How To Know If You Are Buying A Salvaged Car

A salvage car is a car that has been repaired after a very serious accident or disaster and shipped to Nigeria for sale. The junk car industry is booming these days as it offers a much cheaper alternative to owning other cars for sale.  

A salvage car is a car that has acquired a salvage title because it was in an accident and was not covered by the insurance company for repairs. We would like to show you how to identify a crashed car in Nigeria. These cars have been refurbished and shipped to Nigeria to be sold as regular cars.

Before and after the recovery vehicle. Salvage repair can be very misleading for car buyers. It is not a crime to buy and repair a car that has been salvaged in Nigeria. For example, if you really want a 2008 Lexus ES350, the regular price is around £25,000 and the one with the salvage title sells for around £18,000 but will cost around £50,000 to repair to be a standard Lexus. If you buy the same 2008 Lexus ES350 at a regular price after refurbishment. It’s a fraud when the seller says it’s a “fresh Tokumbo car”.

Selling crash-repaired cars is a form of fraud in Nigeria. Car dealers import these refurbished junk cars from Japan and sell them to buyers at the same price as non-junk cars. This is why you need to know how to identify salvage cars for sale in Nigeria so you don’t waste your money.

Run a VIN test

Carfax, Bumpa and other  VIN verification websites have a way to verify cars shipped from some countries.

After paying online, simply enter the vehicle identification number and other details of the vehicle to be inspected for salvage characteristics. The details of the car from the country of origin will be displayed on the computer screen. All these developed countries with very good database systems record such things, especially vehicle history.  

Have the Mechanic inspect the chassis and body

If the VIN for the car is not available on any VIN checking website, you will need to start with a chassis check and then move on to manual methods to find the crashed car.

Although you can easily do this yourself, we highly recommend the services of an experienced body shop independent of the car dealer. A car that has been in a serious accident may have a damaged chassis. Have your mechanic check how straight the chassis of this car is, then check for any signs of a collision.

A car with a bent chassis definitely gets the salvage title. Meanwhile, a car with a crooked chassis continues on the road, leading to an accident.  It’s also possible that the car was repaired after the crash and doesn’t have a salvage title, but this is a possible sign to watch out for. At least we know that the car dealer was lying when they said the car was still in the first body. From here you can see more signs of collision repair.

Pay rewiring to check for signs of flooding

An automotive wiring technician, also known as a re-wire in Nigeria, is the best person to check the license plates of any car you are considering buying. He/she can easily determine if the car has recovered from the flood by checking the wiring system and opening certain areas of the car.

Wiring hidden in parts of the car responds to water and is easily visible to the naked eye. The wires would have turned brown in places and had a peculiar smell. Also, the car’s bodywork should be thoroughly inspected for any traces of rust or water on the dashboard.

A flooded car is a car that has been the victim of severe flooding, damaging the car’s systems and being declared irreparable by the insurance company tasked with reviving it. The car needed a lot of repairs for it to work.

Check for internal gaps

Accident car interiors most often reveal them. If you notice that your floor mats or other trim don’t fit together well, then you have to suspect 

Look for upgrades and facelifts

As soon as you realize the car has been revised for another year, it’s a serious sign that you have a salvage title.

Car dealers know that Nigerians love the idea of upgrading their cars. They use this to lure car buyers into buying salvage title cars at prices even higher than the standard price. The sign is simpler if the dealer wants to sell the upgraded car at the normal market price.  

Frequently Asked Questions 

Conclusion

You have learned how to identify salvaged cars in easy steps, so you will never fall victim to salvaged car business scams. If you buy a junk car cheaper than the normal car price, that’s what one would expect.   You are taking a big risk and should be rewarded with a lower price.