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Salvage Rebuild Profit Calculator

A salvage car only looks cheap at the auction. Start from what it'll sell for with a branded title, add the parts, labor, inspection, and the months it ties up your cash, and see whether it makes money, the most you can bid, and how big a brand discount it can survive.

What it'll sell for
The buy
The rebuild
The hold
Numbers stay in the URL — bookmark a scenario or send it to your partner.

The money on a rebuild is made or lost before you fix anything

The brand discount is set the day the insurer totals the car, and every repair, fee, and week of waiting comes out of what's left. Once you buy, DealerVLO keeps the real numbers on the car: each cost goes on its own line with a vendor and an amount, they roll into the car's all-in cost and margin, and days in inventory count from the day you add it.

  • Per-car cost lines: buy fee, transport, parts, body shop, inspection fee, history report
  • All-in cost and margin on every car, updated as you spend
  • Days in inventory on every car, flagged at 60+ days
  • Fill your state's disclosure form from the deal and collect the buyer's e-signature
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Common questions

How much less is a rebuilt title car worth?▾
Kelley Blue Book says the industry rule of thumb is to deduct 20% to 40% of the Blue Book value for a salvage title, and that salvage vehicles really should be privately appraised. J.D. Power says a rebuilt title is typically worth 20 to 40 percent less than the same car with a clean title. The calculator defaults to 30%, the middle of that range. Run your deal at 20% and at 40% to see how much room you have.
How do I figure the most I should bid on a salvage car?▾
Work backward from the branded retail price, not forward from the bid. Take clean-title comps, take off the brand discount, take off your target margin, then subtract every cost that isn't the bid: auction fees, transport, parts, labor, the state's inspection and title fees, and the cost of money while the car is rebuilt, inspected, and sold. What's left is your max bid. The calculator solves it directly.
What is the break-even brand discount?▾
It's the discount off clean-title comps at which this car makes $0 after every cost. If your all-in cost is close to what the car would bring at a 20% discount, a buyer who expects 40% off wipes out the profit. A wide gap between the discount you assumed and the break-even discount is your margin for error.
Why does the hold matter more on a salvage car?▾
Because the clock starts at the auction, not when the car hits the lot. A rebuild adds repair time and the wait for the state's salvage inspection before the car can be titled and retailed, and fewer lenders finance branded titles, which can slow the sale. Enter the total days from purchase to sale, and the calculator charges your cost of money on everything you've spent for that whole stretch.
Why does the URL update with my numbers?▾
So you can save or share a scenario. Copy the page URL after you calculate. It carries every input, so a partner can open the same breakdown. Nothing is stored on our servers.
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