dash and large amounts of sand fell in the floor. Upon further inspection rust had set up under the dash and all the controls were rusting and shorted. The owner got a GOOD DEAL, on a new car for his daughter.
One reason I'm aware of that a salvage care might be a good deal is if it was totaled due to hail damage. We get a lot of those in Colorado. If you don't mind all the dimples, the rest of the car might still be good. But do check carefully....
It really depends on the car and the insurance. I have a 85 fiero that has a salvage title. It was rear ended, and the only issue was the rear bumper bar got dented. Two bolts and a new bumper bar/cover from the junkyard and it was good to go. No mismatched panels or anything.
Excellent advise. I always rinse off my car with garden hose after driving on salted roads, especially underneath the vehicle. Do it when car is cold. My 2006 Matrix is rust free with 200k miles here in Northern NJ.
This^^ I have a used 07 Accord and a 2018 Subaru Lgcy, I rinse the cars down after salty road driving in the winter. especially if it was freezing rain/snow driving. I pay special attention to the fender well edges and subframe. If it stays below freezing I leave it, but the second it goes above im out there with a hose. Even have a handy anti-salt solution I can hook up to the hose.
Watch out for flooded cars too. We are seeing a whole bunch of them being dumped into the salvage market place, especially the parts from those cars being used to repair. If its too good to be true....
I have a salvage 94 corolla DX. While driving on a side street during the winter with snow and ice on the road, a car pulled out in front of me, causing me to hit my brakes and steer to the right to avoid the car. Subsequently there was a big suv parked which I hit. The result was the grill, hood and left fender was crushed up. At no time was my bumper hit and the air bag did not deploy, nor was the engine damaged. I had it towed back to my house, notified my insurance company who sent out an agent to assess the damage. Because it was a 1994 and the year it happened was 2009, the gave it a salvage title after paying me $2600 as I had full coverage. All it needed was a hood, left fender, grill, left light unit and the cross member which was all bolted back together. It runs well, steers straight etc. Why was it classified slavage when the main frame, engine, radiator was intouched?
@@jeffreyseeley2924 Your car was totaled. The cost to repair the car to standard was way more than $2600. You can probably get the parts for less than $2600 but the labor and painting by a certified shop would push it way past that. Car was totaled and then "sold" back to you and the title marked as salvaged. You were handed a check for the reasonable market value of the car, not the cost to fix it.
Your garden hoses don't freeze in the winter?
@@mitchhedberg4415 I run hose from faucet inside house in winter, and wait for temps above freezing.
I got into a no fault accident that insurance paid for to repair . Got it back from the body shop and went back to normal life . After sometime I noticed it was leaking coolant from a crack in the block which I presume happened in the accident . I used some epoxy weld that worked for awhile but in the end that's a loosing battle . So things can manifest themselves down the road after a repaired accident that may have not been noticed .
That’s squarely on the collision shop you took it to. If you really want to help, inform the shop and tell everyone you know which shop it was. The insurance will not pay for things they are not told about unless they are unavoidably obvious.
@@AV84USA At the time there was no physical evidence of the crack when I received the vehicle back . It was over a period of time I noticed it leaking and was small . To much time had gone by and proving they were at fault by missing something that wasn't showing a problem is just what it is . You get into a accident and unknown problems from it can show up down the road
@@stevencole7331 yeah, unlucky there i'm afraid 👍
I've only made it halfway through the video and, boy you got this right. Body and frame damage is a big issue. And the rust. Oh Boy. As part of my career I worked at collision repair center for quite a few years, as a mechanic. Not a body man. And there's a lot of substandard work that is being done. I could go on about the certifications required, but that's another post. FYI. A four post lift works the best. With right attachments, you could almost do everything. And you don't have to worry about picking it up. Drive on up. Push the button and take a look underneath. Less intrusive and quick.
Agree. Am surprised he doesn’t have drive on lift as well ….
Which will be great- IF you have one when you have a flat tire on the side of the road.
@@stevebrackett2676He does have one. But no good for servicing brakes, etc.
@@RetiredSignDudeIf you get a flat tire on the side of the road, call a tow truck. Repairing a flat on the side of the road could cost you your life.
In kansas I was able to register a salvage car. Had no airbags but still ran good.
I had this happen to a 1995 Ford Escort four door hatchback I bought with 46,000 original miles. After it hit 95,000 miles, the rockers were completely gone, the suspension was down to the body in the rear, and over half the driver's side floor board was gone all due to rust. It was sad how clean the car was inside and out. However, one harsh winter on a older car definitely pays its due on them. Every car I have ever owned, I always use OEM parts and fluids. If OEM parts are not available, I then use good quality aftermarket parts. Great video!
Some cars are expensive to fix...if the fender bender cost more to fix than the value of the car, then total it...put a new fender, etc...on an it's ready to go, no issues...thus often happens with older cars....
Just drive the car. You can jack on subframe. I agree to be careful. This is definition of a beater though, rebuilt or not.
ive had so many cars worse than this, like you said there's other areas you can lift the car safely from.
But it’s just going to get worse… and worse. Why cheap out? Just get something else and cut your loss
@@andybub45 It will for sure, but you don't have to get rid of the car because one of the lift points is rusted out, I've worked on many many cars worse than this, I've seen cars from 2013 with worse rust that get serviced regularly, many people cannot afford to get a new car. I was just surprised he would not even attempt to work on this car.
My 11 corolla is getting mushy on the pinchwelds, I jack up the rear on the rear “axle” mount, and the front on the inner part of the unibody “frame” that’s about 6” in from the pinchweld. That car is getting sad but has a few years left in it. My car probably has 5-8 years left in it
I like this guy he gives good information to people that are not car people and or former Lexus technicians like myself. I'm on the I don't know how to put it line with the pinch weld, but on the other hand it's a good point to bring up to lower the price of a vehicle. 😭 Also there are many many things to look out for if the pinch weld is good that would disqualify a car and move on.
I just want to thank you for making this video. I don't know much about cars and I'm a single mom. This was super helpful!
I wish we had more honest mechanics like you here in Oregon, you would have mine and my family’s business for sure!
That's the problem, mechanics like this one you would have to travel far to get your car repaired because that's the breaks we get in life.Something we need or want is out of reach.
Thank you Nut. Appreciate your honesty. Need more people like you in the world
For a 1997 vehicle, it's been through a lot in 25 years, so yeah, I'm with you on this one, if you can't at minimum be able to change a tire because of all the rust, I believe that it's time to retire the vehicle, safety safety safety, and think about others who are on the road with these types of vehicles, at any given moment going down the road, hitting a pothole could cause a wreck and chain reaction, I've got an 02 Tahoe with 296k miles and it's almost on its last leg, I've only had it for 2 years and started with 165k miles, I drive 250 plus miles per day x5 delivering parts to paint and body shops in the west Texas area, I'm on the lookout for a newer used say 2016-21 Tundra or Titan, reliability is a key component of my choice in truck to purchase, the Tahoe has been running like a champ, I do regular maintenance of oil changes and upkeep as necessary, but I know it's getting close to retirement for the Tahoe, good video thanks for the great info!
The way you propperly explain the issues and make them points of note clear is sincerely appreciated. Kittos sir.
My primary take away from so many of your videos is that I will never leave the sun belt for the rust belt. :D
My family bought a rebuilt sienna last year and it’s been great. In that case it was only body damage. The guy we bought it from was the owner a body shop for years and is semi retired.
His whole thing is buying a few cars at auction that have body damage only and doing the rebuild himself. The price was great and we’re 20,000 miles into it so far with no issues.
Sometimes it works but I’m not dying to roll those dice again unless it’s a great deal.
This is very solid advice. Rusted out body and frame? It's done. Sell it for parts, or buy a good one (same model / year) and strip the lousy one for parts. I did that with a couple of '79 f-150's years ago. I almost never had to worry about buying parts. Took a bit of space in the garage though. Good times.
Hi, I recently purchased a 2015 highlander limited, pristine condition with 47,000 miles, single owner and all dealer maintenance records every 5k miles. I couldn’t be happier, absolutely love it. I’m planning on draining coolant, atm fluid, oil, air filters and cleaning throttle body to basically start with a clean slate and I plan to drive it until the wheels fall off. your videos have given me the confidence to tackle the project and take care of the maintenance by myself. thank you for all you do sir and may the lord bless you and keep you.
My parents had one of these for many years in the same colour - called a Toyota Vienta Vxi here in Australia, built in Altona Victoria, Australia . Smooth and comfortable on long trips with the 1MZ V6. Glad there's no rust issues like that here in South Australia.
The color is called grandma gold
Its called Corona in Europe, taxi drivers used to drive these, workhorses
I always look over any used car I buy with a fine tooth comb. I bought nearly 20 over that time. Thirty years and no problems so far.
But I never thought to look at the roof... 🤔
Good point.
Thank you 👍
AMDs style is perfection, but there is always more to the story. Timing of the salvage title is very important. Had the 97 carry been totaled in 2020, a slight bumper dent repair if $500 would totaled the car without affecting its drive ability. Still great transportation for half the price. A totaled 2020 Camry would have at least $13000 in repairs to cover up, most likely never being repaired to pre accident condition.
He is absolutely right!
But
I rebuild cars as a hobby and own 5 right now.
I only buy very minimal damage salvage.
My cars and cargo trailer are beautiful and very low cost.
I do the exact same, but unlike most people I know what to look for...but damn, aint it fun!!
The exception is when an older car gets slightly damaged which will total the car because it's age. These can be fixed and will make a good car...
Exactly. Happened to my 2002 Lexus ES 300 New Year’s Eve day 2021. Some dude in the shopping center hit my bumper tore the bumper halfway off and the cost to fix it in New York State exceeded 70% of the value of my car and technically it was totaled. I got a cash payout from the insurance company got my car fixed and I even had the hood re-sprayed for $300 extra (labor only). Had my fog lights housings and headlights buffed out. Had a reputable body shop do the work who I’ve been going to for past 20 plus years.
Not worried about selling it with a totaled title since ill be keeping this car for many years and if and when I sell it, it won’t be worth much anyway. It now has 172k miles but is in near excellent condition and this Gen ES are the best ever built and will last well into the 300k + miles if maintained well !
I found out in NY state DMV didn’t have to issue a “salvaged or reconditioned” title. But I’m certain an Autocheck or CarFax report will show my car was “totaled”.
@@stephendibari5010 Exactly what I was referring to, perfect example...
2002 Nissan Pathfinder- drivers side back door only got damaged as in big heavy dent- glass ok frame not touched. Insurance said repair cost more than car took the $3K offered got salvaged title, spent just about $80 at junk yard got whole door everything attached. insurance wanted to repaint entire side- am ok with a shade off of same color.
Note- not all salvaged titles are trash cars- some just little damaged.
I knew a guy who had his older car written off due to hail damage. He got an insurance payout for more than he paid for it and got to keep it and drive it looking like a golf ball.
Proof of damage is key here. Pictures, verify it was only a fender, etc.
One other thing to watch for when buying an older Camry like this is rust at the top of the windshield frame. When it's bad, there are issues about being able to replace the windshield because of structural integrity concerns. Oddly enough this car appeared to be rust free in that area.
I was so lucky to buy a salvaged 2014 Toyota with 23k mileage for $2800 in 2016. Replaced both rear and front driver side doors with $1600, got a rebuilt title, used for 5 years, and sold the car for $7600 this year.
I have watched several of your videos. I find you to be an honest individual. I am going to subscribe to your channel today.
One of my first Cars was actually made from 2 Cars. The front of one and the back of another one, welded around the middle. Those were the days
My 99 camry is a salvaged title beacaue of the bumber lol. Got paid 3000 for it and got to keep my camry.. 😊
Leaking trunk: I had a pool of water in the trunk on the drivers side under the board holding up the carpet next to the side. I always take good care of the rubber gasket around the trunk opening, so a leak there doesn't seem likely. As best as I could tell, the water must have been coming in the vent inside the rear bumper cover, probably around the plastic vent. I sealed around the vent with rubber weatherstrip adhesive last fall, and it's still bone dry, despite all the rain we've had since. To fix this yourself, you need to remove the bumper cover, which isn't too hard.
I bought a mint mitsubishi galant 10 years ago, nothing has broken . Private sale. You need a little luck too.
As I am in the market for a good used car, this video and the others you put out, are extremely helpful and so easy to understand. I hope you really know how we all appreciate the information you dispense here and the time you put forth to do these so very informative videos! Am glad I stumbled on to your channel; definite subscribe and thumbs up on all the ones I have watched so far just today! Thanks, again and keep up the good work my friend. God Bless you and yours!
Salvage cars can absolutely be registered, at least in TX. You just can't get full insurance, only liability.
What you need to watch out for is the salvage vehicle, that should of had a salvage title. They dont always get registered as such, and state to state the requirements are different.
Hey, once I had to drive through 3ft water under the bridge my Toyota Corolla VE 1999 (Canadian Model) several years ago, the engine was all watered but kept running fine. My car engine didn't have any problems, the water was dried out in few days, still running fine after over 7 years. Life is Good 👍👍
Thanks to your videos I finally managed to change my indoor air filter and holy moly was the old one dirty. Small leafs and even little stones were in there. In October I will finally get my new Corolla TS and I will take good care of that car. Keep up the good work, sir 😊
Thank you so much. I've been educating myself on buying a used car and you're the first person that's done an educational video like this one
Very informative video on salvaged and water damaged cars. Thank you AMD
You are a fountain of valuable information for us car owners. Thanks and Happy New Year.
I purchased my 2005 Tacoma in 2008 as rebuild, and no issues not even 14 years later, It runs strong. It depends how good they fix it. I have towed off roading and always great.
Also would depend on the price. Rebuilt tacomas seem to be priced at 85% of market value.
Just bought a used Toyota C-HR 2.0L. Of course Toyota approved used car. Yes you spend a little bit more money, but you’ve 15 years of warranty on hybrid system and engine. And that’s why I love and buy Toyota. Great video as usual. Thank you for another great video.
Two kind of sun roofs - one, that is leaking; and two, that will leak.
😂
Ppl dont maintain them . i always cleaned my "tracks" & sprayed rubber gaskets w/silicone spray. 21yrs old/265,000 miles.😁
I have personally suffered from a rusty car which made me spend a lot money so long I had it, and finally sold it very it very cheap. Very good to warn people about rusty cars.
You can jack up the back of these cars by the rear subframe. The car is not done because the rear rocker is rotted. The problem is one of the rear control arms is mounted near that rear part of the rocker panel. If that control arm mounting point rots out then your in a bad spot. There are other spots to jack the car up in the back besides the pinch weld. And yes, jacking the car up from other points works just fine, Ive done it with a 98 camry multiple times now. Maybe not on the road, but it still works just fine if you carry a regular jack with you and not a scissor jack. Im just saying there are many other places to jack these cars up at that work completely fine.
Lol…. Idiot
Rather you than me mate
My wife and I bought a 1997 camry in 2001 with about 41k. We traded it in, in 2018 with 233k miles, no power train problems. We did have other problems though. Most problems started occurring after about 170k. Struts had to be replaced several times. Front engine seals at about 175k. slightly annoying emission problems after 125k(O2 sensers, gas cap seal, idle air control valve, etc) No Major engine or transmission issues the whole time we owned it.
My (daughter's now) 99 Camry is in excellent shape for its age. Except it has severe hail damage, and the paint clearcoat has peeled away on one side of the car. It's an XLE forest green like the one you had in the other episode. With the spoiler even. Everything on it runs great, and the interior is in better shape than this one, except for the driver's seat button part. It keeps coming off. I need to look and see if I can fix it one of these days. Recently had the original alternator die because of a bad battery. We know the battery was bad, because it killed the new alternator. These really are excellent cars. I've owned this one since 2008. Very few problems with it.
Years ago, I was under my rusty 84 Honda Accord and it slowly started to sink down on top of me but fortunately I got out in time
Absolutely. The problem is that in uk and many more places there are dodgy traders that sells rebuild cars without telling the buyer and this is a big issue. Also there are cars that has been rebuilt but not registered as salvage and these are the worst.
Dodgy? We would call them thieves and they live crummy lives.
salvage title doesn't necessarily mean a bad purchase. depending on the magnitude of the damage and the overall condition will determine if you should pull the trigger on a salvage title. here's my experience buying a salvage title vehicle: purchased a 2011 Toyota tundra crewmax 90k original miles. 5.7 engine. purchased it wrecked directly from an insurance company that decided to totaled it (salvage) . the only damage on the truck was 1 rigth fender, bottom rigth dent on the front bumper, bottom bumper spoiler, and a cracked rigth headlight. note: airbags never deployed, zero seatbelts locking, and zero warning ligths. bought the truck zipped tie the lower balance so it wont rub on the tire. drove the truck of the insurance company yard. trip was nice and smoot. all in all took me 1 week to purchase all the new parts and put it back together. came along beutifull. bumper, ligth,fender, and the lower balance bolted on smooth. zero frame dame never taken it to alignment and was lucky to find the fender the same color thus keeping the original factory paint the same. had my tundra for 3 years and still running strong.
that car would be fine for me because I can weld, fabricate and paint. Those rust areas can easily be made from sheet steel. Mostly flat sections with folds.
Interesting video. It was nice to learn about the salvage/rebuild process. I've heard the terms thrown around so much in the past. Good information as I always have an eye out for a nice older Toyota .Quite a few years ago. I had that same 1997 Camry. I drove it to 256,000 miles and gave it away to some friends who used it as a daily driver. I remember when I was cleaning my stuff out of the trunk there was water present in the wells in the trunk. It was a good car though and had a lot of adventures.
I don't know why he said that he cannot lift car due to rust on running board. I understand that lifting points are on running board but we can lift car from frame area which is generally not rusted. My 2005 corolla is rusted like that since 2016 and now it is 2022 with 300000 kms running perfect and i will drive it to 500000kms hopefully 😀
Thank you for this information. I have passed along the video to a fellow senior on a fixed income who is presently shopping for a replacement vehicle.
I have always checked the vehicles underside first before checking the other mechanical aspects. Wow. Makes me appreciate my 96 Camry even more now that AMD reviewed on his channel a few months ago.
That looks like my brother's 1997 Camry. No accidents and good title but yeah, I am not lifting this car up, same Rust at the same place. I can use the frint and back lift points but you can't put a Jack stand on the pinch welds.
My shop uses belly lifts so we get by on stuff like that but it doesn't go that high and the belly is basically blocked.
To be fair, a repainted roof can be entirely innocent. I've had the roof on my 1994 Toyota Celica resprayed because some of the clear coat lacquer was starting to fail.
When I was 16 years old in 1962 I bought a 1955 Pontiac for $500.
It was only 7 years old but I thought it was a really old car.
It's amazing how long people keep their cars now. Driving a 20 year old car is no big deal!
Bought my son a salvage titled 98 Civic in 2003. I got it for about half the price of a clean car. In 2006, it was driven into a flood, and the engine was destroyed. I was deployed in the military but gave my son instructions on how to remove the interior and dry everything out. When I got home, I put in a new engine and ECU. Car is still running perfectly today.
Awesome advice as always, AMD.
❤❤❤
so the real problem is rust in the bottom. Not necessary the rebuilding process. My car was totaled by insurance company after it was hit by someone running the red light. There is zero frame damage, but a lot of slightly dented parts, including one fender, broken headlamp, hole in the bumper cover, cracked grill, small dent on the hood. Since it is a older vehicle, it got totaled even though everything else is in great shape. I owned it for 23 years and so I decided to rebuild it. And I am still driving it. I rebuild it personally using good used body parts and it is in great mechanical shape with no rust. My conclusion is that rebuild is not a problem if you know what you are doing. Lots of rust, especially on the structure of the car is!
Great video AMD, this is very common in Ontario and Quebec, older cars that looks good from outside but rotten underneath. It is pretty much a waste to put money on these cars to keep them going…Krown Rustproofing is really good investment if people want to keep their cars for long time.
yeah, oil based rust protection is a good thing if you want to keep your car.
@@volvo09 100% agreed, if it does not leak, it does not work. I have tried all the dealer up sell method they don’t work. There is no substitute for oil or water penetration solution.
This was very informative. Thanks for the knowledge! As for used cars that were not in an accident, salvaged, etc a red flag for me is when the car doesn't have all the original receipts of repairs, services, etc by the previous owner/s. A second red flag, the price tag. It's never worth what the private seller or dealership is asking for. If the price tag is in the range of excellent condition, you know the chances of that being true is next to zero.
I've had two rebuilt vehicles...2 Jeeps. I knew the guy who rebuilt them, what sort of damage they had incurred and most importantly...bought. them dirt, dirt cheap back when that was a thing. Under almost any other circumstance they are to be avoided.
Thank you for keeping it real.
When you are broke rot is a hard reality.
Ugh this happened to my 2011 Subaru Impreza outback sport w/ 150k miles. Both rocker panels had several large rust holes. It had other problems (tires was one of the main ones) and I took it to two shops to get the other issues fixed and both told me exactly the same thing: “this is the end”. It felt like being in the hospital and hearing a loved one isn’t going to make it (sort of, not really)😂 But a bit of a punch in the gut and definitely hard to hear. My Subaru was not a rebuild, it just lived in Vermont! Rust capital of the car world. They don’t last long here.
Thanks so much for another great video! Have you done any videos on the 2009 - 2015 Toyota Venza ? That platform really fits my needs, and would like to hear from a Toyota mechanic on any major issues to look for; and, whether or not original parts will be a problem. Much Thanks, again.
If you ever mention football to my one friend he immediately talks about how the most important thing is the offensive line, it’s his football obsession. My new obsession with anything used vehicle related is “How’s the underbody?? Let’s get it on the lift!!” I’m obsessed with rust avoidance and frame integrity. I guess I wouldn’t have to be that way if I lived where there’s never salt thrown down because of snow.
Great video as always. I remember what you said some time ago - " keep your Toyota a Toyota " so I always buy parts that I need from the dealer. You are also right sometimes they are just as good price wise as after market part prices. Again thanks for taking the time to do these videos - I learn a lot from them
@@__GarbageTime420 I am in England but have a 2012 Toyota 150 Prado land crusier. Doing as you say change oil and filter every 5000 miles
@@andrewphillips9027 that’s a bot lol not the real channel
No idea what a Bot is ! Soundsike something from Austin Powers
I found a nice Camaro last year for a decent price with a " Clean " title .
But under the hood , everything looked too new for a 1995 .
I took a picture of the vin and asked if he cared if I ran a Carfax on it .
He said sure .
Later that day I got the carfax for it .
The car was :
Stolen in 2000 .
Recovered in Canada shortly after .
Bought by a New Your State shop and rebuilt and issued a" Salvage Title .
Sold to someone in New Jersey .
Then Sold to Someone in Pennsyvania .
Then sold back to NY state where the Title was now " Clean " .
Love his honesty 👊🏻👍🏻
Another great video; you always cover all the bases; Thanks !!
A couple of years ago I was driving my wife's Suzuki aerio here in Florida and a Truck jackknifed thank God I got out of the way I would have been history her car right now has a salvage title but we're driving it around does not have no sticker on the door like the one you showed yes in my opinion it's best to avoid these cars cuz you never know if the car has a bent frame and now you're stuck with it I know this polish guy who's very good with cars I actually seen him put half of a car with another half together and if you seen it you would not have never know this he's that good
yeah, it depends upon the state you are in. some states need an inspection by the state police to check for stolen parts and vin swapping.
Wow, eye opening. Thank you for sharing your expertise with all of us!
My experience with salvage cars has been pretty good. Had a truck that was salvaged. Only had an ac compressor fail within 10k but other than that I got about another 150K out of it with out issues before moving on. Any mechanic who looked at it said it looked fine.
Same here. I have a 98 4Runner with a salvage title. The reason? Totaled by insurance because of hail damage. Not a big deal if you don't care that much about aesthetics and it honestly isn't very noticeable.
Thank for you helping us understand the basics, starting at the foundation. May God bless you mightily!
I used to use Toyota Owner History to see if used car VINs would show dealership visits and all the recommendations. For some reason, Toyota ended it. Will it be coming back?
Yes sir! Structural Integrity is. EVERYTHING! When looking at a used car. Every used car including when I bought my 2000 Trans am back in 2008. Even tho it was kept in a garage here in Florida with the 2nd owner. I know the 1st owner of it lived in Kansas. Both military guys. But! I got the dealership to let me get it on a lift, go thru it with a fine tooth brush and light. Nothing wrong with doing this with ANY vehicle. Super old, or hell! Even new vehicle. LOOK it over. REALLY GOOD!
Living in Az, I can tell when owners don't take care of their vehicles. When you see a faded/peeling roof and/or hood😞. They blame the age and say, "well, it's old"🤔🙄😄 Nope! They didn't bother to wax at least twice a year to protect from the UV. Then there are the owners using those auto wash stalls where they have pressure washers to wash their autos every week😱yikes🙄😆
People, dust actually protects paint and clear coat from the sun, so stop washing your auto every week because you are f'n up the clear coat.
And same things for the interior... Especially leather seats (😜it's not the age, AMD😄). If you don't clean and condition them twice a year, they will crack from the sun. Especially on how fat we Americans are becoming sitting on them😄
I
I waxed my 07 Civic more than twice a year & guess what? The hood, roof & trunk have no paint left. Regardless of maintenance, in-built quality matter the most. Salt will deteriorate any vehicle & you may prolong the deterioration by spending tons of money, but rust is inevitable especially in cold weather locations.
@@desi4lyfe379
Rust is NOT inevitable. Rustproof your car every year (oil, not paint\coating) and see for yourself. Missy people here in Canada do that.
Same down here in San Juan, PR!
Fading paint is inevitable if you drive a Dodge. Doesn't matter where the vehicle lives lol
@@shane250 It is not feasible when you park your vehicle inside the garage. Oils contain many toxic & carcinogenic chemicals which should never be exposed to humans.
I have never been a car guy, but I've been kind of lucky with a few cars. NOW I know how lucky. Tho I have seen lots of problems in those cars I realize that I need to learn A LOT MORE from now on. I am looking for a used car now and recognize that it's gonna take a little time. Thanks for the education. In 1 video the info was eye-opening. I'm subscribing, thanks again.
As someone who flips cars from time to time and rebuilds salvage cars, there is some misleading information here. There is some crappy ones out there for sure but the inspection for salvage car in order to become roadworthy is very intense and thorough. Also, rockers rotting out doesn’t have to do anything with the salvage issue, but the radiator support for sure. Good condition rebuilt title can actually be a bargain because they lose 25-30% value easily as well.