Would you buy a salvage title car??

[Trakrat]

I'm just curious what everyone's opinion is of a car in our P-world that has a salvage title.

Are they difficult to insure? Or difficult to resell?

Can you get detailed information that would have caused it to become a salvage?

I've personally had cars that sat in 3 feet of flood water and the insurance company totaled it... even though the car started up fine after the water receeded. (obviously it needed the interior stripped and replaced)

Anyone bought a salvage titled car and came out ahead or took a major loss???

[Tippy]

I used to read about a guy on another Porsche forum who bought salvaged cars all the time for really, really cheap prices, then fixed them to good condition.

You couldn't tell from the pics online they were wrecked. Sounded like a genius plan!

Thought about this same scenario. Curious what others have experienced.

[danco_]

Salvage Titles is AIDS of the car world. You have to know what you are getting into, and whether you choose to keep long term, or sell in a year or two. Each choice has a different recommendation.

I have purchased salvage title cars, but I go into the transaction knowing that this is a losing battle, which in return, allows me to really drive the car and enjoy it. If you buy them for the right price, you can minimize risk.

At the present time, I own one salvage titled car and I don't mind it even for a second.


Cheers.

[chuckr]

I bought a salvaged 911 out of Texas. Had no problem at all registering car in Louisiana.
Title cleaning is common. Unfortunately I totaled car. Insurance paid !

[RNajarian]

Why was it totaled/salvaged? When the repair costs is greater than the value of the car they will total/salvage title it.

So a fender bender in a 1980 Corolla with repair costs of $1,500 will likely total/salvage title the car, and a fender bender in a 1980 911 Turbo with repair costs of $1,500 will NOT total the car. I would steer clear of frame damage unless you can put it up on a rack and verify it is straight. But I do agree, I did drive the @#$%% out of my salvage titled car.

I bought a 1983 911 SC that had been totaled. No accident, but an accident recovery, the convertible top, seats, radio were stolen so at that time (2005) the Car was given a salvage title, but there was NO frame or mechanical damage.

[Trakrat]

Originally Posted by RNajarian

Why was it totaled/salvaged? When the repair costs is greater than the value of the car they will total/salvage title it.

Weeeeelllllll….. That's the issue though with these cars.


about 5-10 years ago... our cars weren't worth as much as they are today.

In fact... the same amount of damage today probably would NOT total the same car if that same damage was done when the car was at its lowest value a few years back.

So... THAT'S why I would like to know 'what' caused it to be totaled/salvaged.

For example.. a thrown rod back in the day could easily have caused an air-cooled 911 to be totaled. No insurance wants to pay to get a brand new engine installed if it costs more than the total value of the car.

[Jeff NJ]

In my opinion, the reason for the salvage title and the intended use are two factors that determine whether a salvage title is right for you. Flood damage is a ticking time bomb, so I wouldn't consider that, but accident recovery with documented cosmetic damage is something that I would consider, for the right price.

As far as intended use, you should not expect to pay as much, and you should not expect to sell for as much as a non-branded title, and they will never be collector items, so from a pricing standpoint, buy cheap, drive the hell out of it and sell cheap.

[OldSpool87]

Originally Posted by danco_

Salvage Titles is AIDS of the car world.

Surely you can do better than this in your comparison. Complete nonsense and devoid of any awareness.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Trakrat

Anyone bought a salvage titled car and came out ahead or took a major loss???

My 81 was salvaged out three years ago from a small tree hitting the driver's headlight..........at about 40mph. I will spare you the story about lending it to my first born.

They said $24k to turn it over or pay $9k out of the proceeds to buy it back.

So I bought my salvage Porsche with a good engine and rebuilt trans.

I don't plan to sell this car as I have meager $ wherewithal to secure another and I kinda like this one.

danco's comment is key. How long do I plan to keep it.

Edit post reading Oldspool's comment. Your target market is dwindled as is your upside $ potential. The car can be fine. It's just the facts.

[VWLoosenuts]

I did. Still working on it.

[proporsche]

if you are about to buy a 911 and you really want to have one, salvage or not it is buy of Porsche 911 you love to have.
If you are in the buying 911 to make money there is your problem ..most of us dudes, we buy the 911 to keep and who cares about salvage title...of course if the 911 was totaled and wrecked stay away-- for this ,there is PPI so you know what you are getting into.
I was looking for my 911 for several years back in the 1990`s..did not care salvage or not or even gray car..So i bought mine for less then 10000 grand with over 320 000 miles on it...love at first site...today i have about 789 867km--490 000miles....

And i love it still no plans of selling.

Ivan

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Jeff NJ

As far as intended use, you should not expect to pay as much, and you should not expect to sell for as much as a non-branded title, and they will never be collector items, so from a pricing standpoint, buy cheap, drive the hell out of it and sell cheap.

Kinda like before the bubble on a regular old 911 driver.

I say this for a car that was not totally wonked out but was forced into a salvage title because cost to fully repair was too high. Mine was the front box that they valued at $9500 and then about $4,000 to install.

[Jesse16]

I would never have the expectation of coming out ahead unless coming out ahead means you get to enjoy driving the car worry free that its going to depreciate greatly due to use. As others say, drive the hell out of it and keep your cost to a minimum.

[AG81]

I have zero issue buy one and building the car for myself. There is no way I would ever be able to sell it and get my $$$ out. It will always have a salvage title.

[wayner]

Risk

Aside from perfect repair, some jurisdictions are making use difficult

Ontario canada recently changed so that you cannot put a salvage motorcycle back on the road, and flood cars cannot be insured here

Gov& insurance companies have partnered on a VIN database to track these, so even if the title gets cleansed through some US state, it’s vin still is tracked

I used to never have an issue with salvage titles (but then again I’ve also started to be concerned that a gas powered or driver driven car won’t be eligible in the future, so take my opinion of risk with a grain of salt)

[Flat6pac]

Years ago I bought a targa that the roof was missing. It had a salvage title because the missing part and the current price of the top at the time.
Snapped a top on and drove it for a year.
Bruce

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by wayner

Gig& insurance companies have partnered on a VIN database to track these, so even if the title gets cleansed through some US state, it’s vin still is tracked

This is a good thing.

[Cory M]

It's a lot harder to sell. We had a really nice G50 cab that had a salvage title and it took a while to find a buyer. It was a very nice car. I never found out why it had been salvaged or saw signs of any repairs. We have another nice G50 coupe with a salvage title now. This one was in a garage that caught fire (not the car on fire), the heat damaged the paint and rubber on the exterior of the car. We had it repainted and it looks great now, but due to the salvage I'm not expecting it to be easy to sell so I think we are going to lift it a bit and make a rally car out of it.

[porsche930dude]

My friend brought a motorcycle to new york from utah and they wouldnt register it without going through the salvage process again it was a big trouble for him but he got it done.

[Trackrash]

Really good info. It used to be in CA if you took the car to the DMV they would inspect it and issue a title.

I guess times have changed. He11, now days, most of the time a car is totaled if the air bag goes off, regardless of the damage.