Salvage Title Question

[Dale P.]

I have met a guy who deals in corvettes. He buys insurance totals , then repairs and sells them. NO harm >> right? except I am sure he said he told me that when he sells them they have a valid Ohio State title. The thing I did notice was that everyone of his current projects came from somewhere out of the state of Ohio. Is it possible (or legal) to even do this? I am sure when I said Oh you mean a salvage title he said no an Ohio State Title.

[Gary C.]

Re: Salvage Title Question

Dale,

Most of the States after the big coastal storm flood in 1999/2000 starting classifying cars that were totaled by an insurance company as salvage and issuing salvage titles for those cars. In Texas you can't change not change a salvage title back to a regular title. This dealer may be "washing/laundering" titles through another State? Texas even changed the Mechanics Lien process and now it's not very easy to get a mechanics lien title.

Be cautious and don't get caught up in something illegal. JMTCW,

Gary
....

[Gary C.]

Re: Salvage Title Question

Dale, FWIW link from Ohio DMW. "out-of-state salvage titles are not accepted" Gary....

http://bmv.ohio.gov/salvage_inspection.stm

[Walter F.]

Re: Salvage Title Question

I bought my daughter a low mileage Galant which she loved when she went away to school. While at school She was hit by a car and went under a pick up. The car was totaled. We got a check from the insurance company and looked for another Galant. We just could not find one as nice as hers with all the bells and whistles hers had. I offered to buy her a brand new Galant but she wanted her old car. We got in touch with the salvage company who had her car. I showed photos to my body shop who did my Corvette and he said he could fix it but it was foolish to do so. Long story short she got her Galant back she used it through school drove it to work sereral years and bought herself a new Mazda. I now drive the Galant. After it was rebuilt I was given a salvage certificate. In order to get a title I must take my car to a state certified center with ALL the parts receipts . Pay a $300 fee and then I will be given a SALVAGE title if they are satisfied that the car is safe and NO parts are stolen. There is no way this car can ever be titled any way but Salvage. Since I plan to drive this car till it dies I do not need to get it titled but I can never sell it any place but to a scrap yard. In New York State a salvage car will always have a salvage title. I know of no way anyone can change that as long as the car stays in New York.

[Gary F.]

Re: Salvage Title Question

New York State didn't have titles until 73 or 74. Any car before that was bought & sold by signing over the registration.

[Stewart L.]

Re: Salvage Title Question

With Carfax and other vehicle data bases, the salvage title is not going away, the car will be branded forever. Many banks will not finance them, insurance companies will not insure them, and they are worth about half of a comparable car with a clean title when fixed. The insurance salvage auctions are online so buyers from all over the world can buy them from anywhere. So he probably is buying them from around the country and shipping them to Ohio. I am not familiar with Ohio title specifics but I suspect there will be something on the title that brands is as a salvage vehicle. In my state, REBUILT is stamped in large print across the entire title.

[Domenic T.]

Re: Salvage Title Question

I bought my 67 vette in 1971 before it was parted out before it would be scrapped. I got a AS/IS bill of sale. I fixed it and went to the CA DMV. They sent me to the CA Highway patrol to get it inspected then issued me a pink slip (CA valid title).
The only difference was that my vin # had CA at the end. Later I wanted to get the CA off the end of the vin# so I talked to a DMV vin inspector and he asked me if the car was registered in the last 7 years and I said no, it was stored in my shop. He said I should apply for a lost title and a new title would be issued without the CA following the vin #. The body was off the frame so I had the frame #s inspected and now my title only has the vin# on it and the CA was removed.
The only way it is possible here is to remove the car from the system, their records are then removed from the system, and after the car is inspected and deemed legal, you get a new title.

Dom

[Rex M.]

Re: Salvage Title Question

I bought a 99 Convertible with a Salvage title from "Ohio". Went to Indiana with car and had car transfered into a Indiana title...It still states; "Salvage Vechicle". I bought it to drive and that's what I've done...40,000 miles and still going strong. Bought the car for about half price of the going price and at's what I'll get out of it when I'm done with it.

[Domenic T.]

Re: Salvage Title Question

Rex,
I would think that if you sold your car it would depend on how good the work & repairs were done. Sure it would have damage history and that would be a hit on the price, but salvage titles depended on if the cost of repair was more than the worth. My 67 435 was worth about $1500 when it was wrecked and it would have cost about $2200 to fix so it got a salvage title. Now that the cars are worth more I would think issuing a salvage title would be different. Why if A stollen car that was replaced by insurance and the title wrote off, then recovered, be worth Much less? Can't figure why the LEGAL paper makes a car in perfect shape worth less.
I wonder if one of the members well judged cars was stollen and they got a pay off, the title removed, then the car was recovered later. If the car was found in the same condition as when it was stollen, why does a piece of paper change the life of the car?
I've seen absolute beauties that I would be proud to own have salvage titles. There were vetoes that had extensive damage that were not totaled because of their worth, and there are the same year cars that had far less damage that were totaled because they were only worth a little at the time. I think that the car should be priced for it's condition, not it's paper assuming it is all legal!

Dom

[Walter F.]

Re: Salvage Title Question

I believe if a salvage car is dont right there is no need to shy away from buying one. My brother had a family member who was a expert body man. He gave my brother a 66 Fairlane that was totaled. The nose of the car was actually cut in half and welded from another Fairlane. The car tracked straight and my brother never had any issues. Maybe some body guys can give some insight on buying salvage Corvettes?

[Patrick H.]

Re: Salvage Title Question

I've seen restored Corvettes brought back from the brink that were in FAR worse shape than those I've seen with Salvage titles.
I think it all depends on the "what", "where" and "how."

You couldn't get me to take one from a flood, that's for sure, and likely not one from a fire.