AI DamageVideo guide · 02:34
Title: 10 brands on US car documents
Subtitles: full voice-over text. An English version with its own audio track and subtitles is available.
The document type affects the price and whether the car can be registered at all. Some brands, such as Non-repairable or Certificate of Destruction, mean the car will never return to the road in the US.
What to check before you bid
- Read the document type on the lot page.
- Ask your broker whether the document will be accepted at customs clearance.
- Compare the price with the same cars that have a clean document.
3D illustration: VW Golf 8 GTI, GT Cars: Hyperspeed (CC BY). The documents are schematic, with no real data.
Title rules depend on the state, and whether documents are accepted for customs clearance depends on the broker. Check for each specific lot.
Read more in the guideOn-screen text
Text from the checked video frames. The time marks the observed frame, not the exact scene boundary. Translated from Ukrainian.
00:00
TITLE Total loss, salvage, rebuilt. At a US auction, a car's document matters as much as the damage. It decides the price, export and registration back home. Let's go through the ten brands you come across most often.
00:17
01 · Clean First, a clean title, with no brands. That does not mean the car has not been in an accident. It means the insurer did not declare it a total loss, or the repair was done without the insurer.
00:29
02 · Salvage Second, salvage. The insurer declared the car a total loss: the repair costs more than a threshold set against the market price. The threshold depends on the state. Such a car can be repaired, but the price and the rules will be different.
00:44
03 · Rebuilt Third, rebuilt. A former salvage car that was repaired and passed a state inspection. The brand stays in its history for good.
00:54
04 · Non-repairable Fourth, non-repairable, or parts only. In the issuing state such a car can no longer be put back on the road. Before you bid, check whether it can be cleared through customs and registered in your country.
01:07
05 · Certificate of Destruction Fifth, a certificate of destruction. This is the harshest brand: the car is meant to be dismantled. The rules for such documents vary, so this is a question for your broker before the bid, not after.
01:21
06 · Flood Sixth, the flood brand. Not every state applies it, and not always. So the absence of the word Flood on the document is no guarantee that the car has not been under water.
01:33
07 · Bill of Sale Seventh, a bill of sale only, with no title. This is how older cars are sold in some states. It may not be enough for export and registration.
01:44
08 · Title pending Eighth, the document is still on its way. The title is promised to be sent later. That means a delay, and sometimes the risk that the document arrives with a different brand.
01:55
09 · Not actual mileage Ninth, the mileage is not accurate or exceeds the odometer's limit. The real mileage is unknown, and that hits the resale price.
02:05
10 · Export only Tenth, export only. The car cannot be registered in the US; it is sold to be exported. Check that such a document will be accepted at customs clearance.
02:16
Before you bid What to do before you bid: read the document type on the lot page, ask your broker whether it will be accepted at customs clearance, and compare the price with the same cars that have a clean document. A breakdown of the brands is at vinwind.com.