Just curious if anyone has bought or sold a 914 with a salvage title....Is it worth substantiallly less because it is a "salvage repair"? Is it even worth spending money on a "salvage car"?

Im looking for info from all parts of the US but I live in the Seattle area if that actually makes a difference?

Thanks...

Steve

I had a Dakota with a salvage title. It was worth 50% of low blue book.
I got it for free, fixed it for $350.00 and drove it for 80,000 miles.

A salvage title car is ALWAYS worth less than one without a salvage title. But a salvage title isn't always bad. It doesn't take much to total one of these cars nowadays. If you are looking at a salvage title car, be sure and find out exactly how it was wrecked and the quality of the repair. If repaired properly, a salvage title car can be a very good deal.

When I put a 914 on the road years ago that hadn't been on the road for some years before that, the CA DMV gave me a salvage title without asking if it was actually salvaged. I figured it was just an easier way for them to deal with the fact that it hadn't been registered for awhile. Granted the car wasn't worth much because it was my first (and only) effort at a restoration. But I drove the car for 65,000 miles.

i got into an incident while driving my mom's cougar turbo coupe last year. it now has a salvage title due to basic panel repair costs exceeding the value of the car. i don't know if that will carry over when i put the car in my name.

It depends on the reason for the salvage title. I bought the Bumblebee Racer from a member here with a salvage title. He had bought it at auction with a salvage title. The reason for the salvage title is that the car had been in a flood. Only part of the car got wet and the engine was a total mess due to water inside and the fact that an idiot had rebuilt it... When I considered the well documented reasons that the car had a salvage title I had no problem paying the asking price. When I sold the car, I got my asking price which was more than I had purchased the car for.

With that said, a salvage title car can be a real pain to register. In California, you must first have a CHP inspection where they take the car out of your sight and go over it looking for signs of reassembly with stolen parts. This is not really a problem with the 914 as the numbered and documented process they are using postdates the 914. Unless you put in a 3.6 liter flat six! The second step is to have a brake and light inspection. I found that the certified stations are hard to find and some that are listed have given it up because the State is a pain in the arse... I never actually got the car through the Brake and Light as the Ebrake was not hooked up and the interior light didn't work. I am not the kind of person who has time to "richard" around with appointments to deal with people who tell me my interior light isn't bright enough.

California is one of a number of States that has an emigrant population that make a living salvaging and rebuilding cars. A small number of them would not hesitate to steal parts or cut corners that could cause you a problem with the car you purchase. I go down to the pick and pull on occasion and each time I have lately, they are busting guys for throwing parts over the fence to their friends.

I guess the moral is to know why the car is salvage titled. Sometimes it can be as simple as a 914 that someone backed into. File a claim and the insurance adjuster totals it. Unintended consequence is a salvage title. Regardless of what Excellence says our cars are worth, the insurance industry thinks they are nearly worthless.

Finding out why it was salvaged is a big deal; IMO, you should find it out because it gives you an idea for what to check if you decide to purchase the car. Then again this is coming from a guy who doesn't trust anybody he doesn't know w/ repairs. I'm a big "do it yourselfer" and if I'm looking at a salvaged car, I wanna know what was repaired/replaced so if I decide to buy it, I can do my own testing and what not to see if it's actually in good shape.

Just bear in mind that, when dealing w/ a salvage car, it's entirely possible that corners were cut and things weren't always repaired the way they should be. And it's because whoever is selling it is trying to make a profit on the car, so they will do whatever they can to repair it cheap to make their money.

Please tell me you've at least moved out of the house.

My 914 has a salvaged title. I don't care, but yes, it makes it worth much less money because it is badged.

yeah i've finally moved out. when i was finished with the offending party's ins co they paid a good deal more than they thought they were going to have to. you can never tell that the pass siderear quater was damaged.