Wrecked TRD PRO

Yeah there's clearly something we don't see.

 

I've got a bit of experience buying wrecks from wrecked auction sites. My last 5 Toyota trucks were purchased wrecked.

I've not seen much scavenging of parts on vehicles waiting to be sold. The vehicles are in locked and bonded auction yards. No one touches these vehicles. Only looking and pictures are done to them. If the vehicle can be started, the yard will do this. Purchasers do nothing but look or bid and buy. The present owner can take after market items WITH the insurance companies permission, but it has to be before it makes it to the auction yard.

I will admit that every damn truck I bought, the jack and lug wrench are missing along with floor mats. I dunno why, but that is always the case.

As mentioned above, the wrecked Toyota trucks do command a premium. I expect to pay $2k more for a Toyota truck vs a domestic truck with similar damage, age and miles. I does irritate me, but it is what it is.

This truck will get top dollar for the purchase of it wrecked. It will remain to be seen if it is considered a total or can be a clear titled vehicle. It looks to me a very easy fix.

The deciding process if the vehicle is totaled or repaired is pretty odd, in my opinion. I won't even guess if this is going to be totaled.

As an example; the 2 trucks in my signature pic are both wrecks that I rebuilt. The Tundra has a salvage title and the Tacoma has a clear title. The Tundra was a very easy fix. The Tacoma was one of the worse rebuilds that I have done, but it had a clean title. It was pretty messed up.

 

Do you have a dealers license?

 

No. I have contact with a dealer who lets me use his for $100 per vehicle.

Because I buy and fix these for my own use, it isn't worth it to become a dealer. I rebuild a truck an the average, every 4 years. It's my hobby. Some people go to the casino to gamble, I buy a truck that may or may not run. Been batting 1000 so far.

 

Koditten how much money do you figure you save by doing that and how many hours of work are put into it?

 

Oh makes sense
Even still that's a cool hobby. I Wish I had more money and time to do something like that.

 

I have receipts for everything I purchase, but I don't want to spoil it for myself by doing the math. Hobbies cost money and I'm okay looking at it like a hobby. I can give you some quick numbers that I recall.

The Tundra cost me $13500 to buy it. I paid a frame shop to pull the frame straight (diamond shaped slightly) and to weld in the new core support. The CS was $300. 2, used doors cost me around $900, all the coolers was another $400, grill and lights were around $250, driver air bag was $200 and another $150 to have the SRS ECU reflashed and seat belt rebuilt. I think I had $90 into my fabbed up bumper. There were some other small items that may or may not add up to another $500, like paint, aftermarket fog and off road lights. I figure I had about $16k into the Tundra. I thought that was a pretty good price for a 2 yr old truck with less than 40k on the odometer.

The Tacoma was $5500. Again $500 to pull the frame. After that, I can't really do any math. I used parts off my wore out '98 Tacoma to rebuild the '04. My labor is hard to put a price on. Its what I like to do, so no charge can be added.

The savings are worth it to me, the only disadvantage is that these vehicles need to be purchased with cash. Most banks will not loan money to buy a wrecked vehicle. Of course one can do a signature loan and refinance it to an auto loan after the vehicle is rebuilt.