Salvage Titles (CA), do they bother you? Options

[McMark]

I'm trying to get my green venison car ready to sell. I've been thinking of building an engine for it and trying to sell it as a runner. I think I could make it into a $4-$5k car (new paint, new engine, good tranny, decent interior, guranteed* no rust) but the problem is that it has a salvage title from when I hit the deer.

How does finding out a car has a salvage title affect your purchasing?






* If you find rust within 6 months, I fix it free labor.

[Joe Bob]

Depends on the state it is registered in....insurance can be difficult to get.

[SLITS]

I have bought 3 cars with "salvage titles". I also knew the story behind tham and why they were titled that way. Didn't cause me any concern. Now, if I were out of state and had no recourse for information, I would probably think twice unless I could inspect the vehicle thoroughly.

[Ferg]

I would never buy a salvage title street car, race car,it depends. my two cents...
Ferg

[seanery]

I agree with Ferg.

Most banks won't loan on a Salvage Title either.

[GTeener]

I agree with Ferg.

Most banks won't loan on a Salvage Title either.

The salvage title on my car didn't affect me in getting a bank loan.

[bondo]

I have a 914 with a salvage title, and the only trouble I've had is with selling it. It's probably more because it's made of two cars than the salvage title itself. It also looks like hell, that might have something to do with it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[neo914-6]

My car has a salvage title and didn't have a problem with insurance probably because it's old age. The salvage title concerns many buyers so resale is usually lower. Anyone know the criteria where a car get's classified as "Salvage"???

I've seen lot's of rebuildable wrecks on eBay w/o salvage titles. Either the insurance or the state has loose salvage criteria.

Mine was non-running at the time and there was lots of rust at only 8 years old at the time. I think it originated from a salt road state or just had many years of neglect in CA.

Felix

[GTeener]

Anyone know the criteria where a car get's classified as "Salvage"???

It's my understanding that if the car's title is held by a salvage yard, it gets the salvage title. Doesn't mean the car is trash though...

[Carlitos Way]

I have seen salvage title applied to "non-running" cars because they could not pass smog. Generally speaking (in California), cars that are 30 years or newer are required to pass a SMOG inspection (aka State Rip-off). The car could be in perfect condition cosmetically, but have a blown motor, and that could make it a salvage title.

I personally avoid buying a car with a salvage title, merely because of the "what ifs"

[Andy]

I think it depends on the state for specific regs, but...

In CO they issue salvage titles on anything sold as "totaled" (as the title was transfered while it was technically not a motor vehicle, it was parts) as well as anything you need a title re-issue/recovery on, or as said if you can't make it take/pass an emissions test (though you can just wait until it can to transfer title as well) - I had to do it on a motorcycle I had a couple years back, one guy had started racing it and it changed hands several times as a non-road vehicle before it came to me, and I couldn't find the registered owner to transfer to title so they had a bunch of hoops to jump through to have a salvage title issued for me.

Something that some states have done in the past though is to "suspend" titles for vehicles that haven't been registered for a period of time. Say you take a couple years to restore a car that was running and it didn't change hands but you didn't pay for plates during this time so they make it a salvage title when you register it again because it didn't have continous registration. This may have changed though - the only reason I heard about is car guys enraged about it.

That's about all I have about it, for me I'd want to know how it got it's salvage title - that old bike got one without ever being wrecked or inoperable, in my opinon my sister's old VW literally was totalled but the insurance company elected to weld together two cars to put it back together but because it never changed hands it still had a normal title.

[lapuwali]

Generally speaking (in California), cars that are 30 years or newer are required to pass a SMOG inspection

Not anymore, but that's a separate issue...

Salvage means, as stated, that a salvage yard held the car at some time. It can something pretty minor (stolen and never recovered by the owner), to middling (flood damage, where the car was only partially submerged for a couple of days), to pretty major (car is assembled from several cars). Even the latter could be considered minor for most 914s.

Good thing about salvage titles is the car is cheap for the buyer. Bad thing about salvage titles is the car is cheap for the seller. It certainly means more care needs to be taken in the inspection stage of buying, but I'd not disqualify it. I had a truck with a salvage title that ran well for quite some time.

Licensing a salvage title car for the first time (and perhaps on all subsequent sales) does require an extra brake and light inspection, to ensure the brakes and all of the lights work.

[Toast]

My 1986 Toyota truck has a salvage title and it is a great truck! I have had two different insurance companies insure it with no questions asked. And it passes smog.

I personally dont have a problem with a salvage title as long as I know the story behind it.
My truck was purchased at Pick a Part, complete. It was purchased at an auction. The owner's daughter (who no longer works there) processed the paperwork wrong.

[Toast]

Licensing a salvage title car for the first time (and perhaps on all subsequent sales) does require an extra brake and light inspection, to ensure the brakes and all of the lights work.

I did not have to do an brake and light inspection. Of course I live in a different county too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[Howard]

About the only time I see a salvage title in CA is when an insurance company has declared the car a 'constructive total loss' and buys it from the owner/bank. You give them the pink slip, they give you the $$. This usually does not present any problems with a newer car, but if you have an old gem, make sure to get 'stated value' coverage. That's another subject.
They then usually auction the car and the buyer does what he will. He may buy it for its parts or to fix the damage and keep or resell. Bad news: Insurance companies are notoriously cheap, so if they don't think it's worth fixing, you may be getting a dog. We've all followed cars down the road that don't point exactly straight ahead (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) Good news: The car may have been stolen and recovered more than 30 days later with little or no damage. In CA, the insurance company has to pay the owner if it's not recovered within 30 days. So a perfectly good car is for sale cheap.
The biggest problem is resale or if you have an insurance claim. Dealers will rarely buy them, and insurance companies will usually discount the value by 25% or more.

I'm sure someone will have a story completely different from this, so this is just a guide, and only in CA.

[Trekkor]

I had a old VW Rabbit years ago. Very ugly but fast and reliable.
Guy behind me rear ends me and does minor damage.
Insurance totals and I buy back.
Pound out dent and replace tailight and bumper.
It becomes a salvage. Nothing really changed, though.

I'll buy any car that passes my inspection.

You have no idea what's been done to any car unless you are the original owner. Inspect and buy at will.

KT

[markb]

I agree with many who say they have no problem as long as they know the story of how & why it got the salvage title. Since you seem to have documented what it looked like after the run-in with the deer, and as long as the buyer can look at them and make his decision, I would think it should be no big deal.

[McMark]

I haven't heard of the "salvage yard = salvage title" scenario. Maybe that's only in other states. I've only heard of them from when the cost of repair is higher than the value of the car it's totaled by the insurance co. and gets a salvage title.

I just wanted to get a feeling for how the general consensus thought. Seems like it might be worth investing the money to build the engine and paint the car.

If anyone is looking for a car and likes the sound of this one let me know. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Trekkor]

Mark, Mark...Mark?

A new engine, good trans, good interior, new paint and rust free* is worth $7-8K all day long. Don't throw the market!

Salvage means nothing to the *right* buyer.

KT

[Gint]

IN Colorado, and in my actual experience, a car totalled by an insurance company will get a salvage title. And although I've never done it, it has been said that if the car is repaired to previous condition before the total, you can have the salvage label removed from the title.

I would buy a salvage title car under some circumstances. As others have said, if I knew what caused the salvage label and I knew that the car had been reapired properly, no sweat. But I would also try to get a normal title under those circumstances.

You have to remember though, as has also been stated in this thread, that a salvage title limits your market for the vehicle. Because a lot of people won't buy a car with a salvage title. And that would also dictate what I would spend for one. Or expect to receive for one as a seller.

But you obviously already knew that...