Buy A Salvage Title Pickup As A Project Truck

You want a pickup truck. Could be a Ford F-150, Dodge Ram, Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, just to name some popular brands and models today. On the other hand, it might be an older classic like the Ford’s, Chevy’s, International Harvester, Dodge, Toyota, etc., from the ’50s to the ’80s. If you are the “do-it-yourself” kind of person who wants to buy and fix your project truck, the objective is to buy a cheap pickup to fix. Solution: buy a salvage title pickup as a project truck from an auction site.

Why Buy A Project Truck From An Auction Site?

At an auto auction site like Copart, you are able to look at thousands of trucks in every state. Up until fairly recently, only car dealers and wholesalers could bid at these auctions. Today, broker sites like Salvage Truck Auctions, allow you to bid on these trucks directly. Basically, you have the biggest selection possible at your fingertips. There are thousands of trucks being auctioned every day across the country. You are not restricting yourself to your immediate area. These days, you can get a remote inspection of the vehicle from a certified mechanic, run title checks, and get transportation from the auction site to your garage.

What Is A Salvage Title Pickup Truck?

What is a salvage title? It is usually a truck that the insurance company has written off because it has:

i. collision damage

ii. flooding damage;

iii. hail damage, or

iv. it was stolen and recovered.

In other cases it could have been burned, vandalized or suffered mechanical failure. These vehicles are usually sold at auctions at a considerable discount from used car prices. You can read more about salvage trucks here.

Watch Out For Certain Salvage Trucks

First, make sure that it is a rebuildable title truck. That is something you can tell usually by the title description on the website. In this case, the name of the title says it all: “FL Certificate of Destruction”. It means this truck cannot be legally rebuilt and retitled. So be on the lookout for titles that might say things like: “For Parts Only” or “Non-Rebuildable”.

Once you have determined it is rebuildable, look at the VIN report to see how many collisions the pickup has been in. How many times has it changed hands? What states has it been in? Be really careful with flood trucks. Recently, a large number of cars and trucks have entered the market, due to flooding in Texas and in the Atlantic Coast. Remember: these are salvage vehicle auctions, there are no returns. People are bidding on cars that are one step away from the crusher. Make sure to inspect what you plan on buying. Make sure to personally inspect, or if not possible, to have a mechanic inspect the vehicle. Research how much the fees and transport will add to your bid. That way, you will be able to realistically plan your budget.

What To Look For When Searching Salvage Trucks

Search the model and year truck you want. Salvage Trucks Auction allows you to search by truck brand and truck model. If you are searching for classics, you might find a restoration or restomod that someone else already started or was damaged. That can be a big money-saver.

Once you have narrowed it down, start looking for the truck that is in as best shape possible. Why? Because this truck is the foundation of your build. It has to be as straight, complete and mechanically sound as possible. Will your truck be perfect? Probably not. You are buying this truck to work on it. But you want to make sure you keep your budget reasonable and not have any surprises.

What Are You Waiting For?

Well, go find that project truck. Remember to sign up with Salvage Trucks Auction to get access to all those salvage trucks out there! Do your homework and have fun!