Make sure you get a Carfax or other title search reports if you are buying a used car. It will give the entire history of the auto.
Most dealerships will already have one. Especially on something that is less than ten years old.
Anything listed on the internet will state whether it has a CLEAR/CLEAN title or not. This means is has not had any major accidents. Sometimes it will list that it has had a small accident. Like a fender bender that has been repaired. IF it has a SALVAGE title that means it was in a major accident and the insurance company declared that the value of the vehicle was less than the cost to repair it.
This can also happen in the case of a flood like a hurricane. A friend bought a brand new Saab Convertible years ago that had a Salvage Title. It had been flooded during a hurricane in Texas when it was brand new at the dealers lot. He bought it for a huge discount. He replaced the carpets and drove it for 250m miles. He and his wife drove it and all three of his kids.
Our recent experience was also that you could see pictures of the salvaged vehicle, as to dents and damages, etc. I once had a car that had substantial damage, but not quite enough to be totaled (was Tboned on a downtown street). It was repaired, and I ended up keeping and loving that car for another 10+ years. Just supporting that some salvage vehicles might actually be good buys, but get 2nd and 3rd opinions as to the damages and repairs.