Realized I've been clueless about salvage titles for years
Was talking to a mechanic named Dave at a shop near Austin last month, he said most rebuilt wrecks have hidden frame damage that never shows up in photos. Made me rethink the car I was about to buy for $5,000. Anyone else been burned buying a salvage car that looked clean?
Dave at that shop told me about a guy who bought a salvaged Ford F-150 that looked spotless but had a bent frame rail so bad it couldn't align properly. Did the mechanic actually show you the specific damage on that car, or was he just warning you in general?
Nah, he actually showed me - pointed right at this little kink under the bumper where the frame rail was tweaked. I felt like an idiot because I'd been staring at the truck for ten minutes thinking it looked perfect. I should've just asked him to show me on the spot instead of nodding along like I knew what I was looking at. But hey, that's just my usual approach to car stuff - act confident until someone calls me out.