Junk: Similar to salvage title, some states use this title to indicate a vehicle is not road worthy and should not be titled again, according to CarFax. Run away from any vehicle with a junk title unless you’re buying it solely for parts.
Rebuilt/Reconstructed: You’d have to be getting an extremely good deal to buy a car with this kind of title. It’s usually a salvage vehicle that has been fixed. As CarFax points out, they’re usually fixed with refurbished parts. Not all states require an inspection before the car returns to the road – yikes!
Fire/Flood: Never buy a car that has been water logged or burned. It’s just not worth it, regardless of how great the price is.
Hail Damage: This rarely indicates a mechanical problem – unless the car’s hood was left open during a hail storm. This points to potential problems with the body and paint that could lead to rust and other metal fatigue issues. A decision to buy a hail car should only be done in consultation with your mechanic.
Buyback/Lemon: Just because a car doesn’t have this kind of title doesn’t mean there weren’t problems with it. Not all states issue buyback titles when a manufacturer takes a car back from a consumer. Also, lemon law thresholds vary by state. Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security on this.
Not Actual Mileage: This means the seller has certified that the odometer reading doesn’t match the vehicle’s true mileage. Could be because of a new engine. It could also mean the odometer was tampered with, broken or replaced, according to CarFax.
Exceeds Mechanical Limit: This sounds worse than it is. Simply means if a vehicle reads 45,148 miles and it’s 15 years old it has a five-digit odometer and the actual mileage is 145,148.
