bartosz

I found an affordable Honda Civic from 2008 with 33,000 miles that was claimed as total loss by an insurance company. It was restored by the current owner, who had then driven it for the last 2 years. According to the seller, the only damaged parts were the passenger side door, and front right and rear right bumper. The engine was not damaged, the airbags don't seem like they deployed. It runs perfectly.

My question is, should I look elsewhere? If a car looks brand new, is very clean, runs smooth, and is priced very affordably, maybe it is a good deal nonetheless.

ezone

Probably needs to be half of book value or less because of the salvage title.
Expect the same if/when you try to sell it.

Get it inspected by a good and observant mechanic you trust before you buy it.
We do this at the dealer, and we know the cars. (I know this isn't always the case everywhere.)
Might even have a good bodyman look too, mechanics aren't normally looking for body related problems unless they are lit up like a Neon sign.
Inspection fee is a small price to pay, compared to making a real expensive mistake.

Be ready for darn near anything to happen. Shoddy repair work is easy to hide.