On September 8, 2014, Hunter Stuart, a business contributor on the Huffington Post, released an article titled “1 million used cars are hiding a terrible secret”. Many of these vehicles on the road are essentially scrap cars and junk cars. Rather than these vehicles being sold to a junk car buyer or vehicle scrapper, the problems are cosmetically repaired with the intent on passing the vehicle off as a solid used car. The motivation for this is that a junk car quote from a junk car buyer is probably only a couple hundred dollars. They do not wish to sell a junk car for a low price, when it can be sold for much more.
Stuart states that “criminals have devised ways to artfully conceal structural damage on used cars, allowing vehicles to be sold for a profit even though they may have been shoddily rebuilt after an accident or submerged in water during a hurricane. When insurance companies write off a vehicle as a ‘total loss’ after an accident or other event like a flood or hail storm, the law in most states requires the vehicle’s title to be given a “brand.” That brand marks the car as damaged goods to all potential owners, but there are ways for it to be washed away. In the old days, it was done with chemicals. Now, photo editing software & digital scanners are used to print new titles. Or, cars can simply be re-registered in different states until the brand falls away. Because there is no national titling law, incongruous state laws create opportunities for scammers to “title wash” wrecked cars, (otherwise junk cars) making them appear undamaged. The scam appears to happen on a large scale: According to the vehicle history provider CarFax, 800,000 cars in the U.S. — including at least 500 taxis — have been “title washed” to conceal their troubled histories.”
Cleveland Scrap Cars is a junk car buyer based in Cleveland, OH. As a vehicle scrapper, we are where to sell a junk car and offer a quick junk car quote 7 days a week. Our scrap car pricing can vary based on vehicle description, so get a junk car quote today by calling 216-282-JUNK.