OriginalSterm

Anyone bought a car with a salvage title? How did it work out for you? What was your impression before/after you bought the car?

slevy951

Thought about it a few years ago. The bank wouldn't finance it. The ins co wouldn't insure it. With those 2 strikes, I passed on the car.

Jerad

Don't let a salvage title scare you away from buying a car, unless of course your insurance co won't cover it. A salvage title simply means the insurance co thought its cost of repairs were greater than the value of the car. If someone has already fixed it up and incurred those costs then it might be a good car. Now if it had frame damage I would not buy it because you'll never get that frame straight.

In my case I had an engine fire a few months ago and plan to rebuild it this summer. The insurance co totalled it and it has a salvage title. Once its fixed though I can get a clean title from the Indiana DMV, but the salvage title will still show up on Carfax.

I say don't let the salvage title discourage you from looking at a car, it may have absolutely nothing wrong with it. But be careful if it has been in an accident as it could have frame damage.

MichelleJD

My new 951 supposedly had a salvage titl. My ins co (GEICO) insured it without a problem. I sent the old title off and the new one came back clear (didn't look to see what the old one said..sorry). I've had absolutely no problems whatsoever. However, I haven't tried to sell it so don't know if resale would kill you. HTH.

IceShark

Also stay away if it has been in a flood. Mildew and corrosion will drive you nuts in the future.

bpp944

I agree with Jared, especially that last line. If the repair work was done correctly (even frame work), there may be no reason to be concerned. If your concerned, take it to a reputable shop and have it inspected.

MichelleJD -I have 951 envy. If you hadn't jumped on it so quickly, I would have been trying to get my hands on it. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

MichelleJD

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by bpp944:
<strong>MichelleJD -I have 951 envy. If you hadn't jumped on it so quickly, I would have been trying to get my hands on it. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">

User 41221

It depends entirely on what you want to use your car for. If you want a track car, or don't care about resale value, its a great way to get a cheap 951, provided you know what to look for or are mechanically inclined. If you tend to let others work on your car, or aren't sure how committed you are to keeping the car a long time because you enjoy it for what it is (great bang for the $ drivers car), then I would look for a clean title, because you WILL have problems selling it.

Regards,

BartW

A salvage title implies that the insurance estimate to repair the vehicle is between 75-90% of the car's value at time of incident, that means that a 944 with a value of $6k that has $4500 damage in insurance company terms with using new parts would receive a salvage title. If the car's damage estimate is at 91% or higher it usually receives a scrap title of scrap certificate. There are many exceptions to this and often insurance companies will assign a salvage title to a car that is missing any major component from theft such as doors or a hood, this is done to prevent the vehicle from being reassembled with stolen parts in the way that a clear title can be reassembled without anyone checking it and a salvage has to be inspected for stolen parts. Salvage titles don't mean too much on a car this old but if you wanted something absolutely pristine with good resale than stay away but if you are looking at keeping the car long term and you feel that the repairs are performed to your standards than save yourself some money and go for it.

Patricia

I never bought a car with a salvage title, but I drove one for several years. My old Volvo was hit, and the insurance co. decided it had a value of only $2K. We found a matching Volvo at a salvage yard (my husband worked for a company involved in the business at that time), took the body parts we needed, and rebuilt my car. It ran beautifully for another 5 years, until someone else decided to hit it and completely total it.

Pat