Tips on purchasing a used 2016 Mazda CX-5 (salvage title)

[Roberson]

Do you have any advice for me before I buy a new car? I'm interested in a 2016 MAZDA CX-5, 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? 2016 MAZDA CX-5 54891 miles automatic blue 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.

 

[theblooms]

Personally, nope.

 

[HyFlyer]

I've had friends who buy salvage title vehicles with no issues in reliability. It is a risk and is dependent on how extensive the damage was and the quality of the repair work.

The sale price (even if the car is super nice) should be significantly reduced because of the branded title. (As compared to a similar vehicle that is not salvage). Not only to reflect the increased risk to you regarding reliability but also it will be harder for you to sell/trade in at a later date.

You should definitely have a pre-buy inspection done by a knowledgeable person and let them know of your concerns about it being a salvage rebuild. It looks like it's the GT trim so it may have some of the more expensive gadgets such as motorized auto led headlights and other sensors and things to look out for.

Check with your insurance company if there is anything particular you need to know about insuring a vehicle with a branded title.

On the plus side, IMHO, the 2016 is a great year for the cx5 and the one you're looking at is a beautiful color . It sure looks (cosmetically) like someone did a fine job on the rebuild from your pictures. Even if you don't buy this particular car, a 2016 cx5 is an excellent choice.

Please do post back with how things work on on this potential purchase for you.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

"Can you give me any insights about this car? 2016 MAZDA CX-5 54891 miles "

I'm not sure what you're asking here. Insights? You need to supply more info for us, for me anyways.

What's the asking price?

Why was it salvaged?

"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. "

I'm sorry but your uncle is wrong, and your friends are right.

Of course it matters! If the car was totaled because it was under water, especially SALT water, that would be a HUGE red flag!!!

How much of a price difference are you seeing between this car and others like it in your market? Is the price difference worth the risk?

 

[sm1ke]

If you can get the VIN, you can pay for a Carfax report. It should give you a lot of information about the history of the vehicle, including maintenance and accident reports. It may not include everything, but you might learn enough about the car to decide whether you want to pursue it or not.

I bought a "salvage" titled 1991 Accord once, and it was great for me, but I'm not sure I would do it again knowing how much relies on the quality of work done.

 

[yrwei52]

Do you have any advice for me before I buy a new car? I'm interested in a 2016 MAZDA CX-5, 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? 2016 MAZDA CX-5 54891 miles automatic blue 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.

All above advices are great. If you can find the real history of this CX-5, especially the reason why it was totaled, that’d help you to make a better decision. A new front end could mean too many things and possibilities.

For CX-5, I’d say 2016.5 MY is THE BEST all around. US version 2016 CX-5 had a major face-lift, some of the new features are having issues, such as the Electric Parking Brake. The original rear disk brake calipers with EPB are having poor precision which would cause the dragging or lock-up issue. The optional LED DRLs and headlights with AFS, and this CX-5 has them, are having defects which would cost you $1,200 each to replace, although Mazda eventually issued a recall. For this 2016 CX-5, there’re 3 additional recalls where I’d consider minor. None of these are on 2016.5 CX-5 as Mazda had fixed these problems by that time.

 

[madar]

If you can get the VIN, you can pay for a Carfax report. It should give you a lot of information about the history of the vehicle, including maintenance and accident reports. It may not include everything, but you might learn enough about the car to decide whether you want to pursue it or not.

I bought a "salvage" titled 1991 Accord once, and it was great for me, but I'm not sure I would do it again knowing how much relies on the quality of work done.

Meh, Carfax is good to a point, it's not a Holy Grail . It depends if the garage who worked on it actually reported the damage. My other CX5 was rear ended, over $2,500 in damage, but the body shop who did the work didn't report it to Carfax. If you were to look up the VIN it would say "accident-free". I'm sure it's not the norm, but a consideration when paying for these reports.
I would stay away from this salvage. First rule in car buying- don't fall in love with the car!

 

[Jack Rabbit]

If you can get the VIN, you can pay for a Carfax report. It should give you a lot of information about the history of the vehicle, including maintenance and accident reports. It may not include everything, but you might learn enough about the car to decide whether you want to pursue it or not.

I bought a "salvage" titled 1991 Accord once, and it was great for me, but I'm not sure I would do it again knowing how much relies on the quality of work done.

Yes get the carfax. Once considered a salvage vehicle but then got the carfax and saw it was turned upside down and ended upside down and submerged in a large stream.

In the old days, salvaged vehicles were those that were really messed up.

In this current economy, with labor and part's at inflated rates, just a badly side-swiped vehicle could be totaled. You really need the carfax to see what happened as well as the invoicing from the repair work.

If the seller won't provide invoicing and you cant determine what happened from the car fax , better to just stay away from it.

 

[sm1ke]

Meh, Carfax is good to a point, it's not a Holy Grail . It depends if the garage who worked on it actually reported the damage. My other CX5 was rear ended, over $2,500 in damage, but the body shop who did the work didn't report it to Carfax. If you were to look up the VIN it would say "accident-free". I'm sure it's not the norm, but a consideration when paying for these reports.
I would stay away from this salvage. First rule in car buying- don't fall in love with the car!

Right, but it's better than nothing. Carfax + PPI from a trusted mechanic familiar with the car is your best bet.

 

[madar]

I don't know how much this will tell you but it's free. I've used it before, comparable to Carfax...

https://www.vehiclehistory.com/

 

[ceric]

I would like to add that, the most important thing to do among all the advices above is to find out why it got the "Salvage" title.

Depending on the state you are in, the reason varies a lot.
I heard that, in some state, when a vehicle was stolen and recovered, it gets a "Salvage" title automatically.

If you really want to purchase it, I would recommend taking it to a couple mechanics for thorough checking.

 

[GFrosty]

Do you have any advice ... if it has a salvage title.

Myself, I wouldn't do it for my own primary vehicle. But if I needed a secondary or occasional vehicle, I might well consider "the right" one.

IMO, it all comes down to exactly what happened to the car, how extensive the damage was, which systems/structures were affected and in what way, and exactly what was done to correct the issues. There's "salvage" due to a few expensive things getting bent, and then there's "salvage" due to, say, getting dunked in a flood for a week. One might well be no further issue, whereas the other might be the ongoing nightmare of a lifetime. Hard to know, up front.

Might well be a worthwhile buy. But it comes with a lot of potential risks, particularly if you can't quite seem to get the full details on those questions.

In the end, it's up to you, based on what risks you're prepared to shoulder based on whatever you find out about the car's specific details.

 

[pheasant16]

I don't have any experience owning a car with a salvage title. I heard that there may be some additional complexities to getting it insured by some car insurance companies.

 

[theblooms]

Whichever insurance company totaled it, they absolutely will not reinsure it.

For example, if you have Allstate, and Allstate were the ones that totalled it, nope. Not getting insurance. You'll have to find a different carrier.

Also, you'll probably never get anything more than Liability on it. So if it gets crashed again, that's on you to fix it, 100%. If you total it again, you're footing the entire bill for replacement.

 

[PTSanchez]

Way too many red flags & confusion going on here:
"I'm in love with this model and am in rush to purchase by the end of this month". " ...... any advice for me before I buy a new car?"
Do hope that what is meant above is: " ........ before I buy another car".

Salvage Title normally means that some insurance company has already totalled it - for being stolen, wrecked, submerged, or possibly any combo.
Suggest saving the cash & keep shopping-around: how many headaches are in the budget here?

 

[Jack Rabbit]

I want to thank all who took the time to advise me and participate in this thread, thanks to all of you. I was able to make further research on this vehicle and found out from a vehicle history report that I got from
Detailed Vehicle History that this vehicle was involved in a terrible crash, not only that it also has some Mileage discrepancies, it has had 3 owners in the past and was leased at one point. after these findings, I have decided not to proceed with this purchase.

Here is a link to the report: Vehicle History Report for VIN: JM3KE2CY2G0680444


here are some images showing the accident:

Either:
1. Buy brand new,
2. a CPO with extend warranty
Or just get an
3. Old used beater for a few thousand and save your money up

 

[HyFlyer]

... I was able to make further research on this vehicle and found out from a vehicle history report that I got from ...

That doesn't look like the same car. Are you sure the VIN # of the blue one you posted match this record from the vehicle history site?

The pics of the blue car in your original post appear to be a Grand Touring model and the researched one from the vehicle history site appears to be a sport or touring model of a different color even?

Just doesn't match up?

 

[sm1ke]

That doesn't look like the same car. Are you sure the VIN # of the blue one you posted match this record from the vehicle history site?

The pics of the blue car in your original post appear to be a Grand Touring model and the researched one from the vehicle history site appears to be a sport or touring model of a different color even?

Just doesn't match up?

Yes, I would double check the VIN as well just to be sure. That said, its possible that the person/shop who repaired the car, painted it a different colour and changed the wheels and tires on it.

@Roberson, ask the seller for a picture of the placard in the driver's side door jamb and compare it with this one from the report you provided. If it's the same car, it should have the same colour code and wheel specifications. The rims on the blue CX-5 in your original post are 19x7 or 19x7.5.

Keep in mind that if the seller did change the paint and put new wheels on, they may also be trying to sell the car as a more expensive trim to get more money.

 

[wlong01]

Yes, I would double check the VIN as well just to be sure. That said, its possible that the person/shop who repaired the car, painted it a different colour and changed the wheels and tires on it.

@Roberson, ask the seller for a picture of the placard in the driver's side door jamb and compare it with this one from the report you provided. If it's the same car, it should have the same colour code and wheel specifications. The rims on the blue CX-5 in your original post are 19x7 or 19x7.5.

Keep in mind that if the seller did change the paint and put new wheels on, they may also be trying to sell the car as a more expensive trim to get more money.

Why would they change the rims and tires when all four on the wreck seem fine?

 

[sm1ke]

Why would they change the rims and tires when all four on the wreck seem fine?

Maybe to make it more appealing. Maybe the tires or rims needed to be changed due to wear or damage that isn't visible in the pictures. Maybe the seller is trying to sell the car as a higher trim in order to list it for a slightly higher price. Or maybe it's a combination of all of the above.