How to pick up a salvage car if you’re outside of the U.S.

Are you looking for a car or motorcycle and can’t come up with the amount you need? A vehicle from a salvage auction could be a perfect way out for you. Fortunately, the American used and salvage auto market is impressive in scale and open to buyers from all around the world. We understand that sometimes a lot of fears may accompany off-site purchases and the same question bothers every buyer: “Is it really cost-effective to buy a salvage vehicle?” There isn’t a single definitive answer, plenty of factors influence the final cost. But you can take a couple of simple steps to make your purchase advantageous.

Review customs clearance rules

The first step is to check the custom clearance rules. Some countries have a bunch of restrictions related to import cars. A higher tax may be applied for old cars and vehicles with larger engine displacement. Every so often, even the fuel type influences the rate. Besides, it’s necessary to calculate the approximate delivery cost for the preferred vehicle type. Based on this information, you can decide what vehicle is better to opt for or if customs and clearance fees, along with shipping, are more than the vehicle is worth in the first place.

Prepare a list of vehicle specifications

To help narrow down your search, you should make a list of vehicle specifications that you’re looking for. That will assist you to get a more detailed picture of your car: make, model and year, style, color, and so forth. For instance, it’s crucial to determine the kind of fuel you prefer to drive and set affordable fuel consumption. Also, you can take into account the custom clearance rules and set engine type and tank size. All online auctions allow customers to set preferences to make searching easier.  

Estimate the cost of repairs 

It’s essential to assess the vehicle’s damage and estimate the cost of repairs. There are services that can help provide that information. However, if you’re going to ship a vehicle abroad, a very important point is to figure out if all significant parts and professional mechanics who specialize in such cars are available in your country. It can be pretty expensive and problematic to order parts from overseas if they aren’t readily available.

Check the vehicle’s history 

The last but not the least is to review the vehicle’s history to see if the seller tried to hide any accidents, odometer rollback, open recalls, etc. Today, there’s no need to conduct an investigation on your own. When getting your ClearVIN VIN Check Report, you can be sure the car info by VIN provided there is up-to-date and relevant. Apart from all mentioned above, before making a decision, consumers are strongly encouraged to obtain an independent vehicle inspection to ensure the vehicle’s description matches its real condition if they aren’t able to see the vehicle in person.