Ok, a million questions but the important ones are at the end.
I bought a '95 Eclipse GSX Georgia car with 95k this summer with a spun bearing. The Carfax was clean, the title appeared to be clean(no markings of salvage), and my plan was simply to put one of my spare 6-bolts in it when I had enough money for parts. Well I haven’t been making any money with school so its just sitting until spring when I have a little $. Since the previous owner had signed the back of the title, we went and titled it in his name, but instead of a title in his name he got the letter saying it was rebuilt salvage. When I called, NYS said it was totaled in 2001. I’m willing to go through a little BS for the examination as long as I don’t end up losing my $150 somehow.
Can someone who has actually gone through the salvage program give me some details about it? Should I apply for the examination now because I’ve heard it will take months, or should I wait until the car is running? I would like to drive it this summer, but it won’t be running until sometime this spring. Will I even be able to get it registered in time?
To get the temporary transport permit to drive it to the inspection station, I need a NYS inspection (and insurance). Something I can’t get until its up and running. Can I apply for the examination, and then apply for the transport permit later? I guess I can ask the dmv this.
And as far as having receipts and info on parts…I have no idea why this thing was totaled. I’m going to put an engine in, but its unrelated to that. I know the vin for the hood doesn’t match. I’m kind of worried that it will fail and I’ll be out the $150 because I don’t have any paperwork or receipts for a car that should never been totaled.
Any way to find out why Allstate totaled it? Only evidence of damage is an upper control arm, hood, front bumper were replaced, and the radiator core support is a little dented. Nothing that should have costed that much. Am I worrying too much or am I going to get screwed?
If the carfax was clean, and it was totalled in 01, then you can sue carfax or something (if the carfax should it was a clean title)
unless the vins were swapped and you got scammed
basically all you have to do is provide receipts of parts purchased to prove you didnt use stolen parts. they look it over, check VINS, etc. I have never been directly involved, but I used to work for a guy who only bought/fixed/sold salvaged cars.
basically are going to end up having to call the guy and say WTF make this right or buy it back.
or call the dmv, maybe they messed up gasp
there is a possibility you bought a car with switched VINS or something. I would check the firewall, dash, door, and glove box and make sure they all match
I definitely didn’t get scammed. Maybe one of the previous 8 other owners of the car did but I doubt it. Georgia must handle things differently because the title had no visible branding. The guy I bought the car from didn’t know anything about it and only had it for a short time. The guy who’s been helping me out a ton is two owners back and he just signed the salvage form over to me today. He bought it from a friend and had no idea. Since I did not buy the car from him he has no reason to lie to me.
Carfax sucks imo because you can’t even talk to someone on the phone, only through email and it seems like you’re getting an automated response. They have a buyback guarantee. They will buy it back if they are wrong about it being salvage. There’s only one problem. The damn car has to be in my name for them to buy it back. To get it in my name I have to pay the $200 and go through all of the examinations anyway. I paid $500 for the car. Plus how often do you see a rust-free, 5spd, awd '95(no emissions inspection) dsm. Its not perfect but for the price I will keep it. Too bad carfax won’t just give me the $150 for the examination. Even then that’s forgetting that the car is practically worthless as a rebuilt salvage. Screw carfax.
My FSM lists every VIN location. Maybe I’ll go brush it off and check them out now. Do they actually check every location? Its not like they’re getting the inner fenders or quarter panels. Or basically door jamb, dash, hood, decklid? Maybe firewall on cars that have it there?
I’m a little worried about showing up with very few receipts. I’m only gonna have one for the engine when I get my buddy to write one up for me. This sucks because I’m sure none of these parts are stolen and its a 15 year old car.
even if the vins don’t match, i think the one on the door jam is the one that matters
just make sure if it does have different vins that none of them come up as stolen
How do you check to see if a VIN is for a stolen vehicle??
I just went out and verified that the title, dash, door jamb, both quarter panels, both doors, and hatch all match. I couldn’t get to the rear bumper label but if it’s readable it should be a match.
I’m worried because the fender labels are too weathered to read. They should be original but I think I read that NYS charges like $25 to put the VIN on there for each one that is missing. I tried writing down the VIN for the hood, but it was also really hard to read and I’ll have to look at it again. It should be from a '96 TSI but I can’t get it to match up with a real VIN. The front bumper is a different color and the VIN is also unreadable.
I just found out my trans is not original, its from a '95 TSI AWD. The VIN was very very hard to read and I had to use my knowledge of VINs guessing and checking until it came up. Weird thing is that Carfax says 0 records for the car. My engine is from a '91 TSI AWD.
I’m not positive, but I am pretty sure you won’t get away with using that engine. Even though it isn’t obd2, I am pretty sure it is against dmv regs to use an engine older than the vehicle. You might want to make sure you can before the inspection.
I doubt they will check the vin on the engine/trans, but since everything else is a mismatch then maybe…
and with the buy back thing from carfax. will car fax really buy the car from you, as in give you cash and take it away? what do they want with the car? i would find the legal disclaimer and read it.
The Carfax was not mine, someone on here ran it for me. I think it may be transferrable, but the guarantee is useless. They would give me money, but the title must be in my name. Only way to make that possible is to actually go through all this BS anyways and it will cost $200+cost to get it running. The MV-907a could probably be adequate like a title but its in the previous owner’s name. Considering I paid $500 for the car, I’m not doing their buyback program. I think they said they just scrap the cars they buy back. The trans alone is worth what I would make from them.
I don’t know the difference between total loss and salvage. That might be useful info. I think I read that a car could be a total loss but not salvage. Probably never in NYS.
And thanks for the NICB VIN check.
My own VIN gave me"4A3AL54F3SE004733 has not been identified as a vehicle listed in the VINCheckSM Total Loss Records."
Trans VIN came out clean(0 records on carfax is still a little strange)
Engine VIN was not stolen but in their salvage records “Date of loss: 2004-01-24 Cause of loss: Collision”
Not too worried about using the '91 engine, I think they only have laws like that in CA or something.
So pretty much the VINs match except for hood, engine, trans haha. Fenders and front bumper are unreadable (and bumper is definitely not a match), trans and hood are very very hard to read. Still have to find the rear bumper label, but I don’t think they’re gonna be crawling under the car to look for that.
They won’t crawl under there, they put the car on a lift. They check all the vins.
This is a story I just made up.
On a truck I had to take to get NYS salvage inspection, the airbags went. In this specific truck you had to get the ECU reprogrammed to get the lights off. Someone places black electrical tape over said lights and the truck passed. Yippy.
It doesn’t, swapping engines will only fall under emissions requirements from 96 and up. The car is a 95, he can do pretty much anything you want to get it running. The only requirements are more or less:
2 Side Mirrors or Drivers Side and rearview.
Locking Shoulder Restraints
Airbag operational if equipped (As in if there is a steering wheel with a bag the light can’t be on. If you swap out the steering wheel with one without an airbag and the light is on you usually will pass. Or, pull the fuse to kill the light.)
Working Headlights, Taillights, and Indicators (Turn Signals)
Tire tread greater than 7/32
Brakes must appear to wear smooth/even and free of stress cracks and fractures
Horn must be operational
I think that is it off the top of my head if that helps.
I think you park it and open the doors, hood, and hatch. No lift but I’m not sure.
And as far as the airbags go, I keep reading about how, if deployed, they must be replaced with new, not used airbags. I haven’t seen any other rule about parts(such as engine swaps, etc).
As far as the unreadable VINS. I plan to do a 97-99 swap anyway, do the certi-fit bumpers come with any markings? I saw something about them charging $25 per VIN that they have to put on there.
