Ok so i bought a front end damaged Miata, that was totaled out by the insurance company and they wrote the owner a check minus the buy back. He sold me the car and im doing the repairs.
I have some friends that have done similar things saying that since they Insurance company didn’t ever posess the title its not a “salvage” car?? All i have to do is to take it down and Reg the car and rock and roll?
Anyone ever deal with this process?
Thanks
As far as I know, if the car was totalled, it is a salvage vehicle. DMV probably has it in their system or something.
Did you get the title for it from your friend?
My cousin had a Caravan that he hit a deer with, and his insurance said it was totaled. This was about 2 years ago. He decided to buy it back sine it still drove fine. When he called the insurance company about the title, they said since the van was 10 years old, that they didn’t issue salvage titles because he kept the vehicle and it didn’t go through auction. He drove the van for 2 months, then sold it. 2 months after he sold it, it showed back up on CL fixed and still with a clean title.
Might depend on the insurance company, which I am not sure who he uses, but that’s my experience with it.
If its old enough they won’t brand the title.
Ultradriver10000 its a 1995
Jimmyfloyd
I bought the car from a co-worker.
Being a 1995 the car isn’t valued as much so they probably won’t brand it. As long as you have the title signed from your friend you should be ok.
Yea i have the title… I didn’t know if they would digitally brand the title?
My car ('93 Mustang) was deemed totaled back in 2000 when I was living in MN. Similar scenario as you where I bought the car back from insurance company and fixed it myself…never had a salvage title and now currently have a clean NY title. However, if I were in your shoes I’d make a trip to my nearest DMV and ask them.
I have a 1987 that’s branded salvage. How old would it have to be to not be branded???
if you dont run through the salvage program it will come back up -----eventually.
i have no idea on age, however when my dads e36 (1992) was totalled (2-3 years ago) he called and they said that it would not have to go through salvage inspection or be retitled. i fixed the car for him and he has been driving it since. it still has a clean title.
But he never sold the car, right? If he sold the car to someone, I believe they would have to go through that process. Maybe not though!
Why dont you just try and register it and see what happens.
Mark, it would depend when the car received the salvage title. If the 87 was totaled when it was relatively new, or within whatever time frame it was that the insurance company has, then the title will get branded and it never gets removed. It could also get one from being totaled and run through a salvage auction, being a repo, and possibly from being a Garage lein car.
I thought that if you buy back from insurance and repair it yourself it does not get branded, only if it goes through the auction.
It was branded salvage in 2004, so 17 years old at the time of branding.
Update, i registered the car just fine. No issues.
:tup: good deal.
A lot depends on the insurance company. Most don’t feel like going through all the paper work to actually deem the car totaled. Instead they file it as $x,xxx in repairs but they cover the full valve for the car.
Good deal.