Salvage title experts, I have a question...

[bergie33]

For those with experience registering salvage vehicles, I am buying a car from a friend that the insurance company just totaled. I am buying it before the settlement is final, so I will be the one processing the salvage/rebuild paperwork.

Is there a sequence of events that I need to follow to make sure this is easy and painless, and so I don't need to make 4 trips to the DMV (I am in Calfornia by the way)? They say the salvage request needs to be made within 10 days of the settlement, then the car is registered later once repaired. What I would like to do (since the car only needs the door replaced, and I have it already), is to fix the car, then within the 10 days, go to the DMV to file the salvage paperwork, get the inspection and register it all at the same time. Will they allow me to do that?

Is it a problem if I transfer the vehicle from my friend on a date prior to the settlement or is that going to cause problems?

[Rigmaster]

First and foremost- you probably want to ask these questions to someone at CA DMV.

Here in NC, you no longer need any sort of inspection for any vehicle 10 years old and older when it comes to "salvage rebuilt" titles. These are basically cars that have been declared "salvage" or "totalled" and then repaired to be relicensed and driven on public roads (sounds like that's what you're doing- correct??). If the vehicle is less than 10 years old- you have to have a DMV inspector inspect the vehicle PRIOR TO ANY REPAIRS, they then write up a report and create a file for the vehicle. You get a copy of the report. Then you make the repairs, the DMV inspector inspects the vehicle after the repairs are made (mostly this is to ensure the repairs are somewhat roadworthy and to make sure the VIN numbers remain intact- i.e. no VIN swapping, etc). Once they give you the final report, you take this with the other paperwork (salvage title, etc) to DMV and apply for your title, tags, etc just like you would any other car.

Again- this is how they do it in NC- you need someone from CA to answer your specific questions, but I would try to find out if the requirements are a bit lighter for older cars like E30's.......


Bret.