No, never. And unless the seller is a professional, you don’t know the standard of work carried out or whether there’s hidden damage that has been concealed. As others have said, resale may also prove tricky.

Just wondering if anyone here would buy a damaged and repaired salvage car for 35% off the retail price?

I presume you don't mean off the price of a NEW car, but two-thirds of what you would expect to pay for an undamaged, unrepaired used car ?

If the price is modest, and the car has passed (say) two annual MoT's since being repaired, and you trust the seller to have told you the full story, with bills for the work - I just might. If the work is recent, so it looks like a 'patch it up and get rid' job, no, I wouldn't.

It depends on the age of the car and the type of repair.

#1 - I had one car written off by the insurance, for a damage to the tail light and bumper. It was an older car, but it was a scam by the insurance company, as they keep my insurance premium (so I paid 12 months insurance, but the accident happened 1 month into the policy). They wanted to keep the remainder of the 11 months of the insurance premium. They claimed they had paid out, so insurance policy would be cancelled. Plus, I had a £350 excess.... So not only do they keep my 12 month insurance premium, but they also keep my car (which had minor damage), they also deduct the £350. So if I bought a replacement car, I would have to buy a brand new 12 month insurance policy, plus my premiums would be jacked up due to loss of no claims bonus. Insurance companies are crooks.

#2 - Back in 2016, I bought a 4 year old car, but found it was making a noise changing into second gear. Found an invoice for a bumper change in the glove box. Contacted previous owner (prior to purchase), who told me it was a great car and that I should buy it. He did tell me the car had hit a lamppost. When I contacted him again about the gear change noise, he did n't respond. The car dealer (supermarket), was going to carry out a number of repairs to fix the noise (I forget now). I rejected the car, as they were going to put in non-original parts, invalidating the manufacturer's warrantee.

Edited by Warning on 16/02/2021 at 13:22

Well, it depends. My last car was written off with very minor panel damage. We could have continued driving the car quite safely without even bothering to repair it. But a couple of secondhand panels (or someone willing to knock the dents out) could easily have seen it back in perfect condition. A new car that's been written off probably had extensive damage. An older car could be written off with something as minor as a dented door.

If it is only light damage, then probably ok . Anything with airbags deployed, water damage, stolen recovered probably not - too many problems potentially.

As mentioned selling it on can be a problem, the trade avoid them and private punters may be put off . If you are going to run it into the ground then fair enough - any insurance payout on a further claim will be low and may attract investigation.

Finally make sure you can insure it at a sensible price- some cheap insurers we use now wont quote.