A salvaged vehicle auction can get you into a good car for a great price

A salvaged vehicle is a vehicle that has been designated as a total loss motor vehicle by an insurance company.

A total loss motor vehicle is a vehicle that has sustained damages that would require more than 75% of the NADA value to repair it. If an insurance company declares the vehicle a total loss, then that insurance company takes ownership of the vehicle by getting a salvage title for it.

A salvaged car doesn't necessarily mean that the vehicle has been damaged in an accident. There are various ways that a vehicle may end up classified as salvaged, including:

• damage caused in an accident
• water damage that could be caused by flooding 
• hail damage that dents the car but it is still completely drivable

Most cars are auctioned off through registered auction houses and they usually sell only to registered car dealers and dismantlers. There are companies that help get around this stipulation by working as an agent of their company.

If you're looking for salvaged cars online, you can find individuals that auction them off at eBay Motors under the search term "salvage".

And, of course, there are other places to look for car auction deals other than with a salvaged vehicle auction.