19WS6T/A91

im looking at a 91 z28 right now, it has a salvaged title, the guy wants 2500 for it. what is the deal with a salvaged title? will i have problems insuring it? what are the catches, in other words, to having a car with a salvaged title?

thanks,

david

TekViper

salvaged means it has been declared "totalled" at some point and has been in a major accident. id stay away, and 2500 sounds like a lot for a car w/ salvage title. plus if u ever needed to sell it you probably wont get as much back for it.

19WS6T/A91

i realize that it means the car has been declared totalled, im just wondering if i will face insurance problems with it? or any other problems for that matter. i also realize i wont be able to get very much out of it.

thanks,

david

cg91ta

The rules vary from state to state. You won't have a problem insuring it, only getting money from the insurance should something happen to it.

Some states require extra inspections or other hoops to jump through for salvaged titled cars.

You probably would be better off putting the money in a savings account and collecting the 1% interest and spendin that on a car w/o a salvaged title.

My $.02

Spdfrk1990

salvage title mean no buy for me

Mikes86SC

salvage title=parts car

FSTFBDY

iTrader: (33)

If you like the car and It looks and checks out ok Get it.

You will not be able to get FULL cov. Ins. since it was already TOTALLED once. (again Depends on the state.)

You will have to have it Inspected by the DMV and provide receipts showing what car was used to fix this one.

if you plan to keep the car for awhile and not try and make a buck off it. go for it.

If your worried about not getting your $2500 back if you deside to sale it Thing twice and make sure you want the car.

3.1EyeCandy

iTrader: (3)

Well, from what he's told me - the car is a 91 Z28 L98. And looks fantastic. Which means it's been fixed after totalled...does this change the equation any?

SHAGME

It could have been a fire or flood and messed up the motor or the frame couldve been messed up run a car fax on it. Ive bought a few salvage title cars b4 but I knew the reasons for it. I never bought one that had the frame pulled out after it was crushed once I wouldnt trust it to hold up in a bad accident. but if its in good shape and it was the motor that was the reason for it being totaled, then it would be worth buying. cost u more to fix up a car then that.

dmair5_0

I work for an insurance company. I know a lot of insurance co's including mine won't provide comp/collision on a car with a salvage title. Like stated above, varies from state to state, but you may want to look into it before you make the purchase.

If you do manage to get physical damage coverage on it, and you get into an accident and total it again. You can figure 25% less on your return. Meaning if the actual cash value of the vehicle is $4000, you could plan on getting $3000. Even if it isn't your fault in the accident and you try to file thru the other insurance company, you'll get the same.

Just some things to think about.

bluegrassz

iTrader: (3)

well first off, we are putting more money in these cars than theya are worth anyways. Not to mention resaleing them even with a good title.

A rebuit car is not always a bad investment. It depends on what damage was done and if it was fixed right. They are only new once, dosent matter if it was wrecked or not.

If the car was fixed right, and it is in good working order then buy it. You shouldnt have any problems with insurance, but I would check with the company you plan on using.


Hey may car is a rebuild and runs straight as a arrow. I rebuild cars for myself and get them alot cheaper. When Im done, I know what I have because I did the work myself.

As far as bent frames, If done "right" the repair can be stronger then it was from the factory. like I said if done "RIGHT".

19WS6T/A91

the car does look fantastic, the guy is willing to pay for whatever else it takes to make it pass the inspection for a new title. the car was wrecked in the front, damage only went as far as the lower rad support.

Matt

my friend own a junkyard and fixes cars all the time and makes double or triple his money back. All he does is call the Michigan DOT to have them inspect it and gets a clean title.
Matt

19WS6T/A91

well it doesnt really matter anymore.... the car is sold

FRDH8R

Well, even though the car is already sold, I'll add my 2 cents.

Even with a Salvaged Title, it DOES NOT mean that the car was even in an accident! All that it means is that whatever happened to the car, whether it be an accident, or the car was stolen and stripped, would cost more to fix than what the car is worth.

The thing you want to check out when looking at salvaged titles is the FRAME. When trying to get a good deal on a salvaged title, have the frame inspected and make sure it's straight. My two cents.

Oh by the way, my WS6 is Salvaged. $1500

dgravois

iTrader: (2)

well, i love my totalled camaro convertible. I paid $2000 for mine and i DROVE IT from booneville, ms to memphis, tn. it had damage to the driver's quarter and bumper. the ins. co. totalled the car because it was more to repair the car than the worth. i hope they keep totalling them 'cuz i am now looking for an escalade ext and a 98 thru 02 T/A.......

The_Maniac

iTrader: (2)

A salvage title is not good, but it does not mean the ride is HORRIBLE....

Keep in mind, it all depends on the AGE of WHEN it was salvaged... For instance, it some destroys the fender on my '84 Z28 today, well, geez, blue book on the car jack squat, to replace and finish a new fender is almost the cost of the car, insurance may see it as a total loss....
That only a for instance....

A friend of mine a year ago bought a sweet '89 Turbo Trans Am. Car rides and drives like a dream (nice and fast).... Car looks mint... In the time he has had it, he's noticed the one fendor is just a little off the alignment, he later had it on a car lift and said the underside was VERY clean (but a couple of ding marks on part of it). We recently CarFaxed it and found in 1995 it had a salvage title put onto it.... Is the car JUNK??? NO! Short of normal wear-and-tear for a '89 TA with 45K miles on it, it's AWESOME!

I had a friend buy-back his totalled Ford Probe from insurance when we were in High School. Him and his dad made it road worthy (for a Ford) and had the state re-title out of salvage and to this day (about 5 years later) car still runs and only problems are normal maintenance and looks as good as when he bought it.....

Heck, if I had high enough insurance, my '84 Z28 would have been a total and written as a salvage (as far insurance knows it was an accident and since the Z28 only had liability nothing changed).... And since my Camaro has been repaired, I do not believe I have had any problems with it related to the accident (just old age).... Judge for yourselves:



The bottom line is that the car can be repaired and be terrific. But you have to research why it was salvaged and KNOW what you're looking at. Be nosey, find out was done on it.... Each salvage reason is unique.... And don't pay an unreasonable price (the salvage does decrease the value)....

87-5.7iroc-z

My car now has a slavage title. Hail damage. Had insurance company give me itemized estimate to prove it. 27 dings and it is totaled. still runs like a champ. straight as an arrow.will take 40 mile an hour turns at 75. bought it back for $300. going to paint it now and put on a jongbloed hood. If you ike the car and is drives good, then get it.

gtabadboy

DO NOT GET IT!!!
I had a mercedes with a salvage title. It was considered totalled as someone said already. You can insure it and the insurance company will insure the book value and the car. On the other hand it has to go through a state check to see that it is driveable. All the fluids must be changed and any problems that it had will have to be fixed. You will never get rid of this car if you decide to down the road. If its for parts then yes get it. If not def do not get it! I regretted my purchase to this day and will never get another one... My benz was totalled.

GTA400SBC

my buddy goes to salvage auctions every week and finds some good deals.for instance he bought a 99 corvette in 2001 for $14,000
the car had 4,800 miles on it. he had to take it to a state inspection center where he had to prvide receipt's for everything that was changed. whoever bought it new turned the traction control off dumped the clutch and ended up down in a ditch it ripped the oil pan broke the front bumper cover, hood, fenders and bent one or the frame rails. but the two front frame frails unbolt from the frame and he bought one from GM along with the bumper and fenders ,hood installed everything then put it on a frame machine everything was good to go, had it painted now he has a 99 Vette with just over 5,000 miles for $14,000

Meat Curtains

A rebuit car is not always a bad investment. It depends on what damage was done and if it was fixed right. They are only new once, dosent matter if it was wrecked or not.

Sorry, but you're wrong. A rebuilt car might not always be a bad purchase, if you plan to keep it yourself, and can convince yourself that it's ok to drive a car that is considered too bad to fix. But buying any car with a salvage title, or that has a history of damage (that's verified by CarFax) for the purpose of an investment is a TERRIBLE idea. An investment is generally something that will gain value over time, not lose it. Any car, be it a Camaro, Corvette, Mustang, etc. will be worth more if it has no damage history.

People are able to find these "great deals" on cars like the Corvette mentioned above this post, due to the fact that even though cars like this might be almost as good as new, it's value WILL NOT hold. For an investment, it's a bad choice to make.

But if you just plan to drive it 'till the wheels fall off, I don't see anything wrong with getting a car that's been damaged a little, as long as you don't fool yourself to think it'll be worth anything in the long run.

85TPI400

Meat Curtains
Not to be a complete wise a**, but you should possibly think what you said in your post. I buy salvage & lein sale vehicles all the time as investments and when I part them out they give me much more of a return than other investments I can think of.

Meat Curtains

I don't think you're being a wiseass. The post I was responding to about investments, was talking about how his car runs straight, and insurance, etc. Not things you would talk about if you were planning to part out a car. I fully understand that cars are worth more as parts than they are as cars, but it is obvious the post that I was responding to was insinuating that the car should be driven, as no post yet has mentioned anything about parting the car in question out (although someone did mention buying it for a parts car, that option was not yet explored in this thread), only wether a car with a salvage title should be bought to own. But, thanks for your comments.

Dan88IrocZ

With a name like Meat Curtains it's hard to believe you aren't being a wiseass Jk man, nice name btw haahaha.

Dude, salvage titles don't always mean the car was bent in half.

As you all should know, insurance companies SUCK. They are cheating little bastards and will do anything from having to dish out more $$ than they have too, and if they do..6 months later they jack up your premium and make their money back.

Ask the guy why it has a salvage title, you never know. Someone may have t-boned his rear and knocked it out of the car, it's a driveway fix but it's expensive. Or someone could of flatted 1 side of his car with a sideswipe... Insurance companies really suck, they will do just about anything to total a car and save the extra $$ they would of had to give you for it to be fixed.

My buddy has an 89 Cavalier Z24 that he had repainted, reupholstered and put new wheels on it. The car only has 70,000 miles and it was in unbelievable shape. He got hit by a drunk driver in a parking lot doing 15 MPH, the truck crumpled his hood and busted his windshield & they tried totalling his car. They did, and he bought it back for $400 bucks.

Took it to a body shop, paid 250 for a new and painted hood and a couple hundred bucks for his windshield. And the fuggin' insurance company totalled that thing!

Meat Curtains

With a name like Meat Curtains.... heh. Thanks.


I'm not about always being a wiseass though. Sometimes yes, but not all the time. Back to the topic at hand.

I know insurance companys suck, at least most of them do. They are out to screw you, because... Surprise! That's how they make money. Everyone likes to make money, even mean ol' nasty insurance companys.

Insurance companies really suck, they will do just about anything to total a car and save the extra $$ they would of had to give you for it to be fixed.

Here's what I don't get. They save money by totaling cars? Let's take your friends Cavalier. They total it, and according to NADA, the car is worth $2,090 (which should be what he got from insurance). It cost him a few hundred dollars to fix it himself. They saved money by not fixing it how?

From what I understand (and believe me, I'm not expert... Even with a name like Meat Curtains, I do have better things to do than study insurance company policy), insurance companys like to give you the least amount possible, not the most. This leads me to believe that they'd actually do research to figure out how they'd screw you the most, and not just total your car to hurt your feelings. But, like I said, I'm no expert.

I will say this. I'm sure that an insurance company figures labor into how much it will cost to fix a given car, and the total estimate is used to determine wether or not to total a car. So I'm guessing some cars with labor-intensive jobs needed have been totaled because it would be too expensive to pay labor on a job that may not be too hard.

Anyway, I've enjoyed this discussion, but since this guy said the car is sold anyhow, lets just get back to discussing how clever of name I have



:lala:

87WS6

iTrader: (1)

Hey you really need to check into the reason for it being totalled. I almost bought a fourth gen Trans-AM. 2001 because it was salvaged. The reason it was totaled was due to flood damage. Most of the repair work was already done on it before the guy sold it. No rust.

I know I could have replaced all the wiring, computer and rebuilt the major components of the car myself and had alot of fun with it. If I had the 3K to buy it I would have. Even if I parted the thing out I could have gotten more than that for it.

I almost bought a thirdgen that was "totalled" The reason it was totalled was because the hood was smashed and it needed a new radiator and nose and a fender. The frame was still good. Doing those repairs myself I could have gotten a great car.

The guy bought it back from the insurance company and wanted to much for it. So I didn't get it.

The point is do the research. You have to take stuff like that on a case by case basis.

I would agree that for "investment" purposes it is a bad idea. It would NEVER retain it's value. If you are buying it for yourself than that shouldn't be a problem depending on what was done and how it was fixed.

That will be $0.02 please. Thank you drive through. :sillylol: