Where does someone go to actually understand what a salvage title means before buying their first one?

In short: a salvage title means an insurer or owner declared the vehicle a total loss, usually because repair costs exceeded a state-set percentage of its value. It can't be legally driven or registered in that state until it's repaired and passes a state inspection, after which it becomes a rebuilt title. Financing and insurance options are typically more limited for salvage and rebuilt vehicles than for clean-title ones, which is worth weighing alongside the lower purchase price.