salvage title

[SLIKK 70]

My son-in-law is thinking of purchasing a vehicle with a salvage title.    I do not know what the reason is for the title being called that. What are the pros and cons with a salvage title. They live California also.

[Troy]

Salvage title generally means the car was totalled at some point and the wrecking yard either sold it for parts or rebuilt it. States are all a bit different in the laws but usually the "salvage" designation stays with the car.

Troy

[Wakko]

You need to find out what totalled the car out.  A theft recovery that's been rebuilt isn't as big of deal as a flood car, fire car or a big wreck.  On the other hand, a minor crash might total out an '84 Monte Carlo and give it a salvage title when in reality there's no bad damage to fix.  Contact an insurance company or insurance investigator and they can find out what the claim was on the car.

Salvage title cars are ALOT harder to sell and will never get as much money as a regular car, so bear that in mind.  If the car is nice and wasn't a complete basket case when it was repaired, go ahead and get it if it doesn't matter to you.  Use it as a bargaining chip on the price, the seller knows he ain't gonna get top dollar. 

What kind of car is it?

[moparguy01]

from my experiences you can always expect at least 15% less than market value when you sell a salvage title vehicle. but if your gonna get it and drive it, then go for it. But watch out right now, im sure the market is "flooded" with flood vehicles due to New Orleans. so I'd be real weary since you dont want a flood vehicle. nothing will ever be right. trust me on this one.

[MoparMotel]

I have a salvage title on my 69. It was stolen around 1984 and somehow ended up in a wrecking yard. I registered the car at DMV a couple months ago and they said if i keep my car 15 years the salvage title will go away. This is in California i am not sure about other states.

[694spdRT]

We have bought and repaired numerous salvage vehicles through the years. We always buy low mileage cars and never, never buy a flood vehicle. Rebuilders are not as good a deal as they was a few years ago with the used car market being so swamped with trade ins. We figure if you can buy and fix it for about half of what the going rate for the same thing used is, then it works out. This makes up for the hassle of the repair and the $ loss with the title branding.

In 2000 we bought a brand new 400 mile 2000 Intrepid ES with some front end damage as it was hit on a test drive at the dealership. After finishing the car we had a little over $10K total invested. At the time it was still a $20K car...if you buy a newer car just plan to run them out or sell it cheap privately because a dealer will not touch one of them as a trade in. My wife is still driving her 1995 Cougar XR7 V8 that we bought in 1996 with 20,000 miles on it..that cost us 8K when they were still bring 15-16K. 

[89MOPAR]

 Some cars will be assigned a salvage title if they are stolen and not recovered for more than 30 days. Even if there is no apparent damage.Depends on insurance co. and state

[Silver R/T]

it might be as minor as windows being busted and got totalled on older car or being major frame damage that would total it. in that case I would check if its been repaired correctly. I do not see anything wrong with rebuilt cars as long as theyre rebuilt correctly

[Brock Samson]

bought mine as such at a wreaking yard, it was minus the interior and drivetrain and had serious rust issues... but i wanted to build one my way and it was a '69 R/T S.E. with tons of options. I'm not sorry.   

[SLIKK 70]

Thanks guys, I love this site! He decided not to buy it afterall, It was a 02 GMC Yukon with 40K for $14K,  nice looking but the title just scared him too much, Thanks again!

[Big Lebowski]

  I bought my'70  6 pack Charger from a classic mopar salvage yard. It wasn't wrecked, it was a little rusty & had been sitting for 10 years before i bought in '90. Back then, i cared more about the Dana and the disc brakes than the fact that it was a six-pack charger. So the Salvage title never bothered me. Here's the before pic....

[Big Lebowski]

  And $22,000 later...

[wLc]

I wonder if you can get a salvage title if the car doesn't have a VIN tag?

[andy74]

in new york if a car has a salvage tittle, you have to go to a state inspection to have it recertified for the road,doesnt matter what the reason.my buddy has a 94 acclaim,and the insurance totaled it due to a broken windshield and fender.when he went for the inspection,it was 100 bucks,and if you dont pass they keep the cash! he was fine,and passed easily,but there is more to it then you would expect,and the nys dmv fee just   went up to 150 october first ,if it was for me to drive and i knew the work was done right,i would buy it,but dont expect your cash back-and someone already said it,dealers dont want em either-we figure 30 percent of book value if it has a tittle brand,because thats what they generally bring at auctions around here. a classic that is to be restored,i wouldnt hesitate,late model-run away!

[haueter66]

my 71 500 has a salvage title... best I could ever figure out it was either stolen or abandoned... either way the state of Ohio inspected it and issued the salvage title ... solid as a rock and never wrecked, really its a shame ...