Help buying a 2015 Prius

Hello there. The first thing I would recommend is calling your car insurance and check if they will even cover a salvaged vehicle. This might cost you more in the end than going with a higher priced non-salvage vehicle.

 

welcome!
see if you can find all the hidden damage they covered up, that might come back to haunt you a few thousand miles down the road. all the best!

 

have a frame she inspect it for repair, which can lead to uneven tyre wear and suspension problems which aren't obvious by inspection or test drive. also, pull everything apart in the back so you can see the hybrid battery and cooling fan duct work. have a good body shoppe inspect the repair work.
make sure the hatch closes properly and no water leaks.

 

I don't know about CA, but the state I live would not issue rebuilt title on a salvaged vehicle if it's from out of state. In my state, even if the salvaged title is from my state, it requires affidavit signed by the repairer to verify the VIN# of used parts in order to get rebuilt title issued. If similar law exist in your state, it may be OK as long as your have all the proper documents and you continue to live in the same state, but what if you move to another state? Just a thought.

 

I don't and won't buy a salvage car.

Ever!

10 Tips for Buying a Salvage Auto | HowStuffWorks

OK....
So you're in California.
You'll need to see if the CARB warranty is voided by the salvage title.
Just be careful not to over-pay for the car and understand that you might not be eligible for warranties/recalls/TSBs etc.
If you're hoping and/or relying on these things, then you need to find out for sure.....and not from opinionated posters ( ) on the internet!

You will also need to understand that it's difficult to gauge a salvage car's real-world value. (**)
This will not be critical if you plan to drive the car for 250,000 care-free, happy miles...........and in a Prius they just MIGHT BE care-free and happy miles.
Also, when you go to sell the car---and you should ALWAYS SELL a car rather than trade it in, then all of the money that you "saved" by buying a totaled car might come back and haunt you - again, unless you intend to put 250,000 miles on it, in which case it really will not matter.

Lastly....financing can be a little more interesting (read:cost more) for a junked car, and getting insurance and getting CHEAP insurance are two different things.
In a hull loss accident, if they cover the car for comp and collision, they will ONLY pay out the street value of the car - not necessarily what YOU paid for it, and a lot less than what a car with a clean title is worth on the street.


Good Luck!!!
(you might need it!!!)

(**) For me, a previously-totaled car is only worth about half of what a non-totaled car is worth-----but that's ME. The rule of thumb is actually around 60-percent according to people who actually get paid to know these things.
Again.....YMMV.

 

Can you find out how why it was declared totalled, or whatever the expression is? Where was it hit, or was it flooded, or?

 

There is no warranty on a salvaged car. Visit the local Toyota dealer and ask at the Service Desk if they will work on a salvage.

Since the insurance company figured they couldn't properly repair the car what shortcuts were taken to get the car back on the road?

My guesses:

Frame damage that will eat tires.
Hatch not aligned causing rain to pool around 12v battery.
Any electrical work or flood damage?

How much coverage can you buy and how much will the insurance company pay if it is totaled (again)? Hint: Don't pay more than the insurance company will pay if the car gets totaled driving off the lot

There is one 2015 Four with 10330 miles for sale on cars.com for $16990. My guess is the salvage is a Two, maybe a Three. IMO, the car in question is worth something less than $8500--way less.

 

It could well be a case of perfectly repairable, just not financially viable, if done by a "retail" bodyshop. But someone just as competent has done the correct and complete repairs, on their own time.

Again, try to find out what the repairs where. And if they're evasive, and/or the price is not to your liking, for sure back out.

 

I'm in California, also in LA.

I wouldn't even bother looking at that car. I got lucky and found my used 2012 Prius pkg.5 for $12,250, clean title, 50k miles.

If you're interested in something similar there's a guy selling a red one in Ontario. Check craiglist.


iPhone ?

 

I went to LA to buy my Prius and I wouldn't consider a salvage. There's a ton of Prii available- it's a buyer's market.

Years ago, I bought a Land Cruiser that was salvage (due to theft, there was no damage). But when it came time to sell, it was very difficult. Very few people will buy a salvage, even when it's greatly discounted. If you plan on selling it down the road, the money you save now might be equalized by the discounted selling price later.

Part of the appeal of buying a '15 is the remainder of the Toyota warranty and the CARB warranty on the traction battery. As others have mentioned, double check if these warranties are still valid. They might not be.

 

If they won't provide you with the pre-fix photos and estimate of damage, i'd walk away.

 

A 2015 with only 10k miles, would need to have $15000 worth of damage to get a salvage title. If it's a rear accident, it would have to be a really big accident. They would actually need to weld on another car's rear end to fix that much damage.

If you've never bought a prius before, best not to start with a potential nightmare for $12500. If you ever want to sell it, nobody would want it unless it was free.

That type of money can get you a pretty nice higher mileage prius, one that will keep its value, have the remaining California carb warranty, keep you safe, and people will want to buy when you sell it.