Carfax says Salvage title issue????

[JackT]

I ran a car fax and it says Salvage Title/Certificate Issued Rubuilt Title Issued. The present owner says the previous owner, who is the first owner, said the car has never been wrecked and a body shop tells me that there are no signs of any previous wrecks. Is there a way to find out why the salvage title was issued if I cant find the previous owner. The car is in great shape for a pretty good price.

[s_wilwerding]

I would ask to see the title. While it is no guarantee (titles can be "washed"), it may say on the title that the car has been salvaged. If the owner is hesitant to show the title, that may be the problem right there.

However, if that doesn't work, have a trained mechanic inspect the car. The mechanic would be able to tell whether the car has been in a serious accident. Even if the car had been fixed by a competent shop, there would still be signs of an accident, especially one major enough to call for a salvage title.

[ChrisBennet]

If the car had been under water would it show any signs of an "accident"?
-Chris

[Rot 911]

You beat me to it Chris. I have a friend of mine that only buys cars from auctions that have been stripped or underwater. He then repairs/makes replacements and sells under a salvage title. Neither would show any sign of an accident.

[Rich Lambert]

A salvage title might also be the result of fire or flood damage.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a car with a salvage title...especially from someone who claims they don't know what happened. Salvage titles don't just appear out of nowhere. At some point in time that car sustained some kind of damage that exceeded an insurance company's estimation of it's value.

Plus, someday, you're going to have to answer the same questions you're asking.

Rich

[724doorE]

Something like the clear (salvaged) title belongs to a car that was totaled and the one you looked at was stolen and the vin #'s changed to the "good" title.

[greenmonster]

Salvage titles are bad.

If it's going to be a track only car, I guess it's less of a concern, but if you ever plan on selling the car somewhere in the future be prepared to sell it at a significant amount less then a clean title car in similiar condition.

Most people won't even consider buying a car w/ a salvage title.

[JackT]

The present owners title does not mention anything about salvage. I had a good body man look at the car and he says there are not signs of an accident. Car has been repainted but it is a 1981 911SC. I beleive the present owner, who says he never ran a car fax and he knows nothing about a salvage title. He has taken excellent care of the car and has put 15,000 miles on the car since 1997. I would like to know why there is a salvage title, if car fax is correct.

[rattlsnak]

Good be an error, you can go to the state DMV and request copies of the titles and repairs. Also, it could have been a stolen recovery.

[Neilk]

Does carfax show the car as ever being registered in another state? Registered in several different states in a matter of months? Post some of the carfax report here. Maybe somebody can spot something odd with the car history.

[Argo]

Would it have a salvage title if it had been stolen and stripped, but never wrecked?

Argo
88 Targa

[dad911]

Salvage titles mean different things in different states. I bought a 'salvage' 944 chasis in NY for a track car that was a stripped theft recovery. I re-titled it in NY, then when I brought it to NJ, NJ issued me a clean title!

Everyone makes mistakes, and I could believe it was a Carfax error, but I would expect the seller to clear this up if he wants to make a sale.

I wouldn't buy a car with a salvage title unless I had documentation explaining why.

You may also want to check with your insurance company. They may have an issue paying out on a car that was already 'salvaged'

[old_skul]

Carfax doesn't make errors. They keep records and show you the contents of the records for a fee.

That said, I wouldn't worry too much about the salvage title. If the car has been repaired to the point where a body shop or mechanic can't detect anything but normal wear, then it was probably flood damage or maybe a steal 'n strip issue that was successfully repaired.

Just make sure to reflect the salvage title in your offer - 30% below market value.

[nostatic]

at least 30% below. Salvage title is fine as long as your insurance company will insure it, and you never want to sell the car. But if you think you'll want/need to sell it in a few years you need to buy REALLY cheap, because odds are you'll have a tought time selling it. Doesn't matter what the "story" is, if the title says salvage, you're hosed (and the current owner should have the actual title, and it should state clearly on there I believe).

[JackT]

It is a N.C. title now and it does not show a salvage title. It also shows mile are accurate, which probably has nothing to do with this issue. The title looks good.

[TMH]

Originally posted by old_skul
Carfax doesn't make errors. They keep records and show you the contents of the records for a fee.

But DMV's make errors, and according to CarFax themselves:

"CARFAX receives all of its data in electronic form from its sources. Thus CARFAX has not introduced any clerical errors; no data entry is performed by CARFAX. For more information about CARFAX's data sources please visit http://www.carfax.com/cfm/hcwhereinfo.cfm."

I don't think that we are talking about a falsely issued salvage title in this case. If the body shops can't find significant damage repair, then this vehicle was probably flooded or stolen-stripped-recovered.

I might buy a vehicle with a salvage title, but I would ensure that I was getting it for a steal and that all repairs had been properly made.

Tom

[nostatic]

call the DMV and ask them what the story is. I was under the impression that if it was a salvage title, that fact was clearly stamped on the title (hence the term).

[Jdub]

I must respectfully disagree with _Skul.

Carfax is by no means the be-all and end-all of information. They get it wrong. Equifax, TRW, Carfax - these are the self-appointed arbitrers of truth? No way.

Get a PPI done by a person who knows their stuff. Water damage on a 911 can often be discerned by bending a wire about 90 degrees, opening the door, and "dredging" the inside bottom of the door through the drain hole. Pull side jack plugs and get deep in there as well. Salt/sediment lines halfway up a transaxle etc. can also be a tipoff.

Best of luck,
John

[boyo]

Salvage titles can be good - if you inspect the car and are satisfied with the condition. I've bought 3 cars with salvage titles, and it's saved $$$ on each one. One of mine was hauled away by the sherriff for being abandoned, and eventually sent to a junkyard, where I snagged it before it was parted out. Another has, ahem, let's just say an unusual VIN problem - but it came from a dealer lot over 30 years ago, and has the correct paperwork. My 911 also has a salvage title, no idea why - but I'm happy with it.

-Boyo

[MonkeyBoy]

I agree with boyo - I paid $24K for a 90 C4 cab with 27K miles on it with a salvage title over 3 years ago. I figured I saved about 5 or 6 grand because of it. The PPIs checked out from both a Porsche shop and a bodyshop, and the previous owner filled me in on how he bought the car at an auto auction as a theft recover and replaced the seats, top, mirrors, carpeting, etc... When I registered it in MA, the title became clean. I sold it recently for $27K after adding 40K miles on it (and upgraded the wheels to cups for $400, upgraded the mirrors to aero for $250 and upgraded the seats to leather for $350). The new buyer didn't care that it was a theft recovery that at one time had a salvage title as it had 40K miles on it since and 3 years worth of detailed records. In hindsight, I probably should have asked more for the car as I received about 50 emails within days of posting it. Would I buy salavage again... perhaps, but only if I got a smoking deal and the car really checked out.