Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 08:59:52 -0700
Reply-To: DAVID MOST <most@UCLA.EDU>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: DAVID MOST <most@UCLA.EDU>
Subject: more on salvage title
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Thanks to all who have replied thus far. A couple of you have wondered
why the vanagon would be considered totalled if the drivability hasn't
been affected. It is my understanding that the damage included the front
body panel (above the grills), the radiator, condenser, windshield, the
grills (at least the top one), and the entire dashboard. The owner had
the radiator replaced 2000 miles away from home (where the accident
hapened), and drove it home expecting to keep it after doing some
repairs. (By the way, the insurance company gave him 10,000 for it, andhe
had to pay 2,500 to get it back). Also, he had his wife and kids with
him, and I don't think he would have made the trip home if there was
real structural damage. The windshield and body work
was done to make it look as good as new. He also just had a new front fan
installed when I showed him that it wasn't quite running that well. It
turns out that after doing these repairs, the owner found a mint syncro
westfalia with 30,000 miles. So, now he has 2 vanagons in his driveway.
In any case, if you go a dealer and estimate how much it would cost to
replace the entire front dash (and the other parts mentioned), you may
(or may not) be surprised a how muchthis would cost. It's not unusual
for body damage caused in an accident to lead to costs exceeding the
"value" of the vehicle. The dashboard is very expsensive, and though
there's some very slight curvature due to the accident, I wouldn't
consider it a problem. By the way, the front bumper didn't have any
damage.
The current owner figured that I wouldn't want to buy it without the A/C,
and the salvage title could be a problem in some states. However, I
believe that the vanagon is structurally sound. I would like to
understand why the condenser can't be installed given that it has a
new radiator and cooling fan, and I think the dealer where most ofthe
work has been performed cananswer this question. This part sounds a bit
strange however.
I hope this additional info helps in providing any additional advice. I
realize that more info would help, but I can say that if you saw and
drove this vanagon, unless someone told you, you wouldn't know that it
had encountered a deer in Montana.
Thanks again,
david
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