bowerbird

There is a 1987 S4 for sale 6K obo. I saw in on CL months ago and assumed it sold but its up for sale again. I never looked at the car for because the seller did not include the salvage title status in the ad which I found shady. Also, I didn't really know the value of an s4, not how a salvage title would effect that value.

The salvage title is allegedly do to a "small" engine fire not an accident. I never got to the point of inquiring on the details of the fire because I was able to get past his pissy attitude when confronted on why he waited for me to call before he told me about the salvage title and did not post it in his ad.

Any thoughts on this one?

Here is a link to the car.

http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/1856826170.html

jcorenman

A salvage title certainly detracts from the market value, and in my opinion should certainly be disclosed. But anyone seriously looking is going to see the Carfax or Autocheck report so it's not something that the seller is likely going to be able to slide by.

If you are looking for a good driver on a tight budget then a salvage title can be a good thing, because you can get a better car for the same money-- assuming whatever caused the salvage title didn't result in a bent car.

Marine Blue

Keep two things in mind.


1. If you intend to resell in the next few years assume your next buyer will deduct heavily for the salvage title and buy accordingly.

2. If the mechanicals are not up to date buying a salvage title car is a bad idea unless you intend to hold on to it forever (or a really long time). You'll never recoup what you put into it if you had to sell.

Tom in Austin

Do people also have trouble getting insurance with a salvage title, think I might have heard that ...

Jim Devine

Unless you plan to keep it forever, probably not a good idea to buy a salvage title car.
Consider- you bought it back of market because of the salvage title. The person buying
it from you later will want to do the same.
Meanwhile, like all cars you will wind up putting
a lot into it while you have it & it will be harder to get it back later.

Just a thought.

VehiGAZ

+1.

The problem is that there is little hope of finding out truly and exactly what the damage was to total it out. Knowing when the total-out happened is helpful to understanding what happened... A "minor engine fire" when the car was new would not total it out so you would be suspect, while a "minor engine fire" when the car was 15 years old and worth $12,000 could easily total it out.

On the other hand, he could be telling you that it had a "minor engine fire" - after the car slammed into a bridge abutment!

If you don't care so much about the ultimate resale value of the car, it's what you are looking for, and
it's in good shape (ie, not bent), then you can make a hell of a deal. I think $6k is too much for this bag of mysteries.

That said, here are some other CL ad translations:
"127k miles showing" = another 75k miles not showing
"car looks great inside and out" = interior looks good compared to exterior (or vice-versa)
"runs great too" = Great... it runs
"Leather int" = leather seats, not full leather option. I think leather dashes don't crack, so they don't get covered in carpet.
"AC works but needs to be recharged" = A/C doesn't work

Good luck!!

Landseer

Looks like the impact is about $1500 or so in this case. If the rest of the car is decent.

Can work to great advantage on a purchase.

Check first, though, ramifications through your state's DMV. Might depend whether or not it is currently registered for use in your state. Check insurance, too. Probably would only be able to get liability, not that its that important.

After fire / before repair pictures must have been taken by somebody to get an insurance payout. I'd try to make any consideration contingent upon seeing those.

Any of us dealing in sub-$10K cars 20+ years old and really worrying about resale value is kidding themself.

WyattsRide

Why is this 87 have a GTS rear end? Are these pictures really the car for sale?

123quattro

My Range Rover is a salvage title. I had no issues registering or insuring it in WV, IL, and MI.

Tom in Austin

Hey GAZ, I LOVE those translations! And my favorite, from the used-car dealer:

"Freshly serviced" = had an oil change

bowerbird

I wonder about this car. I may give the guy a call later and ask some questions. I like the "translations" as well. One of my favorites is "needs new radiator" = car overheats.

bowerbird

Good call on the GTS rear end. Any chance this is a special s4 rear end? If not than I can rule out fire as the sole cause for the salvage title. Maybe car caught on fire, dude jumped out, car rear ended by 76 Nova

Giovanni

The trouble (IMO) is not getting the car insured, the problem comes after you make a claim. You won't get as much! The other issue is getting financing on salvage vehicles. Most financial institution does not do that.

VehiGAZ

Good point, Gio! If the value of this car ends up being let's say $5k, and you make an insurance claim for $3500, it will probably get totaled out a SECOND time! So just go for liability insurance.

Nicole

I asked my insurance agent (Farmers) about this some time ago. He said it only affects collision insurance. Basically, the company charges the full amount, but only pays out a reduced amount in case of a total loss.