Thinking About Buying A 2WD V6 With Salvage Title

[cantornikolaos]

MY beloved 2000 Limited V8 AWD Explorer took a hit. A forklift driver hit me in the Walmart parking lot and did enough damage to prevent me from taking a trip I've been planning for almost a year. I'm looking at a few different options. I can either spend a $5-10k and get something as nice as what I have, and in the same age range, or I can get something really clapped-out and gross for $1.5k-3k. One vehicle I saw is a 2005 Explorer with a salvage title. It's an SC vehicle, so it's not rusted out. It has some minor cosmetic damage, but has been mostly repaired. There is a little bit of a dent in the hood. It was salvaged because of a minor collision. It's a 2WD V6 XLT model. That means 5R55 and 4.0 SOHC V6. It has 205 k miles. I've always been cautious around those engines, but it runs like a top. It's really quiet. No chain noise and no lifter noise. The oil is due for a change, but it doesn't look terrible. No forbidden glitter. The transmission shifts in and out of Reverse and Drive smoothly. It shifts through all the gears smoothly. It doesn't slam or clunk into reverse, or any other gears. It is quiet. I almost wonder if it and/or the engine have been rebuilt at some point because of how good they run.


If I do get it, my idea is to drive it around while I work on the 2000 Explorer, or while I look for a more long-term and older replacement. I want to be as good to it as I can while I'm driving it and sell it to its next owner with plenty of life still in it. I was not able to find maintenance history on this vehicle online., but it looks pretty good under the hood and I'm impressed with how well it runs and drives. Is it a good bet, or should I steer clear? With good maintenance, can I expect the engine and transmission to last? I'm confident in my 302 and 4R70W in the 2000 Explorer. Would it be a good idea to replace the transmission pan with a trickflow deep pan with a dipstick? I really am not a fan of not having a dipstick. Is it a 5R55S? There is a 5R55W, 5R55N, and 5R55S. I had a Third Gen Explorer in the past and really liked it. I had to rebuild the transmission around 205k miles, but otherwise it was good. I drove it 50k more miles before selling it.


It is being sold at a small father-and-son dealer and they don't have any information about the vehicle's history. Toyota of Greer ran it through an auction and they bought it. I am also interested in seeing if I can get the "salvage" brand taken off, and maybe branded as "rebuilt" or something like that.

 

[94Eddie]

With that engine and transmission it is a hard call as to whether to buy it, IMO. One thing it has going for it is being 2WD. This might mean the drive train has seen less stress and off road use. Being 2WD also makes front end repairs less expensive and the vehicle more reliable. If you haven't run a Carfax on it I think you should. It can tell accident information if it was reported, can give a lot of repair history and tell you where the car has lived its life. You can get a Carfax Report for $4.89 at this link. I have used it few times and it has worked fine.

 

[cantornikolaos]

With that engine and transmission it is a hard call as to whether to buy it, IMO. One thing it has going for it is being 2WD. This might mean the drive train has seen less stress and off road use. Being 2WD also makes front end repairs less expensive and the vehicle more reliable. If you haven't run a Carfax on it I think you should. It can tell accident information if it was reported, can give a lot of repair history and tell you where the car has lived its life. You can get a Carfax Report for $4.89 at this link. I have used it few times and it has worked fine.

Thanks! I saw that it's been a southern car all its life, and has been in SC for a while. It was branded a salvage in 2017. It received Left Front and Right Rear damage, like it was an Explorer sandwich! I see plenty of service records for oil changes and that sort of thing, but no mention of transmission service. I do suspect that maintenance was done that was not reported.

 

[94Eddie]

Thanks! I saw that it's been a southern car all its life, and has been in SC for a while. It was branded a salvage in 2017. It received Left Front and Right Rear damage, like it was an Explorer sandwich! I see plenty of service records for oil changes and that sort of thing, but no mention of transmission service. I do suspect that maintenance was done that was not reported.

Since it has lived its life in the south this is a huge plus. It should be fairly rust free. If it shows a lot of oil changes then look at the time interval between the changes. If there is a consistent interval for each owner they probably did this even if there are gaps in the record. The fewer the owners the better too. IMO, if the oil has been changed regularly and it has very low rust then the only unknown is the transmission. This doesn't mean there won't be an engine issue but it makes the likelihood much lower. If there is a way to get a sample of the transmission fluid then this could tell you if it has been changed recently or not at all. It the owners bothered to do regular oil changes then they likely did other maintenance as well. Also, make sure to do a cold start of the engine before buying it. Have someone start it and you stand outside with the hood up and list for rattles from the timing chains or any other noises.

 

[J_C]

I can either spend a $5-10k and get something as nice as what I have, and in the same age range, or I can get something really clapped-out and gross for $1.5k-3k. One vehicle I saw is a 2005 Explorer with a salvage title.

If I do get it, my idea is to drive it around while I work on the 2000 Explorer, or while I look for a more long-term and older replacement. I want to be as good to it as I can while I'm driving it and sell it to its next owner with plenty of life still in it.

Right now is not a good time to get an older SUV at a premium price, with the used vehicle market expected to correct itself before long, at least not for something you only plan to drive until you fix yours then resell.

You did not mention what the asking price was on this salvage 2005 205K mi vehicle. Low rust is a good thing, and a salvage title devalues a vehicle a lot less once it gets to be that age, but with the SOHC I wouldn't value it more than $3K and not even that if Covid hadn't happened. I mean private party sale, as a used car lot has to pay the rent/etc so there's some markup.

 

[Josh P]

Mileage is high enough that either the timing chains let go or the transmission leaves you walking.