[Willymos]

Do you have any advice for me before I buy a new car? I'm interested in a 2014 Kia Soul, and I'm worried about the salvage title. My uncle says it doesn't really matter, but other friends have said they would back away from the deal if it has a salvage title. Can you give me any insights about this car? 2014 Kia Soul 111000 miles automatic black in color Its mentioned that the front end is all new so wondering if there is a way to see the previous damages or issues that occurred with the car. I'm in love with this model and am in rush to purchase by the end of this month as I am currently using ride shares and it sucks! Please advise if you would pull the trigger or negotiate the seller a bit more in this instance as for this price range its the one I found that is the cleanest.

Link to the ad: 2014 Kia Soul + plus - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive...

 

[rhysoul]

2014, $7200, 111k miles, salvage title. I would pass. Not because it’s a salvage title, but because it’s too expensive for the mileage and year. Yes car prices are still out of control, but I think that’s still too much for that mileage and history.

In the words of the great David John, you should use a vin decoder like Car Fax and see what type of accident it was in. A damaged passenger door totaled the car? 🤨

I’m also confused. You’re from DC but the car you linked is in LA. Is this the car you’re interested in? Or just an example of what you’re looking for??

 

[pnoman]

Just my personal opinion FWIW: I'd pass on any salvage title.

1) Check with your insurance. I would guess they either won't cover it at all or will charge you $$$.
2) Check with your Dept of Motor Vehicles and see what their process is for getting a title and registration for a salvaged vehicle.
3) There were engine problems with some of the Kias during this time period. Kia has been pretty good about replacing the bad engines, but they might not on a salvage title vehicle.
4) Like @rhysoul mentioned above, the price is high even if it wasn't a salvage title. $7,200 is probably almost half of what you could buy the car for new (with rebates and discounts at the time). I don't see this car as having another "trouble-free" 111K miles in it. You would be paying 50% to use it for the most expensive half of its life.
5) What parts and maintenance are needed? Brakes? Tires? Has the 100K maintenance like plugs, trans flush, coolant flush, brake fluid flush, etc all been done?
6) If you do buy the car and it turns into a nightmare, good luck finding another buyer. The previous salvage title is going to scare off maybe 90% of the buyers who bother to research the car.

It's your choice, but there are non-salvage Souls out there that I would look at first.

You mentioned that you are in a rush. That's when I've made the worse decisions in my life!

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[vangone]

@Willymos Are you really in DC? I guess it would be a great diagnostic experience driving from LA to DC--it would uncover any undisclosed/undiscovered/imminent problems. The good news is that if has always been a So Cal car and not been flooded by water there shouldn't be significant rust.

1. The salvage title itself is a red flag. 2. The explanation of the salvage title in the ad is another red flag. 3. The license plate number is a huge red flag!

1. Vehicles that have salvage titles typically have been totaled by insurance companies if the cost to repair the vehicle is more than a certain percentage of the market value of the vehicle. The damage could have been caused by destruction caused by a crash, damage caused by a flood or hailstorm. Vehicles that were stolen and recovered AFTER the insurance company paid the insured owner. Since the owner was essentially made whole by the insurance company, the insurance industry considers the vehicle to have essentially zero value. That means that if a salvaged vehicle is put back into service (even if thousands of dollars have been spent making the vehicle pristine) insurance companies will typically not offer collision, comprehensive and even uninsured motorist coverage for the vehicle. One will typically be able to get only liability insurance which pays out to others the damage that you/your vehicle causes. Some insurance companies will flat out refuse to offer policies for salvage titled vehicles.

2. Insurance companies will typically total a vehicle if the total cost of the repairs is 60% or more of the vehicles actual cash value. Plugging in 2014 Kia Soul + in good condition into KKB.com yields estimated price range of $6200-$7800. That means that the vehicle had sustained at least $3700 in damage. Seems unlikely that a damaged door (the door apparently was restored) would cost that much to repair.

3. The seller states that he drove it for Uber eats and had no problems. That license plate was issued in January 2022, probably when it was registered as totaled. If I had a vehicle that had no mechanical issues and was happy with, I certainly would not turn around and sell it 12 months later. The market prices in late December2021/early January 2022 were off the charts crazy and certainly much higher than they are now.

I would suggest looking at a different vehicle.

 

[Flatsole]

Buying a salvage title vehicle can be an okay way to get cheap reliable transportation. But only if you are buying it for under half the cost of a clean title equivalent, and only if you plan to be the final owner because they are very hard to sell. And as pointed out above, only if you are paying cash because if you can't get full insurance coverage, you can't get a loan on it.

This guy is asking way too much in my opinion. I don't even think it is worth buying the history report, just keep looking and don't be in a rush.

 

[Willymos]

Thanks guys for your concerned here, I do think the same that's it's overpriced for the salvage title vehicle, I do purchased the car report from here: 100% Accurate Detailed Vehicle History Report For any Vehicle, incase anyone interested :100% Accurate Detailed Vehicle History Report For any Vehicle, got it for really cheap and it's very detailed, there's auction pictures of the car too, you could see the damage at rear end of the car, which I think it's not worth it, what do you guys think about this?

Here is the car Report: https://app.detailedvehiclehistory.com/report/vin/KNDJP3A5XE7098237

 

[rhysoul]

That’s a Ford

 

[Flatsole]

That’s a Ford

It's the ghost of davidjohn 🤣

 

[Stephanienautista]

Probably the best advice before buying any second hand car would be to take it to a service (preferably one you know) and they will tell you after a full diagnostic what is wrong with it and if it is worth buying.