jford

Trying to get a bit more clear on this issue. Talking to the owner of the car, he indicates that the car was stolen from the previuos owner. He has reciepts for glass replacement only and is assuming that this was the extent of the theft damage. He has owned the car for 3 years and had a PPI done (came back fine he says) prior to his purchasing along with having the car "Porsche authenticated". Running the carfax, it comes up a "salvage title" in NY in 1998 then as a "rebuilt/rebuildable" title in 1999. Checking the NY DMV site it seems that a car gets a salvage designation when the repairs exceed 75% of the replacement cost. This, along with the fact that the car had only 100 miles added from the 98 "salvage" title to the 99 "rebuilt/rebuildable" title (there were about 14 months in between the 2 titles) would lead me to believe that there was more than just the glass work done. Is it possible to have one or both of these title desiginations with this "minor" amount of work done? Any thoughts are appreciated.

Jeff 993TT

why even bother with a salvage title? It's not worth the hidden unknowns, imho. Prices for a p-car with clean titles are pretty reasonable now a days.

johnfm

run away...run away....

STLPCA

With some state to state variance, most commonly a salvage title is issued when a car is "totaled" by an insurance co which buys the car from the owner & resells it for its salvage value. A rebuilt title is issued if the car is able to be sold in street legal condition.

While it is highly unlikely the damage was just glass, it could happen: window broken - car stolen - abandoned, but undiscovered until after the insurance policy payoff period (e.g., 30 days) - theft claim paid to the owner - car recovered - salvage title issued to the insurance co. Glass repaired & rebuilt title issued.

billh1963

Dan's right about the possibilities. A friend's new model Lotus Elan was stolen about 10 years ago. After the insurance payoff the car was found hidden in a mini-storage unit when the renter didn't pay storage.

Another friend bought the car from the insurance company for a song. Of course it had a salvage title even though the car was perfect.

These stories are rare...personally, I would run the other way!

ca993twin

Sometimes, if you go into a salvage deal with your eyes wide open, it can make sense. One problem is with your insurance... you will pay the premium as if the car were worth full value, but if they ever have to pay for a replacement, they will call local dealers, and see how much they would pay for a vehicle with a salvage title. The answer is almost nothing... dealers generally won't touch a salvaged title, no matter what the damage.

If the car is expertly repaired (take it to a body shop that you trust for a full examination), then the car may be worth 50% or 60% of KBB value.

Chuck W.

I have bought and had repaired four cars with salvaged titles in the last couple years. Three of my kids drive salvaged cars (2000 Audi A4, 2002 VW Passat and 2003 VW Passat) and my wife has a salvaged 2002 Audi S4 Avant. My forth kid drives a theft recovery. I currently have a 1997 Porsche Cab in the body shop; another salvage. This one is for me.

Because I buy my cars directly from the salvage company I know what the damage is and see that the body shop fixes it correctly. It is surprising that some cars get salvaged with very little damage. I am told that many times the owners will not take the cars back and rather than become involved in litigation the insurance companies pay them off salvage the cars. These are the ones I take.

I would not recommend that anyone buy a salvaged vehicle unless they know the history of the car first hand. The problem is there is no set standard for what makes a car salvage. You could have a car that was stolen, the front window broken and the car was not recovered for over a month. The insurance company paid the car off and gave it a salvage title through DMV. Then you have another car that was involved in a rollover traffic collision. It’s bought by a body shop (or anyone for that matter) and repaired. Down the line it is hard to differentiate the theft recovery with minor damage and the rollover without a very thorough investigation. They both share the same “salvage” title.

I would stay away from this one.

jford

Great feedback. Thanks to all. This would be my second p-car and would be used for street driving as well as some DE events. Definatly alot of attractive 993's out there but thinking maybe i could get a deal on this one and drive it until it owes me nothing (although at 37 yrs. old I have yet to keep a car for more than 3 years). Next question would be....How to find out what exactly was done to bring the car from "salvage" to "rebuilt". Obviuosly there is a record some where, but how to find it? Would a thorough PPI by a body shop as well as a Porsche dealership reveal this? I am willing to go the other route but would like to follow this for a little more before turning away.

Chuck W.

If this car really interest you and the price is too good to pass up I would have a Porsche dealer check it out and a body shop that deals with Porsches go over it. Good luck.

mike cap

jford,

You don't say what state you are in, but sounds like it may be NYS. Old Vette friend of mine owns a large dismantling yard. If you want to share the vin #, I will call Craig and see what he can find out. If anyone can ferret out "the rest of the story", he can.

jford

Mike,

That would be great. I am in NJ but the theft and subsequent title issues occured in NY. Car is currently in Florida. The vin # is...

WP0AA2994VS320724. The third charecter is the number zero. Thanks for any help you can offer.

Jamie

Stu

I can only speak to what I know to be true in WA. state, but "salvage" and "rebuilt" are one-in-the-same.

Also, again in my experience here in WA., a theft recovery will not be branded "salvage" or "rebuilt" if there was no, or minor, damage. Even if the insurance company pays off the insured and then later finds the car (again, without significant damage) then it's usually sold via a dealership or an "in-house" source and the title will be fine. However, I have seen where a Carfax will report it as a "theft-recovery" - which can be a "red-flag" for some.

However, if the insurance company decides to not recondition the car (even if it's only minor damage) and it gets sold via a salvage yard, it will end up with a branded title.

Bottom line, IMHO, is if you are going to buy a branded title car, buy it really, really right, 'cause you may own it for a long time! Hope this helps.

mike cap

Jamie,

I'll call Craig today and let you know.

mike cap

Jamie,

Talked to my guy. I sent you a pm.

jford

Thanks Mike.

Stu, I think you are right on the money. Even if the car is perfect, reselling may be dificult at best and impossible at worst. I'll keep you (the board) posted.

Thanks,
Jamie