Editorial / Guides
Auction Buyer Guides
Salvage auctions trade in shorthand: COMP, OVR, DH, RD, NR. The vocabulary protects insiders and confuses newcomers. These guides translate the shorthand and document the patterns that matter -- title brands, damage taxonomy, VIN signals, multi-sale red flags. Built for buyers who would rather understand the data than ask the dealer.
Where to start
The glossary is the entry point: roughly 30 of the most common terms youll see in lot listings, title brands, condition reports and arbitration disclosures. Beyond the glossary, additional guides on title washing, recall lookups and rebuild economics are in progress and will be published as they are completed.
Available guides
Glossary of auction terms
30 definitions: title brands, damage codes, condition flags, auction lifecycle terminology. Bookmark this -- it answers most questions in one screen.
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Lemon cars at auction
Manufacturer buyback brands, multi-sale VIN patterns and the seven red flags every bidder should screen.
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VIN decoder
Decode WMI, model year and plant code from any 17-character VIN. Useful first pass before pulling a paid report.
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Upcoming
Planned for the next editorial cycle: title-washing detection across states, NMVTIS vs Carfax vs AutoCheck coverage gaps, rebuild economics for damage-by-damage cost curves, and Copart vs IAAI condition-report comparison.