ok, im looking to buy a used acura or honda for the wife, found a few, but heres the question. now if a car was salvaged from the previous owner and u buy the car, title it under u, will the "prior salvage" tiltle be a clean one or no?
i heard a buddy say once u buy it, put under your name it will become clear again as long as it passed inspections? true or false? because i think insuring a salvaged vehicle is more expensive right?


thanks so much!!, kao EM1

 

Every time I have ever bought or sold a vehicle, the salvage title history stays with the car.

Might be different in other states, but I'm in CA.

 

my car recently became a "salvage" vehicle. being the first time i've had to deal with this type of thing i did a lot of reading up on the subject. IIRC, there are a few states that allow a title to be cleared after having a salvage title, but i remember it involving something with a rebuilder and thorough inspection and certification. sounded like a lot of red tape and hassle.

it wasn't a long list of states and i know in other states there is no legal way to clear the title once it's been declared salvage.

as far as cost goes, here in SC having a salvage title cut my property taxes in half and according to the insurance company i'm not able to have anything but the cheapest most basic plan.

 

False, though there are states where this may be true which is why you want to have any used vehicle inspected by a mechanic prior to buying. Especially if the car comes from the south (flood cars).

Also, a salvaged title will reduce the value of the car by half.

With regard to insurance, I used to drive a salvaged Volvo, the insurance rate was the same as if it were not salvaged, about $20 a month for collision and uninsured / underinsured motorist.

 

i bought my 1998 2.3 CL from New Jersey with a tainted title. When my car was brand new, some old bag hit it in the parking lot of the dealership. While fixing it, the interior airbags and such were stolen. A New Jersey insurance company totaled the vehicle. The manager from the dealership then bought the car, fixed it back to spec, and had it inspected by NJDMV. It passed and was issued a new title, but in the corner of the NJ title remained a "S" for salvage. When i then registered this car in New York, the title came back clean as a whistle and no one said **** as far as DMV or getting insurance goes. I even got into a small fender bender that i claimed through my insurance, not a word from anybody concerning the status of the title.

But no matter what you do, if a car has had a rebuilt or salvage title, you ain't ducking car fax. So if you ever sell the car, just be aware that this will always be in the history.

my .02
good luck

mike

 

some of the information in this thread is true, some isnt. salvage cars get their title due to the insurance company, at some point writing it off as a loss. these cars can be piles of junk or great buys, it all depends. i have seen more than a few hondas that were totaled due to seats being stolen and or airbags. some get slammed hard and are never repaired correctly. there is also no real value strategy on what they are worth. the two facts about salvage cars are A: you can't get a loan at book value and B: getting book value if it's wrecked or stolen is more difficult. keep in mind many clear title cars have had more impact damage than some of the salvage cars. this is especially true with cars that book under 3k. most the time you have guys with liability only and if it gets hit, well, you pocket the check and buy a couple parts on CL, slap em on and forgot about that 3/8" on the frame that's tweaked. all the while this car still has a clean title but would have been totaled had it carried full coverage.

in short, use your head when you buy.

some really good deals are out there. a couple years ago i picked up a salvage 97 gsr that was totaled due to being stolen and then not found for over 100 days. some kid was driving it, got arrested and the insurance company auctioned the car. a dealer i know bought it and i picked up the car for 3k with 124k miles and bone stock. no wrecks, no problems, a perfect car. it's just salvaged due to the insurance writing it off.

 

i bougt a 1994 honda accord with a salvage title at 87K now car has over 200K on it.....everything still works including the A/C

 

false. you olny lose 30%of the book value of the vehicle

 

you dont lose the salvage history when it goes under your name. also if it still has a salvage title you will not be able to register the car. you must have a rebiult/reconconstructed title. this is what you get after having a salvage repaired and reinspected . some states if you buy a car from out of state with a reconstructed title the new title will not have any markings on it and will be a normal title. but if you do a carfax or a dmv history check of the vehicle it will pop up as a salvage vehicle.
there is nothing wrong with a reconstructed car if it was repaired correctly.

 

incorrect salvage title starts at 50% and can go up or down depending upon the quality of repair work.....

 

oh sorry guys for the long reply, but i already bought aclean title vehicle....drives great. No more salvaged title ever again.

thanks, Kao EM1!