vudoocustoms Posted December 18, 2013 Author Share Posted December 18, 2013 Bravo! Well said. ^^ ...and that is exactly what I will be doing...not waffling, but purchasing:) Thanks everyone for their honest inputs. I am currently working on a deal w the seller and soon if all goes well, I'll be driving this beauty home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 In fact, I got a 1990 Z32 in the back yard containerized that the owner refused his insurance settlement because he wanted to retain far more in suspension components and engine stuff than the settlement was going to pay out. Now, there is a running, driving, SMASHED Z32 with a 'clean title'.... Which would you rather buy? A car with a "salvage title" that was professionally repaired, or one that looks OK and has a clean title...but as you pop interior panels doing cleanup after the fact realize the car was 1/4 clipped in a guys backyard garage.... Who was the unscrupulous seller? The guy with the "Salvage" Title, or the one with "Clean Title"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Enjoy the car and don't give it a second thought. Get all the photos from the accident that 'salvaged it' and put it in a ziplok baggie and start a 'car folder' for all the details on what you have on, in, and around the car. If you ever sell, the proof will be there, and the buyer's mind set at ease. I have a filing cabinet... Seriously.... I have a FILING CABINET full of such folders just to keep stories straight with what goes with what! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Check with your insurance company. In some cases you can only get liability insurance on a salvage title car. They will not cover the car for damage. And if you are in a wreck where the other driver is at fault their insurance company will use the salvage title to deny compensation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsommer Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Interesting subject, I ask what is the difference on a rusted out Z, that has replaced body panels , floors ,sub frame rails , battery tray , shock towers , rear hatch,front hood , plus other body parts and a full quality paint job . Is this redone Z a salvage car ? Well that is the state of my car, took a 72 shell, no title and now rebuilding it from the ground up. What kind of title will I wind up with? In Arkansas who knows. If it's salvage well, I'll just let the pictures do the talking. I don't think there is such a thing as a "redone" title but that would be fine with me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattlejester Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 (edited) Tony: I do remember a story of that nature regarding a motorcycle that was bought by a japanese person recently, and was planning on having it shipped to him. During a random scan at the port, the motorcycle was selected, and only then was it discovered that it had been stolen some 40 odd years ago, and the original owner retook possession of the motorcycle. I guess the export document scanning is a lot more thurough then state issued titles? I agree, as long as an inspection of the rust prone spots are done and the vehicle suspension is in alignment, and the panel gap restored it doesn't really matter. No one will know the damage exists from the outside or inside, and the car will track straight and true. Best wishes on your dealing, hope you get the Z! dsommer: There is a rebuilt title that is issued in some states if the car has been salvaged and repaired sufficiently. Technically not a branded title anymore, but less desirable then a clean title from a title standpoint. If your car has a clean title, when you are finished, you would just call it a restored car. I don't think the title has much to do about anything regarding the condition. As mentioned several times, there are salvaged cars that have little to no structural damage (stolen interior parts etc) and there are clean title cars that have rot in every other orifice. Edited December 19, 2013 by seattlejester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 If I was in Arkansas, I'd jump the border and get an Alabama Registration for the appropriate Datsun. Then return and surrender the Alabama Registration for an Arkansas Title. This works better if you have relatives who can do this for you! "Homebuilt" differs from "Reconstructed" which usually means "Salvage".... Some states add "Flooded" as a type of title. Really, you should do the legwork before you start your project. Tragedy can be avoided with a little legwork beforehand. If I was going to sink several thousands of dollars into a car....I would make sure I knew the Title Status beforehand! That being said, I've bought cars without paperwork...but it's a big discount and there is usually a "waiting period" in the back yard while I wait for anything that could come up, to come up. Dealing with Lien Sales for as long as I did, I saw things happen when people bought and jumped right into a project. But a "Salvage Title"? Pfft! If I got the details, I'm going ahead right away. FAR safer IMO than a "Lien-Clean" if you plan on putting $$$ into it right away. Buy "Lien-Clean" you are best to wait until the reclaim period is over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 Sorry, but that's not the point. The point is that a car with a salvage title is worth significantly less than an equivalent car with a clean title at the time of sale. Going a little further, has anyone here insured a car with a salvage title for full coverage and not just liability? Dennis Yes, my salvaged Z is insured for full coverage and agreed value, no different from a clean titled car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2Zs Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 You might have already gotten it, but for what its worth I would look at the bigger picture. You don't really know the guy selling the car, so you don't know for sure if the only damage is the rear that he"fixed" and the fact that the undercoating is peeling off and its rough in some spots would also raise my suspicions. "a passionate Z lover" who hasn't cleared the bumper, and has these little blemishes. Course all of us have something that could be fixed on our car. I would look at how long its been for sale. And how many are for sale in the area. How far are u willing to travel? If you think about it, you want a z so you aren't going to be great at deciding because you already want it. You will be willing to overlook small red flags cause you want it. Take your buddy with you and have him look over the car. Would he buy it? If so its probably decent. Investments are important, but it sounds like you are buying a hobby. Hobbys usually lose money. You are trading your money for fun. So if you sell it for a couple thousand less in 5 years it would be worth it. Just my 2 cents. Good luck with whatever you chose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLATA Posted December 20, 2013 Share Posted December 20, 2013 (edited) ^^^^ I like the term ''trading $$$$ for fun'', this is present in the Z World hobby . In my case that what I did, if I one day get the depart syndrome , I will hope that a true Z fanatic comes to my door. Edited December 20, 2013 by PLATA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 TonyD's Rule of Classic Car Ownership: "A car is a hole in midair, suspended there by four rubber doughnuts. Doughnuts which you can not eat. Into this hole you will shovel money. You will never the money again." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~KnuckleDuster~ Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 TonyD's Rule of Classic Car Ownership: "A car is a hole in midair, suspended there by four rubber doughnuts. Doughnuts which you can not eat. Into this hole you will shovel money. You will never the money again." Not true in every case. I was able to make money on my RB powered 71. Bought the car for 6,500. Sold for 14,600. Gotta love ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osirus9 Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 I'd say over 90% of Car hobbyists have no illusions of getting all the money they dump into their cars back. Or at least, they only have that illusion once! I like the justification of spending $$$ for fun though. Its not the cheapest hobby around, but I love it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 I know this was said already, but to restate: If you can get good insurance on the car for full agreed upon value, then you're probably going to be fine. Salvage is one term, but you can talk to your local DMV to see if they support rebuilt titles, since there IS a difference. Rebuilt should be almost as good as a clean Title, but the caviots are A that you're buying damaged goods, and thus if you ever sell it, you'll be selling damaged goods. That's what the salvage on the title means. You may still get great return on the car later on, but first why are you buying it? Not to resell, certainly, If so you're making a mistake. You want to drive it and love on it, then go buy one, just know what you're buying. Do the magnet test, See what kind of warranty the guy will give you on his work. And most of all, see what you can insure it for, since that may be the tell tale factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WizardBlack Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 (edited) Yeah undercoating put all over is a lazy way to hide surface rust or worse and should be a warning sign. Keep in mind a bodyman is a pro at putting lipstick on a pig. Salvage is irrelevant, but a bodyman owner fixing a car AFTER he negotiates sale price is, um, unwise. There is not reason for someone living in PR of California should need to pay that much for that sort of risk. Edited January 5, 2014 by WizardBlack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vudoocustoms Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 I agree. The previous owner had not let word out about selling it. My coworker, his friend, told me about the car and stated he will post up the car fs online soon, so i should check it out before hand. I did, and made the purchase. Ive looked the car over, inside and out. Though i am no expert on classic vehicles, the rebuild seems to be pretty well put together. I did what you guys osaid. Jacked the car up and with a hammer, tapped the whole under carriage to funny, inconsistant sounds, and it all checked out. The under coat that was peeling off in some of the spots were very thinly sprayed...didnt seem like he was trying to cover any faulty metal work...although i may be wrong. The only thing that sucks about the car is that the stock springs are cut sitting on stock shocks and the ride quality is horrible. The guy did not cut any corners on body work, but he is no mechanic amd there could be a couple areas of improvements mechanically. Over all im happy and would like to think i made a good decision to buy it. I will update yall with pics. Thnx for all the inputs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 did you try to stick a magnet to it to see how thick the bondo is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vudoocustoms Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 I have not tried cuz i dont have a magnet that wont scratch the paint..at least ide have to find one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psdenno Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 I have not tried cuz i dont have a magnet that wont scratch the paint..at least ide have to find one A rubberized flexible refrigerator magnet works just fine. Saved me from buying a year old Scion that had an entire Bondo side and a salvage title a year or so ago. Dennis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DatsunZman04 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I bought a 240z that had a lost title that was abandoned on farm in MO. I went through all the steps and paid $200 for the car but all I can get is a salvage title since I filed for a abandoned vehicle title. 3 weeks of Paperwork through the HWY patrol. GRR but I didnt want to see the car get crushed. Does this bring my car value down yes!! But I have the satisfaction of knowing that it was never in an accident and didnt need frame work done. Value is only in the mindset of the person who owns the car. If your not planning on selling it in the future, then go for it if thats what you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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