Salvage car transport basics

What is a salvage car?

Generally, a salvage car is a car that has very little or no financial value due to damage incurred from car accidents, floods, fires, or theft. With a salvage car, the insurance company has deemed the cost of repairs to be equal to or greater than the cost of buying an equivalent new or used vehicle.

Everything else you need to know about salvage cars

There are several other things that you should know before you start looking for salvage cars for sale:

1. Someone might be interested in buying a salvage car for a few reasons.
2. They plan to restore it for their personal use later or to sell it for a profit after the restoration is complete. Another reason a salvage car might be purchased is if an auto shop thinks it can sell or use some of the parts.
3. Some people buy salvage cars for use by a first-time driver in their family, such as a teenager.

Salvage car transport challenges

One of the most important things to know about salvage cars and trucks is that most of them cannot be shipped on regular car shipping carrier trucks. The reason for this is that almost all salvage cars are not drivable. For a vehicle to be shipped on an open-air car carrier or in an enclosed car carrier, it must be driven on to both of those types of carrier trucks. So, with an inoperable salvage car, you will be forced to ship on a flatbed carrier. The car will be placed onto the carrier by a forklift or, more typically, pulled on by a special motorized cable known as a winch.

You should also be aware that most states require you to have a salvage car examined by the DMV to protect consumers and/or check for stolen parts or entire cars. This does not count as a vehicle inspection either. Additionally, you should know that many insurance companies will not offer complete coverage on scrap or rebuilt cars. Whatever coverage you can get will likely cost considerably more than it would for a typical new or used vehicle.

Salvage car transport cost

The cost of shipping a salvage car will vary based on a variety of things. However, in most cases, it will be a bit more expensive. As we mentioned, most salvage cars cannot be shipped on typical car carriers and must be shipped via less common methods.

You can expect the overall cost of shipping a salvage car to cost between $0.50 and $1.50 per mile in 2024.

How to buy wrecked cars from a damaged car auction

Buying a wrecked car from a vehicle auction could be a great way to get a car you plan on restoring or using as a spare vehicle or even as a first car for a teen. However, you shouldn’t go into your first salvage car bidding experience before knowing a few things.

1. Your best bet is an online salvage auction in 2024 – In-person salvage car auctions are quite rare these days, especially since the pandemic sent auctions online. Online auctions also typically offer more resources regarding the vehicles, such as instantly accessible history reports.
2. Check your state’s laws and requirements for salvage title vehicles – Every state has different laws regarding salvage title vehicles. For example, New York requires that the DMV inspect a salvage car before issuing the title certificate. Other states, such as Texas, do not require this.
3. Do not buy anything without the VIN and a resulting full report – Just because it is a salvage car and/or title does not mean that you shouldn’t check the car’s history. For example, if the vehicle had been in a severe collision and you plan on restoring it or stripping it for parts, it might be one thing. Still, if that same vehicle also has extensive flood damage, that could be something that changes your mind about purchasing it.
4. Never over-bid – There will always be another salvage car for you to bid on in the future. Make sure you do not overpay for a salvage title vehicle because the overall value you will get out of a salvage car will always be low.
5. Be sure to deal with the insurance – Depending on whether you plan on driving the salvage car after repairs/restoration, you will need to get insurance for the car before you do so. Getting insurance for a car with a salvage title is fairly difficult or expensive. Many insurance companies will refuse to offer any coverage to a vehicle with a salvage title. The companies that will offer you a policy for a car with a salvage title will offer extremely limited coverage at a high price. So, this is something you should consider before finalizing your salvage car purchase.

Inoperable vehicle transport tips

Not every salvage car will be undrivable (otherwise called “inoperable”), but most will be. If the salvage vehicle that you are shipping is, in fact, inoperable, the process will be a bit different. Use the following tips to ensure smooth and safe transport of your undrivable salvage car:

• It still needs to be clean before pickup – Although your salvage car might be smashed up and/or have tons of dents, scratches, and chips, you will still need to clean the exterior before pickup. Your car shipping driver will still have to perform a visual inspection of the exterior so that they can take note of all the preexisting damage.




• Check for loose parts – If the inoperable car you are shipping has serious damage from an accident, check it very carefully for loose parts before shipping it. These parts can fall off when the vehicle is in transit, so you would have to pay to replace them.




• Be sure it is in a place where your auto transport driver can attach a winch – Wherever you are shipping a totaled car from, it will need to be accessible by the car carrier truck. For example, if it is in a garage, you will need to find a way to move it out.




• If purchased at auction, talk to that auction about transport pickup rules – The auction that you ship your salvage car from might have certain rules that could impact the pickup of your shipment. For example, they might require that they tow the salvage car you bought from their lot to somewhere in front of the auction before you ship it or tow it the rest of the way home yourself.

Conclusion

Purchasing a salvage car is very useful if you plan on restoring it or if you plan on stripping it for parts, whether for use on your own or if you are going to sell the parts. However, if you are going to buy a wrecked car at a damaged car auction, be aware that there are several hurdles for you to clear. This includes getting the car to your location from the auction, dealing with insurance for the car if you plan on repairing and driving it, getting accurate vehicle histories, and more, depending on your state. As far as getting the vehicle home from an auction, you can skip the stress of towing it yourself and have it shipped with RoadRunner Auto Transport by calling (888)777-2123 anytime!

FAQ

How do you ship a salvage car?

You can ship a salvage car by simply contacting a car shipping company like RoadRunner and giving them all the details of your shipment. After that, your auto transport company will take care of the rest of the process for you, except for a few easily completed steps of preparation required on your part.

How are cars that won’t start shipped?

Cars that won’t start, otherwise known as inoperable or undrivable cars, are shipped on flatbed car carriers. Regular open car carriers and enclosed car carriers require a car to be able to be driven onto the trailer. With a flatbed car carrier, inoperable cars can be placed onto the trailer using either a forklift or a winch.

Is it worth buying a car with a salvage title?

Buying a car with a salvage title can be worth it if you can successfully rebuild the entire vehicle and sell it for a profit. The purchase of a vehicle with a salvage title can also be worth it if you intend to strip what remains for parts and sell them for a profit.

Is totaled car transport more expensive?

Totaled car transport tends to be more expensive than typical car transport because totaled cars cannot be shipped on open or enclosed car carriers. Thus, they must be shipped on special flatbed car carriers, which are more expensive to ship on because they are much shorter in supply and can only ship one to four cars, whereas typical car carriers can ship more than ten vehicles at a time.