40 articles
JK Wranglers hold their value, but they come with death wobble, early 3.8 oil burning, TIPM electrical gremlins, leaky tops and off-road abuse. What to check before you bid.
Full-size GM SUVs, including retired police and fleet units, show up at auction all the time. AFM lifters, the 8-speed shudder, cracked AC condensers and what to check before you bid.
The second-generation Tundra's 5.7 V8 has a reputation for running forever, but it has a few known weak spots: the secondary air injection pump, cam tower leaks and frame rust. What to…
The winning bid is never what you pay. The fees Copart adds on top, how they scale with price, the ones people forget, and how to build them into your maximum bid.
Second-generation Tacomas hold their value like few trucks do, even salvage ones. Frame rust, the leaf spring recall, and what to check before you bid on one.
You can't test-drive a salvage car, and most of the time you can't even start it. How to read the photos, the run-and-drive labels, the history report and the little clues that…
The fourth-generation Ram 1500 is all over the salvage auctions. The Hemi tick, broken exhaust manifold bolts, the EcoDiesel EGR recall, air suspension and cracked dashes, and how to price them in.
You won the bid. Now the clock is ticking on pickup and storage fees. Your options for getting an auction vehicle home, what each costs in time and money, and the paperwork…
How to work out your maximum bid before the auction: start from the fixed retail value, subtract everything it will cost, and leave room for surprises and profit. With a worked example.
A salvage title means a vehicle was declared a total loss; a rebuilt title means it was repaired and passed inspection. How the process works, and how much a branded title hurts…
What every part of a Copart listing actually tells you: primary and secondary damage codes, sale documents, Run and Drive vs. Engine Starts, keys, odometer, and what the photos don't show.
After every big storm, flooded cars flood the auctions, and some get cleaned up and resold. The warning signs, the free VIN check, and why flood damage is a different kind of…
