2015 Sprinter with rebuilt title

[Tammiea]

https://westslope.craigslist.org/cto...372953460.html

Is this a good idea? We drove it on Sunday and drove straight. I entered the vin# and google it. Front end was pretty smashed up.

[MountainBikeRoamer]

I've got a friend at work who buys and flips a lot of salvage-title cars.
He drives one himself as well --- Honda Odyssey minivan that he packs his wife and three kids into.

If the repair is solid, and the car hadn't been damaged to the point that you (or a credible mechanic) thinks that rebuilding it was a bad idea...(as in, major front subframe/frame/forward-collision crumple zone damage that required cutting out structure and re-welding it in, thereby possibly causing the vehicle to be possibly unsafe in a subsequent front-end collision....) --- then why not?

Anyone buying a salvage-title vehicle agrees to the "tarnished reputation" of the vehicle in exchange for an often killer price. And anyone who buys it afterward from you does the same. So you're "in" to the vehicle for a lot less coin, and can often "drive vehicles above your means".....

Just make damn sure that the repair is Mercedes-approved. Those front crumple zones are engineered darn precisely nowadays, and the timing of airbag deployment is split-second controlled based on how the energy of the crash impact is mitigated/dispersed through those front chassis structure elements.

In **another** subsequent crash, a repaired and re-welded front structure, if done improperly, can crumple in an unexpected fashion, directing energy into the occupants or simply cracking/breaking away at poorly-done repair welds. It can also have the effect of tricking the airbags to deploy (or not deploy) at the wrong time, sometimes causing more harm than good.

Do you know if the airbags went off? Was it all Mercedes parts 100% that the vehicle was repaired with, at a Mercedes-approved facility?

Figure out (and decide carefully) if the van is convincingly, truly safely repaired to "as safe as when new" standards by reasonable/qualified assessment.

THEN allow yourself the judgement of how great a deal you seem to be getting. A deal's not a deal if you are likely giving up a measure of safety for loved ones who ride along with you.

[Tammiea]

Thanks for the advice. We are taking a mechanic to look at it tonight and I will make sure he gets your comments and what to look for. It's very tempting, but I want to be smart about it.

[Pritikin]

Are these things really that rare?

$43k for a used 4x4 with 50k miles on it sounds... well, like about what you'd pay for a clean title used vehicle in good condition. Not for a rebuilt one.

[Tammiea]

I think they might be. I came across one other one and it was a 2016 and they got $57,500 for it. It had 30k miles and was insulated with a partial interior design. Wish I would have seen that one earlier. Maybe I am not looking in all the right places. Any ideas?

[MSD]

This is over priced for a rebuilt title if you ask me... my rule of thumb has been a rebuilder/salvage title is worth 50-70% less than market... you will always be branded as salvage and not have much when you go for re-sale.

But the biggest and most important note is what MountainBikeRoamer has said about safety. Has it been done right and who did the repairs. Bottom line the safety of the vehicle for you and your family is what is most important at the end of the day and is a salvage title really worth it?

[Tammiea]

Couldn't agree more about safety. We love the Sportsmobile vs a Sprinter, but everything so far with low mileage and a new year is more $$. We are just trying to figure it out. Thanks for your advice!

[Tammiea]

Our mechanic said NO. He found more information on the vehicle; he doesn't even want to look at it. Thank you all for your time!

[hogasm]

Lot of money for a vehicle that can only have liability insurance

[Tammiea]

Yes, you can get liability, but no comp/collison. Previous owner said he had full coverage. Not sure how..insurance company maybe didn't matched the ser#. Who knows.