Salavage to Rebuilt Titles Question

[8675309]

private individuals used to be able to go to outfits like copart and purchase
cars,repair them,have them inspected and reapply for a rebuilt title. i dont
think you can do this anymore. if you own a car that is totaled that is
in your name you can repair the car yourself and have it inspected.
no more buying totaled cars and flipping them on clist to unsuspecting
folks that dont know you dont know what you're not telling them.

and another thing is if you do buy from someone like copart,
when you purchase the vehicle they won't float the title
so there isnt much you can do with it. you also have to sign
a promissory agreement that you will not part it out.

you cant paint your "body work" before inspection and
all the check eng lights,srs,abs lights have to light up
and go off

i looked into it some years ago. it seems like the gubment
has it buttoned up pretty good

its still worth holding onto your car for the parts and
searching for a non running one

 

[laserbeam1k]

[QUOTE="mr.biglesworth, e[/QUOTE]
I purchased a car from copart to fix up my car when I saw some really nice cars. It wasnt to resell it was for me to drive. If im going to be paying the taxes and fees I dont think there will be much profit in a resale even in a rebuilt title unless its a very expensive vehicle. i think and if allowed reselling parts alone could be worth more than fixing and reselling a car. Given space and time. I do understand people are hesitant to buy salvage and rebuilt title cars. I wouldn't even buy them myself, unless it was for parts.

My experience with Copart was decent. I think i paid $900 for a car but it ended up being about $1500 after fees and transportation costs. The part i needed was worth $800 alone.

 

[rockyfatcat]

Hello I wasn't sure where to post this and was wondering if anyone had any information.
I was introduced to the world of Salvage vehicles. Im not a dealer or trained mechanic. I can work on cars usually only my own, as i wouldn't want to be responsible for anyone elses car.

Anyways.
Does anyone know if a private citizen who purchases and owns the salvage title of a car be able to apply for a rebuilt title without the assistance of a re-builder? For personal use not resale.

If so, if the car rolls strait, electronics work, but has a few dings such as hail. How much needs to be fixed to be considered for rebuild status? What if i was ok with the damage and wanted to drive as-is. I know if rebuilding, part receipts and pictures are needed as evidence of work.

I had a car damaged. I had to surrender the title as part of the settlement. I repaired the car and the salvage inspection required repairs that existed prior to my owning the vehicle. Eg they required that the front wheel well splash shield because the water could get on the battery and cause a fire. The left front fender had to be fixed and I bought the car like that.
I argued that there was no safety of operation issues with the car. The idiot doing the inspection's attitude was the state doesn't want your ugly car on the road.

 

[laserbeam1k]

I had a car damaged.... road.

I never knew you could keep your car after its salvaged, thought you had to give it up once you get the check?
Maybe you could find those parts at the junk yard and throw it on. Pending year of the car it shouldnt be too hard to find. Fender paint might not match but atleast you can have her back on the road pretty or not

 

[jeep78]

What if the vehicle is older than 1985, and no title is required?

 

[letusbuyyourcar]

There's a big body shop and salvage yard in Houston Co called McLeod that rebuilds salvage cars. He's been doing it so long he even has a few banks that will finance them. But he makes some real good and easy money by certifying other people's rebuilds. So you can take your vehicle to him by appointment only and get it certified to have a rebuild title. All that being said I wouldn't sink a lot of money into something like that. If it's a unique vehicle and you can get it way cheap then go ahead. One example would be a Toyota Supra . There's a lot of rebuilt Supras out there . Older Nissan Z cars are a similar story.

 

[gh1950]

So this was your clear title car before the insurance deemed it a total loss? Or you bought it as a salavage title?
I think it makes a difference.
No way a running car is only $600... You should atleast get fair market value for it as a running car. You should look at other valuations for your car and try to get them to give you a larger sum.
I just called a private inspector. He said to take pictures of your car while its in salvage title. Airbags, body, everything. Then fix the parts you need, record all receipts and vin, and then have it towed for inspection. Apparently a private citizen can fix 2 cars a year according to Craig Stokes a Fulton County inspector whom iv spoken too.

If the insurance company totalled the vehicle, which is an economic decision, not a functional one, they have to send in the VIN plate and tag. There is no way to continue to operate it on the original title -well, you can until it you get caught for no tag. No title means that you can't buy a tag.

Gov. Deal is responsible for much of the current law as he had a sweetheart deal with the state for doing the rebuilt inspections.

There is a local company that sort of specializes in rebuilt, and my SO has purchased two. They were o.k. but that's because the company is really good about standing behind any hidden issues that pop up.

 

[NWSharpshooter]

crazy, most states you can get a tag for a salvage title. I had never heard of a rebuilt title before I moved here.

I know someone who moved here from New Mexico with a salvage titled vehicle. When they changed it to a Georgia title the "Salvage" was no longer on the title, nor did it say rebuilt. It was just a normal title.

Funny story,

My dad had a Subaru years ago that was in a wreck and totalled. He fixed it, got a salvage title and drove it another 8 years before he was hit again, again totalling the vehicle. He bought it back a second time and when they "Salvaged" the salvage title he was given a normal title. We fixed it again and I drove it for a few years before it finally blew up and I paid someone to haul it away.

 

[rockyfatcat]

I never knew you could keep your car after its salvaged, thought you had to give it up once you get the check?
Maybe you could find those parts at the junk yard and throw it on. Pending year of the car it shouldnt be too hard to find. Fender paint might not match but atleast you can have her back on the road pretty or not

The insurance companies offer a settlement. They usually will give you the option of keeping the vehicle for a couple hundred dollars. Usually 3-6 hundred, depending on what they feel they will get at auction.

If they end up with your car, they sell it at auction. Their people know what salvage yards will pay, and there are plenty of them to snap up parts cars. I spoke with a guy who bought a truck at auction for 600 and drove it into the shop and sold the transmission for 1200, before I bought the fender, hood and door.

If you keep it you can fix it scrap it or whatever. But to get it registered, the A-hole I dealt with could not identify and safety of operation items that needed to be repaired. That didn't stop him from demanding all sorts of cosmetic issues be repaired before he would sign off on the car.

My car was hit at the left rear tire (tire tilted at the top in) with virtually no sheet metal damage. The removal and replacement of the bolt on undercarriage parts was no big deal. The left front fender was damaged when I bought the car. So was the dent in the passenger door. Both had to be fixed before he would sign off on the car.

 

[letusbuyyourcar]

The insurance companies offer a settlement. They usually will give you the option of keeping the vehicle for a couple hundred dollars. Usually 3-6 hundred, depending on what they feel they will get at auction.

If they end up with your car, they sell it at auction. Their people know what salvage yards will pay, and there are plenty of them to snap up parts cars. I spoke with a guy who bought a truck at auction for 600 and drove it into the shop and sold the transmission for 1200, before I bought the fender, hood and door.

If you keep it you can fix it scrap it or whatever. But to get it registered, the A-hole I dealt with could not identify and safety of operation items that needed to be repaired. That didn't stop him from demanding all sorts of cosmetic issues be repaired before he would sign off on the car.

My car was hit at the left rear tire (tire tilted at the top in) with virtually no sheet metal damage. The removal and replacement of the bolt on undercarriage parts was no big deal. The left front fender was damaged when I bought the car. So was the dent in the passenger door. Both had to be fixed before he would sign off on the car.

I've seen late model trucks go through the insurance auction and still bring $5K and up. I'm talking about trucks that had been roll over and T boned where you couldn't see any reusable body parts.
LKQ is one of the biggest buyers and a few years ago they were buying existing salvage yards. They make big money on truck engines and transmissions. At the same time they're cheaper than most of the competition on luxury brand drivetrains like BMW,Volvo,Jag etc. They figured out that guys need their trucks fixed ASAP a d WILL pay. They blow out the European brands because it tends to sit and collect dust.