I'm bored. Salvage title to Rebuilt title on a car with just cosmetic damgage

[thedarkwolf]

Killing time on copart.com again. Just as an example lets use this car

https://www.copart.com/lot/28138788

No real visible damage in the pics other than a scrape here and there so lets just assume vandalism means somebody keyed the ever living crap out of it and it would cost the insurance company too much to fix. Would it be as simple as I'm thinking. You buy it, fix nothing, take it for the safety inspection, go to the DMV, bam rebuilt title, collect underpants ? profit

Of coarse I'm assuming it goes for a price you can make a profit with scratches all over and a rebuilt title on it. I'm more interested about this in case a car came up I actually wanted to keep which wouldn't be a nissan versa.

 

[aigomorla]

https://abetter.bid/en/28138788-2016-nissan-versa_note

same vin shows its a hurricane salvage, which usually means flooded.

So no its not just key'd up, but more was taking a bath happily in water, deep enough that the car got flooded.

And flooded cars are not as simple as you think in fixing up, especially if its salt water.

Something i learned from samcrac on youtube, always google the vin on the car and see if it has either pictures or some other history on the car.

 

[thedarkwolf]

lol no it is LOCATED in Hurricane Wv, pronounced Hurra-kun. The copart page says Charleston but it is actually Hurricane, I drive by the lot every now and again. I only noticed that car because it is at the local copart lot. Does say secondary side damage which I noticed before posting it but being white and wet it is hard to really see anything in pics. Like I said I'm not really interested in a versa, just using it as an example of a car with nothing but cosmetic damage and because people like examples.

And samcrac is why I was killing time looking at copart

https://www.copart.com/lot/25449978
That would be the local car I'd actually be somewhat interested in as a nice daily beater. Doesn't "look" like any structural damage but I'd have to see it in person and it would have to go CHEAP. Already have a nicer daily, a miata that needs put back together, and a jetta tdi wagon with trans issues I need to fix and sell so I'm already fully booked.

 

[mizzou]

Cool! I have one of those places right next to me lol.


EDIT: I checked the lot near me, it's essentially filled with burned/completely wrecked cars

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Cool! I have one of those places right next to me lol.


EDIT: I checked the lot near me, it's essentially filled with burned/completely wrecked cars

Mostly, yeah, but then you'll find a nice looking Acura with "mechanical" damage and it's like... "What the hell do they mean by that and how much would a junkyard J35 cost?"

 

[aigomorla]

lol no it is LOCATED in Hurricane Wv, pronounced Hurra-kun.

ROFL you serious?

OOPS on my part then....

that is so misleading....

 

[thedarkwolf]

Cool! I have one of those places right next to me lol.


EDIT: I checked the lot near me, it's essentially filled with burned/completely wrecked cars

It is fun/dangerous way to kill some time. The one near me has a good mix of everything including some clean title cars. Has a couple clean title early 70s VW bugs including a baja which would be fun to have for a few months just so I could say I had owned a bug.

 

[mindless1]

You're looking at cars with too high a bluebook value if you're expecting to find something that just has superficial dings and scrapes.

 

[evident]

Thanks for making me waste an hour of my time, lol! What does "Normal Wear" mean? Are those also salvage title vehicles?

 

[Fenixgoon]

why not get a more fun car? a versa seems kinda boring to put in lots of work in rebuilding a salvage.

hell, make a kit car! drop literbike engine in a lotus 7 clone and you'll have a f'in good time.

 

[MasterAndCommander]

How about rebuilding a Tesla Model S that was totaled from flood damage like this guy?

 

[paperfist]

Killing time on copart.com again. Just as an example lets use this car

https://www.copart.com/lot/28138788

No real visible damage in the pics other than a scrape here and there so lets just assume vandalism means somebody keyed the ever living crap out of it and it would cost the insurance company too much to fix. Would it be as simple as I'm thinking. You buy it, fix nothing, take it for the safety inspection, go to the DMV, bam rebuilt title, collect underpants ? profit

Of coarse I'm assuming it goes for a price you can make a profit with scratches all over and a rebuilt title on it. I'm more interested about this in case a car came up I actually wanted to keep which wouldn't be a nissan versa.

Copart sells to the public? Last I knew you had to be a dealer. I've been looking at https://erepairables.com/ which is like a middle man.

There's a little more to salvage then that. It depends on the state. In NY there's a $250 fee for the 'safety' inspection which is really a check for stolen parts. It's like a 45 day process and you'll get a rebuilt title by that time. You can then sell it and have to advertise and salvage which is usually a book value a year older.

I don't know how it is now, but you used to be able to make a ton of money on them. You have to buy higher end models though cause the cheap seats are a dime a dozen without prior damage.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Depends on the state. In my state you have to be a dealer or go through a broker which is yet another charge.
And I'll say it yet again I'm not interested in the Versa, it was just an example of a car with cosmetic damage.

 

[paperfist]

Depends on the state. In my state you have to be a dealer or go through a broker which is yet another charge.
And I'll say it yet again I'm not interested in the Versa, it was just an example of a car with cosmetic damage.

Great, I'm gonna hire you as my dealer

Does anyone know of a cheap VIN lookup service?

 

[bradly1101]

https://abetter.bid/en/28138788-2016-nissan-versa_note

same vin shows its a hurricane salvage, which usually means flooded.

So no its not just key'd up, but more was taking a bath happily in water, deep enough that the car got flooded.

And flooded cars are not as simple as you think in fixing up, especially if its salt water.

Something i learned from samcrac on youtube, always google the vin on the car and see if it has either pictures or some other history on the car.

Hmm. I never googled my old car's vin, but I did the CarFax. It was useless and said my car hadn't had any reports. I bought it and it was a flood recovery car with rear-end damage. It lasted a long time though but needed work (aluminum brake lines, AC,...). It was river water (eek!), but if it was salty it would have been worse.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Carfax can only show what was reported. If some guy fixes damage to their own car without getting the cops or insurance involved carfax isn't going to spot that.

 

[paperfist]

If it was reported though and CarFax missed it I believe they have a guarantee.

 

[paperfist]

Dang Copart has like 10 pages of classic cars. I wonder what the value is on them once they are repaired salvage?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Dang Copart has like 10 pages of classic cars. I wonder what the value is on them once they are repaired salvage?

A restored/rebuilt car is a restored/rebuilt car, IMO. The reasons for avoiding a dirty title on a 2012 Honda don't apply to a 1967 AMC.

 

[slag]

Recently purchased 2 cars from copart, a 2005 F150 with dents along the driver's side and a 2002 BMW xit with rear door damage. Both were "salvage" titles. To get them to rebuilt status, It took 30 bucks apiece and an inspection at the local highway patrol area. That's all. I didn't have to fix or replace anything, just took them in, paid the money, and got 2 rebuilt title stickers on the door jam and 2 new rebuilt titles in the mail.

 

[mizzou]

interesting.... I feel like the mid to older models might be useful because it doesnt take much to put them in salvage status....but the rear ended or sideswiped vehs that are very new and low miles are attractive.

Im assuming a 2017 luxory car will take a significantant amount of money to repair because otherwise...why the heck would it be there??

 

[dave_the_nerd]

interesting.... I feel like the mid to older models might be useful because it doesnt take much to put them in salvage status....but the rear ended or sideswiped vehs that are very new and low miles are attractive.

Im assuming a 2017 luxory car will take a significantant amount of money to repair because otherwise...why the heck would it be there??

Bingo. It won't get totaled out for much less than KBB value, so tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage.

 

[slag]

Usually its 75-80% KBB to total it out. What a shop might charge to replace parts and repaint though, you can sometimes get identical colored parts at the local pick and pull and replace yourself. It's why Copart buyers have been popping up all over youtube because you don't have to have a degree in autobody repair to unbolt a fender and bolt a new one on or replace headlights, etc.

 

[paperfist]

A restored/rebuilt car is a restored/rebuilt car, IMO. The reasons for avoiding a dirty title on a 2012 Honda don't apply to a 1967 AMC.

Good point, those old cars usually are frame off restorations anyway so what's the difference if you change some smashed parts.

----

You guys have to watch the air bags. A lot of states won't let you use new ones and new ones are pretty costly. That's a lot to do with them being totaled.

 

[slag]

I've purchased 4 salvage cars this year through copart/