Date: Sat, 8 Mar 2003 18:13:01 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Converting 'Salvage' to 'Clean' title? How honest is it?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
I always tell the history of a vehicle as well as I know it. Doesn't
affect my price at all. I don't allow that to be a negotiatig point.
But, I would also want a seller to be as honest with me. I also think
that there are some induced problems with insurance companies "totaling"
vehicles, because one man's junk is another man's treasure.
I had a jeep wagoneer and my business partners daughter drove it one day
and succeeded in T-boning another vehicle at an intersection.
Fortunately it was not the daughters fault. But becasue of the age of my
jeep the insurance company wrote it off as totaled. I looked at it
closely and decided to buy the jeep back as salvage. It sat out back of
my shop for a while then one day I sold it to a guy. I made a little
profit above what I paid for it, and the guy I sold it to had it on the
road three days later completely repaired. This case was clearly one in
which the insurance company considered the vehicle simply to old to
economically repair, when in fact it was imminently repairable in the
right hands. A capable person should not have to hassle a replacement
title on a totaled vehicle.
There is also a local VW mechanic who had a red 88 GL like mine, only
with an automatic transmiisson. The engine had been stolen. He had
installed a rebuilt engie and he was trying to get a salvage title. He
was having a devil of a time of it in Alabama all because the insurance
company had written the van off as a total loss. This was due to it's
age and the cost of BUYING and INSTALLING a NEW VW remanufactured engine.
That was ridiculous.
I think he finally did get a new and proper title to it.
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
Tim McDermott wrote:
>Most people would complain if they bought a vehicle with
>a 'clean' title and then later found out it was once a 'salvage' vehicle.
>
>There are many reasons a vehicle could be salvage, flood , theft or physical
>damage.
>
>I bought a 1984 vanagon with a salvage title (due to theft), replaced the
>missing pieces
>(motor, tranny) and drove the car for 5 years after which it got sideswiped
>and totaled again.
>
>Drove it for another 6 months before I sold it to a guy who wanted a
>'beater' to install a
>Subaru motor in.
>
>I was completely honest about the title history of the vehicle.
>I remember a while back Ken Wilford was talking about getting a clean title
>for.
>
>Are we all being as honest about a vehicles past as we would expect another
>seller to be?
>
>Thanks
>Tim
>
>
>
