buying car with salvage title? HELP!

rugbyphreak

First off, I know this isn't about weight loss or fitness or health, so please leave those nasty comments at home. This is being posted on the chit-chat forum, so I should be pretty safe.

Now... a little back story. When I was 16, my grandmother gave me a 1986 Chevy Nova. I loved this car! I did all of the maintenance and repairs on it myself. The replacement parts were super cheap. It was fun and easy to drive. This car meant freedom for me! Well... shortly after I turned 17, someone t-boned me, and the insurance company considered it totaled, hauled it away, and gave my parents a check for what they thought it was worth. Not being 18, I had no say in the decision to have it totaled or towed away and did not receive the money from the insurance company. My parents used this money to buy me a brand new car, which is greatly appreciated, but not the same... The new car has all these computer chips and electronic thingies and I do NOT like it one bit!

So I've been looking to buy another Nova. I recently found one that is about to come up for auction in a few weeks, but... it has a SALVAGE TITLE! I've never purchased a car with a salvage title before. The auction yard says it is driveable, only has slight damage to the side. I have pictures of it and it looks great for a car from 1986! It has some rust, dull paint, a tear in the arm rest, and the dent in the side.

What I need to know is... Can I legally drive it home with the salvage title? The auction is in Illinois and I am living in Wisconsin. Does it need to be insured to drive it home? Do they even insure salvage titled cars? I will be repairing all of the slight damaged myself and then according to the WI DMV website, it will need to be inspected. How long does it usually take for them to decide if the car is good enough for a clean title and how much does that cost? What are the different levels of salvaged cars? As in parts only, etc. Are their different procedures for getting them titled, registered, and insured?

I need all the help I can get. The DMV website is useless and the people at the DMV are clueless as to what I'm even talking about.

IF YOU HAVE ANY, AND I DO MEAN ANY, KNOWLEDGE IN SALVAGED VEHICLES, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!

VenomousDuck

Drive it, sure as long as you are sure it is capable.

Get the car fixed and then drive it. My last car was salvage.

It will always have a salvage title from now on. no biggee. it's not a covette or porsche or something.

Drive it and enjoy it.

VenomousDuck

once you get the title, call and get your insurance on it.

Some states may issue a "rebuilt" title, my state didn't. it stayed salvage.

The insurance co may not cover your car, but you can get collision on it.

cmriverside

Call your insurance carrier on the insurance question. But it should be insurable - anything with a title is insurable.

LuneBleu85

I'm probably not much help but I'll give you my two cents! I am in Canada so things might be different.

You can't drive it without insurance and it will need a safety inspection to qualify for insurance (in Canada all vehicles over 20 years require one, salvage title or not). With the "in transit" or temp insurance you can probably drive it from the auction directly to a shop to have this done.

Can you do a "car fax" to determine why there is a salvage title? It may have been written off for something much more major previously. I had a friend who's car was parked and hit hard, it was a crumpled heap. She re-built it and sold it with a salvage title. I would worry about the frame damage.... if the frame has been damaged it might not be as strong to protect you in a future accident.

That said, I know lots of people who drive salvage title vehicles and they get along just fine!

Best of luck to you!

IrishHarpy1

I work in insurance, and have three words for you:

DON'T. DO. IT!

No amount of nostalgia is going to make up for the headaches and hassles you are about to encounter. Yes, it needs to be insured to drive it home, but good luck *finding* insurance - most insurance companies will not take on the risk. That car has been deemed a total loss once, and unless the damage done to it was cosmetic only (like hail damage), there is NO way of knowing if it's even safe. A salvaged title, is a salvaged title.. you might want to check the laws in your particular state about how to obtain a "clean" title, but it is a long and very expensive process.

If you have your heart set on it, though... good luck.

Homer3D

Can I legally drive it home with the salvage title?

Yes, but you need to check with your insurance company that they will cover the car or check to make sure the place you are buying it from gives you temporary insurance. Like dealerships giving you 30 days to get your car on your own insurance.

Does it need to be insured to drive it home?

See my previous comment.

Do they even insure salvage titled cars?

Yes they do, but not all insurance companies do. So check first.

How long does it usually take for them to decide if the car is good enough for a clean title

It will never have a clean title no matter how well you “fix” it.

What are the different levels of salvaged cars?

Depends. A car can receive a salvaged title if the cost of repair was more than 70-80% of the car’s value. I can get one if it was deemed “unsafe” to drive. It can also get one if it was stolen and recovered, even if it had no damage. Each state has its own criteria for salvage titles so you should check.


On a personal note, I would never buy a car with a salvage title. There is no telling what is wrong with it, how safe it is or if you do get in an accident your insurance company may not cover it. And if they do cover it, they are only going to pay the salvage title value of that car and you would have to pony up the rest of the money to repair it. Being a car guy myself, it is not worth it.

rugbyphreak

The reason it was titled as a salvage is that the damage to the side cost more than 75% of the value of the car. You have to realize that this car is only really worth $1,250-$1,500, so the smallest amount of damage will result in an insurance company totaling it.

Homer3D

Mathematically, I understand what you are saying.

Can I ask what you are paying for the car? Are you saying the car (if with clean title) is worth no more than $1500? If so, you should look to be paying no more than $750 for the car. KBB officially will not provide a value for a car with a salvage title, but they say it is usually 50% less than same car with a clean title.

So if your total investment is $750 for the car, I say go for it. I wouldn't spend too much money in repairs, but if it drives…Have fun driving down memory lane. If it last 6 months to a year and it brings back great memories, $750 is money well spent. Then I would just scrap the car because reselling it would probably prove to be very difficult.

rugbyphreak

Mathematically, I understand what you are saying.

Can I ask what you are paying for the car? Are you saying the car (if with clean title) is worth no more than $1500? If so, you should look to be paying no more than $750 for the car. KBB officially will not provide a value for a car with a salvage title, but they say it is usually 50% less than same car with a clean title.

So if your total investment is $750 for the car, I say go for it. I wouldn't spend too much money in repairs, but if it drives…Have fun driving down memory lane. If it last 6 months to a year and it brings back great memories, $750 is money well spent. Then I would just scrap the car because reselling it would probably prove to be very difficult.

I would probably end up paying $500-900 if I can ever get this all figured out. And yes, a car of its make and model in top condition is worth no more than $1,500, so I would not pay that for a car with a salvage title. If I can figure it all out, I plan to just drive this car for fun, tinker with it myself, and keep it as long as possible. My brother is even interested in buying it off of me in the future if I can keep it running.

Deenday

are you talking about this car http://www.easyexport.us/cars-for-sale/SALVAGE_CERTIFICATE_1986_CHEVROLET_NOVA_21941892?=) actually the damage on the picture doesn't seem so dangerous and i think the deal is worth making. well, salvage title is a rather complicated thing and it may cause you some problems. i bought two cars at this auction. one had salvage title and the other had clean title. clean title had no problems at all. fortunately the salvage one was also quickly repaired and i got the insurance without difficulties though i was also concerned about it.

rugbyphreak

are you talking about this car http://www.easyexport.us/cars-for-sale/SALVAGE_CERTIFICATE_1986_CHEVROLET_NOVA_21941892?=) actually the damage on the picture doesn't seem so dangerous and i think the deal is worth making. well, salvage title is a rather complicated thing and it may cause you some problems. i bought two cars at this auction. one had salvage title and the other had clean title. clean title had no problems at all. fortunately the salvage one was also quickly repaired and i got the insurance without difficulties though i was also concerned about it.

YES!!!! i am talking about that car! i called the auction house to see if i could snag it before it went up for auction, no luck there. i also asked more questions about the car and they told me that i'd have to come down and see it for myself. well to do that, they charge you $25. considering they were super SUPER rude, i don't know if i even want to try to buy this car and give my money to these people. on the other hand, I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS CAR!!!!

digitalbill

If I recall, the 80's Nova was a rebadged Toyota Corolla.
Can you find a craigslist Corolla?

But, back to the question.
1: Insurance is a MUST. Laws vary by state so your best bet is to call your insurance company before even placing a bid. The nice thing about that little car is that you could tow it home with the 2 wheel tow dolly from UHaul and a small pickup truck.

2: I have had a few salvage title cars. Mostly 4X4's that have been submurged, recovered, and totalled by the insurance company. Typically they are cheap to buy but, don't expect any kind of resale value. At least in Florida, you can drive them on the street once deemed safe by the authorities.