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    Salvage Title?

    OK so this car I'm going to be looking at tomorrow is a salvage title. The guy had gutted it, redone everything (much like Jordan, but I'm not sure how in-depth), and has been able to "salvage" the salvage title. It's an 87 325is, black on black, with a 5 speed tranny. My dad is really against me even considering a salvage title, but I still have to check it out just to see if this guy is full of crap or not. I know there are some people that all they do is buy salvage titles and fix them up, possibly even get to sell them.

    I'm interested in hearing if any of your e30s are salvage titles and the good or bad experiences you might have had in dealing with salvage title cars in general. The irony of my situation is that my father's business partner bought his oldest daughter a salvaged 86 190E for her first car. AFAIK it had quirky electrical problems but I am confident that whatever comes up with an early e30 shouldn't be THAT difficult to fix. Any input?
    I retired my E30 for now...
    E46 323i
    David Schultz

    #2
    Not as important on these cars, but you can't usually get an auto loan on a car with a salvage title. Ran into this when buying my wife a Tahoe. Found a REALLY nice one that had been hit in the front and rebuilt, price was $4k less than if it didn't have the salvage title. Couldn't find a loan on it though.

    Also the insurance company can give you a hard time sometimes and not want to insure them. Use it for a track rat!

    "Modern cars may be able to outgun it, but few can match its character, its motorsport spirit, and the way it plasters a huge grin on your face at any speed." - Patrick George

    1988 M3 - Track Rat
    1989 325iC M50 Vert
    1989 325i Coupe
    1991 318is
    1995 318ti Club Sport
    2006 330i e90
    2008 Tundra Crewmax

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      #3
      I wouldn't buy a salvage title car had one in high school 87 Audi 5000cs quattro, ran great looked great was cheap, but had a vibration between 45-55 and btwn 80-95mph that I could never get rid of, depsite replacing everything on that part of the car. Yes frame was supposedly straight and i worked at a repair shop that couldn't even figure it out. Still ran like a champ and got 50k out of it before some stupid girl t-boned me.
      I always hear of bad electrics on salvage cars also. But good luck no matter what your decision.
      E30 325ix 62k

      Comment


        #4
        Does the guy know why it was orginally salvaged? It seems a Rebuilt title would have been a better choice if he just did that.

        I would be worried that the car was in a flood. That seems to be the most common reason for a salvage title, and the ensuing electronic gremlins in salvaged cars.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Salvage Title?- LONG reply..

          Salvage title procedures are different from state to state. One thing that would be nice to know would be- why was the car totalled?? Was it in a wreck, theft recovery, flood? Also, WHEN the car was totalled could be important- what I mean is that nowadays it doesn't take much damage to total an E30- I've seen them with lightly crunched fenders and hood that have been totalled- simply because the repair cost was more than the value of the car. But, if it was totalled say 10 years ago- then it was probably a pretty substantial amount of damage (since the car was worth ALOT more 10 years ago).

          I currently have an '87 325is and '91 318is that both have salvage titles. The '87 is mostly a track car- I bought it as a wrecked "parts car" for another '87 that I had (since sold). Once I got it home and started looking at the damage- I decided to fix it and drive it. I replaced 1 fender, hood, front bumper + 1 grille with used parts bought at a swap meet. I've been driving it for ~7 years and it's been a great car.

          The '91 318is had some undercarraige damage when I bought it. Looks like the PO ran over a large rock, or maybe a concrete curb. The oil pan was broken, the front subframe was gouged and banged up, the rear tranny mount + exhaust hanger were ripped off. I replaced the oil pan and she runs fine! I also replaced the tranny + exhaust mount and have been driving it for ~1 year. I have a spare front subframe that I will put on sometime, but it drives fine and the alignment is good.

          Basically, I would expect to pay (at least) ~10-20% less for a salvage title car than a comparable car with clean title, as long as it checks out OK and there was no lingering damage or issues from the original damage. Just be sure to check the car out very carefully- it should be obvious if any body panels have been replaced (the VIN stickers will not match)- but check underneath the panel to see that the body structure was not badly damaged- or cut out + rewelded or whatever. Bodywork can be repaired to be good as new- but most bodyshops cut corners somewhere to save $$ or because they do not know how the car should be repaired. This seems to be especially true of the shops that specialize in repairing totalled or salvaged cars- they often give the car a "
          lick and a promise" along with a shiny new paint job, and send it out to a used car lot.

          As far as "quirky" electrical problems- I would stay away from a car if it had anything other than the "usual" electrical gremlins, unless you plan to gut the car and turn it into a racecar- then it would be perfect!!

          Bret.




          Originally posted by DSchultz325e
          OK so this car I'm going to be looking at tomorrow is a salvage title. The guy had gutted it, redone everything (much like Jordan, but I'm not sure how in-depth), and has been able to "salvage" the salvage title. It's an 87 325is, black on black, with a 5 speed tranny. My dad is really against me even considering a salvage title, but I still have to check it out just to see if this guy is full of crap or not. I know there are some people that all they do is buy salvage titles and fix them up, possibly even get to sell them.

          I'm interested in hearing if any of your e30s are salvage titles and the good or bad experiences you might have had in dealing with salvage title cars in general. The irony of my situation is that my father's business partner bought his oldest daughter a salvaged 86 190E for her first car. AFAIK it had quirky electrical problems but I am confident that whatever comes up with an early e30 shouldn't be THAT difficult to fix. Any input?

          Comment


            #6
            In addition to what everyone else said, the resale value of a salvage car is nil, so if you buy the car either keep it forever or run it to the ground.

            '86 325 2.8i stroker - Arctic Blue
            '11 328i Sports Wagon - LeMans Blue
            Strictly Eta

            Comment


              #7
              I had a salvage title 90 325iS back in the day when I was in NJ. I Got $10k for it (full book value) when someone cut me off thus totalling the car.

              If its an older car worry not, make sure it drives and runs smooth and there is no visible damage....

              Comment


                #8
                i had forgotten until just now, it was a theft recovery. it was stripped down to the chassis and he had rebuilt it from the ground up. if i do get this car, i plan on owning it until it blows up or gets wrecked. seriously, buying an m20 2.5 alone would be well over a grand, and this car is going for 900 dollars (i can pick it up for 700 if i decide not to go with the wheels, aftermarket body mods, etc). i also don't plan on having any insurance coverage over minimum CA liability (i'm not going to show it, so the car is definitely not worth having anything more). ok, thanks for the input. btw i also test drove an automatic 325i...oh my god i was seriously about to pound on the steering wheel the whole drive just to make it go faster. i don't know how you auto kids do it. ;)
                I retired my E30 for now...
                E46 323i
                David Schultz

                Comment


                  #9
                  My 87 325is has 6 Salvage Titles. Guess why I bought a replacement for it and plan on parting it? The chassis will NEVER be straight.
                  If he's selling it for cheap, it might be worth it just based on the parts. You could always find some babied 318i or 325e will a straight frame and swap all the 'is' stuff over.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by DSchultz325e
                    i had forgotten until just now, it was a theft recovery. it was stripped down to the chassis and he had rebuilt it from the ground up. if i do get this car, i plan on owning it until it blows up or gets wrecked. seriously, buying an m20 2.5 alone would be well over a grand, and this car is going for 900 dollars (i can pick it up for 700 if i decide not to go with the wheels, aftermarket body mods, etc). i also don't plan on having any insurance coverage over minimum CA liability (i'm not going to show it, so the car is definitely not worth having anything more). ok, thanks for the input. btw i also test drove an automatic 325i...oh my god i was seriously about to pound on the steering wheel the whole drive just to make it go faster. i don't know how you auto kids do it. ;)
                    I'll sell you my spare M20B25 for $200, I don't want it sitting in my garage.

                    RISING EDGE

                    Let's drive fast and have fun.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Damn salvage titled cars :P ;)
                      -Ted

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