The American secondary market is the largest and most diverse. The main reason for the vast selection of used cars is that Americans rarely repair cars, even after minor damages. Due to the high costs of auto services and numerous lucrative government and dealer programs, it is more cost-effective for Americans to sell a damaged car and buy a new one.
This situation allows you to profitably purchase any model you are interested in. However, you should first check the documents that accompanied the car to the insurance auction, particularly the certificate (Certificate Title). This aspect is as important as the year of manufacture, technical condition, or price. The type of document determines whether it is feasible to purchase a specific car for delivery to your country and whether exporting the car from the USA is possible at all. Letβs now review the types of documents available for cars at US insurance auctions, which are much more varied than just CLEAR TITLE, ORIGINAL, SALVAGE TITLE, BILL OF SALE/PART ONLY/NO TITLE, and JUNK TITLE.
WE HAVE ANALYZED AND EXAMINED ALL POSSIBLE DOCUMENT CATEGORIES.
ABANDONMENT PAPERWORK β Cars abandoned or confiscated in public or private areas.
ACQ BOS β A document that records the purchase. It is used during customs documentation processing.
AFFIDAVIT IN LIEU OF TITLE β Documents confirming the legal status of the seller or their property, issued by the seller.
APP FOR DUP CLEAR β There is a risk that instead of the original, a duplicate is presented.
BILL OF SALE β An invoice confirming the sale of a car. Without a certificate, it is impossible to transport the purchased goods from the USA. Suitable only for dismantling.
DESTRUCTION ONLY SALVAGE β Only electronic proof of sale is available;
PARTS ONLY β For dismantling only;
X2 β Sales invoice.
CERTIFICATE OF DESTRUCTION β The vehicle is designated solely for export from the United States or sale in parts. In US law, there is a category of damages that cannot be repaired, making vehicle operation in the country illegal.
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN β Issued for new cars or those with minimal mileage, often sent to Copart or Insurance after theft or confiscation due to unpaid fees.
CERTIFICATE OF TITLE β Proof of ownership identifying the vehicle owner.
CLEAR β Granted to cars with Salvage Title status after renovation, allowing for export from the United States. It has several varieties:
DEALER ONLY β Only dealers can purchase, not available to private buyers;
LESS THAN 75% (OR EQUAL TO 75%) β Requires repairs up to 75% (or more than 75%) of the car's market price;
ENDORSEMENT β Regenerated vehicles available for purchase by all participants.
COSMETIC TOTAL LOSS SALVAGE β Indicates completed repairs.
COURT ORDER β Court order if the vehicle was involved in legal proceedings.
FLOOD β Indicates damage from natural events (flood, hurricane, rain). Damage is difficult to assess as issues may not appear immediately but after several months of use.
JUNK (JUNK-ENDORSEMENT, JUNKING CERTIFICATE) β Documents for cars considered completely lost, which cannot be re-registered or operated in the country.
WI-JUNKED VEHICLE BILL OF SALE β Cars with such documents cannot be exported. Requires ordering THR.
LIEN PAPERS β The lot is auctioned to settle unpaid debt. No legal issues.
MASS DEALER β The seller is not an insurance company but a private individual.
MV-37 β Certificates issued for abandoned vehicles.
MV-51B β A document confirming ownership of a vehicle with the same name or explaining the absence of proof of ownership.
MV-907A β Collision certificate granting the owner the right to sell a vehicle that cannot be operated in the United States.
NON REPAIRABLE β Vehicles designated for disposal or export only.
ORIGINAL β Vehicles with low mileage or new, sold due to arrest, theft, or confiscation. More often bought by Americans than other nationals.
PARTS ONLY (ONLY BOS) β Lots without documents, export from the USA is not possible. Suitable only for sale as spare parts.
PERMIT TO SELL/DISMANTLE β Permit for selling/dismantling a vehicle for sale in the USA or abroad. Canadian cars through the USA.
PREVIOUS (PRIOR) SALVAGE β Recovered car after an accident or flooding.
RE-SALE FINANCE β Authorization for resale.
REBUILDABLE β Issued for damaged vehicles restored after sale and offered for resale.
REBUILT β Restored vehicle previously decommissioned.
REBUILT/RESTORED β Restored vehicles previously certified with Salvage Title. Often, old, low-quality parts are used for repairs. Thoroughly review the history before purchasing such lots to avoid re-repairing the vehicle.
RECOVERED THEFT (UNRECOVERED THEFT) β Cars returned after theft, but not to the owner, but to the insurance company. After compensation, the insurer sells the found car. These lots are sold by insurance companies on the insurance market without registration and export issues.
REPOSSESSED (DEALER ONLY, PAPERWORK) β Vehicles confiscated from the owner due to debt or overdue payments, with all necessary documents.
RESTORED β Another type of certificate confirming the removal of damages.
SALVAGE β The most popular certificate category at Copart, Insurance Auto Auction (IAAI), and Manheim. Indicates the car was confiscated and has damages (specified type). Issued in several formats: - 75% OR LESS, LESS THAN 75%, MORE THAN 75% β Indicates the repair cost percentage of the market value. In the first case, cars are bought for personal restoration, in the second, profitable purchase is possible only if the buyer is interested in parts; - DEALER ONLY β Lots available only to dealers who later repair and resell cars; - CERTIFICATE β Certificate confirming completed repairs; - NON-REB β Designation for cars that cannot be restored; - TITLE β Description of vehicles whose repair costs do not exceed 50% of the market value. - TITLE-DEALER β For dealer buyers only; - ENDORSEMENT β Vehicle after an accident, allowed for repair; - PARTS ONLY β Permission to sell vehicle parts that cannot be repaired; - SALVAGE/FLOOD β Certificates for cars affected by floods.
SCRAP β Permit for disposal. The car cannot be restored or sold for parts.
Certificates can be interpreted differently depending on the state in which they were issued.