What is a repaired titled?
In the State of Washington in particular.
In the State of Washington in particular.
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Clean vs repaired title
- Thread starter Stevester 500E
- Start date
Repaired or rebuilt? If rebuilt, then this basically a salvage vehicle that has been fixed.
Salvage titles are issued by insurance companies and auctions for cars that are totaled and sold as salvage. If repaired, the state issues a rebuilt title.
Depending on the age of the car, they don't have to be hurt badly to get a salvage title and they can be pretty good deals if the car is fixed properly. Banks would typically not touch them.
Salvage titles are issued by insurance companies and auctions for cars that are totaled and sold as salvage. If repaired, the state issues a rebuilt title.
Depending on the age of the car, they don't have to be hurt badly to get a salvage title and they can be pretty good deals if the car is fixed properly. Banks would typically not touch them.
Here is an interesting article about how Washington treats these issues.
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Used-vehicle-buyers-beware-1154729.php
Although there are always ways around systems, many States actually have Safety inspections annually for all cars, and problems like the one in the article would get caught.
This brings you back to the need for a comprehensive and reliable PPI every time you consider a car purchase.
California is similar, I believe their state inspection is all about exhaust gases, nothing for safety.
The first Mercedes I bought from CA I didn't have a PPI done, and found out at my NY inspection, that the front end was unsafe and needed to be rebuilt.
Called the PO up in San Francisco and he was clueless about a state safety inspection, and turns out he was right.
Some states like NJ have state operated inspection stations that check everything, and you can't fudge the system, fix the car or pull the plates.
Pennsylvania used to have a "Rust" inspection, too much rust and the car had to come off the road and get sold out of state or fixed, or scrapped.
Anyway, back to your Repaired Title in Washington, if that article is correct, the "Repaired Title" doesn't mean it was repaired correctly, that just means you can register the car, it still could be unsafe or fixed poorly.
Caveat Emptor ...
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Used-vehicle-buyers-beware-1154729.php
Although there are always ways around systems, many States actually have Safety inspections annually for all cars, and problems like the one in the article would get caught.
This brings you back to the need for a comprehensive and reliable PPI every time you consider a car purchase.
California is similar, I believe their state inspection is all about exhaust gases, nothing for safety.
The first Mercedes I bought from CA I didn't have a PPI done, and found out at my NY inspection, that the front end was unsafe and needed to be rebuilt.
Called the PO up in San Francisco and he was clueless about a state safety inspection, and turns out he was right.
Some states like NJ have state operated inspection stations that check everything, and you can't fudge the system, fix the car or pull the plates.
Pennsylvania used to have a "Rust" inspection, too much rust and the car had to come off the road and get sold out of state or fixed, or scrapped.
Anyway, back to your Repaired Title in Washington, if that article is correct, the "Repaired Title" doesn't mean it was repaired correctly, that just means you can register the car, it still could be unsafe or fixed poorly.
Caveat Emptor ...
+1...
The COST of the car (new and more importantly to repair) actually matters too. We were recently looking at a salvage title 500E in TX, for hail. Yes, hail, and not as in the Michigan Wolverines. See here...http://www.500eboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10325
We can all guess about why, but salvage title on that car means nothing to me. Car investors and collectors may care (may not), but I see no reason a driver should care. The truth is cars get salvage title for all sorts of reasons, ranging from catastrophic crashes to floods to lazy, cheap or paid off insurance adjusters. A good inspection generally reveals enough information to make a well thought out decision. But I wouldn't stop at the title notation. A bit more inquiry is necessary, IMO.
maw
Many states including Oregon and Washington do not have safety inspection programs. That in itself is not grounds for a rebuilt car to be bad or poorly repaired. You can buy a car with a perfectly good title that is unsafe. It is up to the buyer to inspect the vehicle. However, any dealer that sells a vehicle with a rebuilt title should be required to inform the buyer before the sale is finalized. The benefit of buying from a private party is that you typically see the title before hand. Many used car dealers buy and sell under power of attorney and buyers rarely see the title until they receive it in the mail.
The title just has a brand on it to tell you that it was once a total loss insurance write off. Someone can do a really crappy job or a great job at fixing it and it will probably pass a safety inspection. It would be up to you to make sure that you're satisfied with the result. I bought a 1980 280TE from a salvage auction. Nice Manual transmission car. PO must have left the hood unlatched and it went up bent the hinges and smashed the windshield.
I got my rebuilt title by replacing the windshield and hinges. One of my favorite salvage deals.
I got my rebuilt title by replacing the windshield and hinges. One of my favorite salvage deals.
That would be one of my favorites, too.
My favorite is my current '92 500E, which has a "flood" title (again from TX, and IIRC from the same Copart auction). After said "flood", it ran the One Lap of America as a RennTech entry and finished 4th in the luxury division. Needless to say, no one who has ever seen the car believes it was ever in a flood, and from my research, there was only one heavy rain event in the TX county where the car was located during the time of said flood (says the Army Corps of Engineers). So either a massive flood event occurred, no one knew about it, and the race car drivers and team owners and all their mechanics missed the flood damage to the car; or something else. People can draw their own conclusions, but my guess is something else. All I know is I got a great deal on a great car.
Cheers,
maw
