re: Would you buy a truck with a salvage title?

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yes but run a history report to see why it's salvage. Generally you want to pay no more than 60% of the cost you would if it was a good title and 10k is likely what that truck is not salvage. Most likely it was a wreck that an insurance company has totaled out, but some second hand body shop bot at auction and repaired it. A lot of those guys do real good repairs. Main thing to be concerned with is a weak frame, which may have been re-welded or straightened already, or a flood car. Get under it and look at it real close.

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this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

one thing to know about second gen tacomas 96-04 is they have a bad history of frame rust through if it was from any northern states or mountains where roads get salted.

the main spots to check are at the rear front leaf spring brackets where they connect to the frame. its worth it to bring it into a Toyota dealership to have the frame checked for structural integrity or if it has been bent. a few hundred dollars isn't much to be sure its a good truck before you buy it.

its noy unusual to get a truck that was rolled over when someone was plying in the mud and they total it. when its bought back from insurance company its called a salvage title because they totaled the truck. guys they go replace the smashed up fenders and whatever and its a good truck again, just has a salvaged title. the key is to try and figure out "why" it was salvaged and what had to be done to fix it.

those are great trucks to own, just be sure what you are buying