Rebuilt Title....

[streetlegends]

Okay guys I have a very important question. I am getting another car but still keepin my DSM just going to fix everything that's going wrong with it. The car I am looking at buying has a "rebuilt title" has any on here purchased an auto with one of these titles and how hard was it to get full coverage insurance and have you have any big problems from it. The car is a 2002 Honda Accord V6 which I had a 4 door one of these and let my ex-wife keep it. Thanks for any info.

 

[Benshooter]

It depends on why the vehicle was declared a loss in the first place. Do you have any info on that?

 

[DxmaSonxM]

My Eclipse had a rebuilt title. It depends on you insurance company if they will fully insure it. I have Allstate and receive full coverage. And its no more expensive. Make sure to find out why it has a rebuilt title. Also look for any frame damage.

 

[laserspeeddemon]

I bought a 1999 Honda Civic Si that had a rebuilt title. As the story goes, 3-4 owners ago it was stolen. The car was not found for some X amount of time and the insurance company paid the owner in full. This automatically gave it a "Salvage Title." Some time later the car was found and recovered in 100% condition, minus the Si badge was stolen from the trunk.

Still because it was "Salvaged" the insurance company sold it to a junk yard. One of the employees of the junk yard bought it for like $100 or something, went through the process and got a rebuilt title. Then sold it for like $11,000 to some chick. I bought it some time later for $4600 in 2007. I later sold it in 2010 for $5000 .

Me and the next owner insured the car in full.

 

[streetlegends]

Alright I found out why it had a salvage title at first is because it was wrecked on the front right side. They sells person said it drives fine without any issues...but still my whole thing is that it's listed for 5400 with 73,000 miles and they haven't sold it yet. My insurance company told me that I would have to take it to a mechanic to have it checked before they provide coverage. Well, I am thinking it was some frame damage for them to total it out.

 

[laserspeeddemon]

No not at all. Sometimes simply setting off the air bag makes the car economically totaled, not mechanically.

Understand that with insurance everything is about numbers. If the repairs is around 85% the price of the vehicle, then they just total out the car and give you cash.

Lets say the impact was made at 5 mph, ripped off the front bumper, need one new head light, replace one fender, slight hood damage so you need a new hood, you need a new rim and replace the bent lateral arm, replace the air bags, get an alignment and labor to paint/install everything. This comes out to $4000 in repairs. But the car only sells for $4600. That's about 86% the valve of the car. So instead of paying the $4000 in repairs, the insurance company totals out the car and give you the $4600 minus your deductible of $500 so you get $4100. Now the car is mechanically fine, but it is not economical to repair the car. So it gets sent to a junk yard where the insurance company makes about $100.

Now Billy Bob works and at the junk yard and processes the car at the junk yard and notices he has the EXACT same make, model, year and color of this same car in the yard already. Except this other car was rear-ended. Billy Bob buys both cars form the junkyard for about $200. He swaps the parts to make one functional car. Replacing the Hood, both fenders, the front bumper the air bags, the lower lateral arms and the rim. He now has a PERFECTLY running car. He goes through the red tape and rebuilds the title. He then either a) keeps the car or b) sells it for $3000 and sells the parts car back to the junk yard for $100.

Car is perfectly mechanically sound.... just rebuilt title.

 

[TalonTsi_291]

The car has to be inspected to give it a "rebuilt" title. When its wrecked and claimed totaled its branded salvage. It then must be repaired properly then professionaly inspected to receive a "rebuilt" title. But, that doesn't always put you in the clear. Obviously things can be missed or overlooked. Or go wrong later on down the road from the accident.

 

[Straycat]

I deal with this all the time. Best thing to do is "test drive it" or tell the owner you would like to have it inspected BEFORE you make the purchase. if there is any frame damage or core support damage it will be obvious to someone who knows what they are doing. many places offer pre-purchase inspections. at least that way you will know what you are getting yourself into. realistically, and being a technician, i can tell you this...... If the subframe, crumple zone and core support are straight and show no sign of metal fatiuge, USUALLY the only thing you may have to worry about in the long run are allignment issues and excesive tire wear. Which, even that is fixable with all the adjustible aftermarket parts on the market now.

a buddy of mine bought a twin turbo Z that had been rolled into a ditch. adjustible upper control arms front and rear, strut tower bars ( real heavy duty ones not ebay stuff) and about an hour and a halfon the alignment machine and it was straight as an arrow. he got a 10k car for 1500.00 bucks. only spent about 800.00 in parts. pretty good deal.

but in the end it's whatever you feel comfortible with. just do your research and have other people check it out first if you are unsure about something.

 

[streetlegends]

Okay pulled the carfax on it as well. I noted airbags deployed some frame damage. It also noted it was inspected twice by Texas DOD if anyone knows about the dealership in Dallas called Autonet please let me know about their rep. Thanks for all the info.

 

[Wobet]

I bought a 1999 Honda Civic Si that had a rebuilt title. As the story goes, 3-4 owners ago it was stolen. The car was not found for some X amount of time and the insurance company paid the owner in full. This automatically gave it a "Salvage Title." Some time later the car was found and recovered in 100% condition, minus the Si badge was stolen from the trunk.

Still because it was "Salvaged" the insurance company sold it to a junk yard. One of the employees of the junk yard bought it for like $100 or something, went through the process and got a rebuilt title. Then sold it for like $11,000 to some chick. I bought it some time later for $4600 in 2007. I later sold it in 2010 for $5000 .

Me and the next owner insured the car in full.

That's how I got my eclipse