Start with a ‘salvage’?

[NorCalDutch]

All, curious if some of you have taken to picking up used ‘starter’ project Jeeps, Tacoma’s and 4Runners off salvage/auction sites and what experience has been. Logic tells me that since we’re all going to replace bumpers, cut fenders and then proceed to pinstripe the hell out of them, why not start with a lower priced point of entry if low mileage, light crashes are available?

 

[Bama_Kiwi]

I have never done it, but, your logic seems sound, especially if it will not be your daily driver.

 

[M Rose]

Might be a good idea if you don’t have to have a salvage title... I know a guy who goes to those and picks up rigs for dirt cheap, fixes them, then sells them. Best advice is know what you’re looking at and know what it would be worth when done. And make sure the rig won’t need a salvage title. Those can get tricky to register in some areas.

 

[Anak]

Also talk to your insurance. It could be that you would build something worthwhile, but have insurance refuse to acknowledge its value. Best to figure that one out upfront before you are into a chunk of change.

 

[64Trvlr]

Sounds like a good idea and a way to save some money. Then you'll have more for building what you want.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Might be a good idea if you don’t have to have a salvage title... I know a guy who goes to those and picks up rigs for dirt cheap, fixes them, then sells them. Best advice is know what you’re looking at and know what it would be worth when done. And make sure the rig won’t need a salvage title. Those can get tricky to register in some areas.

Insurance a big problem for salvage titles but if off roading is the goal, liability is the only concern but still needs a title.

 

[M Rose]

Insurance a big problem for salvage titles but if off roading is the goal, liability is the only concern but still needs a title.

Exactly see what is required from your state to reticle a Salvage’s title

 

[slomatt]

I owned a salvage titled Discovery 1 diesel for a while and had no issues with insuring it in California. To me there are two major downsides of salvage titles: 1) It's hard to be sure just how much damage the vehicle sustained, and since I have a kid I'm not willing to take that risk. 2) Resale values are much lower. Even if you save 20% on the purchase you still probably won't come out ahead if/when you sell.

In my case the Disco was salvaged after it was stolen and had interior parts stripped out. The frame was fine, but the thieves trashed the interior and broke a large number of plastic retaining clips and trim panels. It was going to be a massive pain to get it back into reasonable shape.

 

[Billiebob]

Not every state or insurer will register or insurer a salvage title.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

I owned a salvage titled Discovery 1 diesel for a while and had no issues with insuring it in California. To me there are two major downsides of salvage titles: 1) It's hard to be sure just how much damage the vehicle sustained, and since I have a kid I'm not willing to take that risk. 2) Resale values are much lower. Even if you save 20% on the purchase you still probably won't come out ahead if/when you sell.

In my case the Disco was salvaged after it was stolen and had interior parts stripped out. The frame was fine, but the thieves trashed the interior and broke a large number of plastic retaining clips and trim panels. It was going to be a massive pain to get it back into reasonable shape.

Makes a good weekend toy to be trailered to and from off road site.

 

[Boostpowered]

Here in texas there is no problem with salvage title, my father in law in florida regularly ships vehicles hes bought at auction to us to fix and sell or do whatever we want with. Normally they are vehicles that have been stolen but every now and then we will get one with some body damage. Never had any problems getting em titled, registered and insured. In my 20s i built a caterham 7 from scratch and that was much more of a pita than getting salvage titled vehicles insured i had to have it inspected at 3 different places and provide reciepts from everything on the vehicle for salvage i just go in the tax office and fill out a form, pay some money and walk out with the license plate.

 

[The other Sean]

Just keep that in mind if you ever plan to sell. Having "salvage Title" Will mean some buyers will walk away and EVERY buyer will want a deal. But, If you can get in cheap and don't really plan to sell it anytime soon, sure.

 

[M Rose]

Te

Here in texas there is no problem with salvage title, my father in law in florida regularly ships vehicles hes bought at auction to us to fix and sell or do whatever we want with. Normally they are vehicles that have been stolen but every now and then we will get one with some body damage. Never had any problems getting em titled, registered and insured. In my 20s i built a caterham 7 from scratch and that was much more of a pita than getting salvage titled vehicles insured i had to have it inspected at 3 different places and provide reciepts from everything on the vehicle for salvage i just go in the tax office and fill out a form, pay some money and walk out with the license plate.

Texas is the easiest state I have been to for getting titles.

 

[KonzaLander]

I bought my '03 Rubicon in December of '03 with 12k miles on it. It is a salvage rig. The motor had 2 rods through the oil pan and the other 4 were bent. Surprisingly, the crank was still straight and I rebuilt the motor. Today, that Jeep has over 140k miles and the only problems with it are due to aftermarket crap I added that I didn't really need. I saved a boat load of cash and could probably sell it today for what I bought it for.

At time of purchase in 2003, getting loaded in Kalamazoo, MI.


Now, 17 years later (not many folks can say they have had a Rubicon this long ) :


Even though the Jeep is salvaged, I still received one recall notice and had it done at the dealer (heat shield under the fuel injectors, if I remember correctly). The state of Kansas doesn't care about the salvage designation on my title nor has ANY insurance provider I've had/shopped over the years.

 

[JzzR83]

A guy I play softball with in the summers had a nice lifted JK that he purchased at a great price due to the salvage title. He fixed everything in his garage and lifted it but the tires were always wearing quickly and in an irregular pattern. He was replacing a 35" tire every 10k miles. He paid more money to have a shop figure out why the alignment would never "stay". I believe he said the frame was bent just enough that the alignment was always messed up even though multiple shops claimed the alignment was correct. After paying more money to "fix" the frame the issues still were happening. He ended up selling it because no one could figure out the issues and fully resolve the tire wear issues. I do have to add, this guy builds race cars as a hobby and has done all kids of racing around the country. He certainly knows his cars but this JK was a lost cause.

 

[tjZ06]

All, curious if some of you have taken to picking up used ‘starter’ project Jeeps, Tacoma’s and 4Runners off salvage/auction sites and what experience has been. Logic tells me that since we’re all going to replace bumpers, cut fenders and then proceed to pinstripe the hell out of them, why not start with a lower priced point of entry if low mileage, light crashes are available?

A lot has to do with WHY it was salvaged, and what particular vehicle you're talking about. I probably wouldn't mess with a XJ, ZJ or WJ that's been crashed bad enough to salvage it, since they're unibody and it's hard to imagine the "flipper" that bought it as a wrecked car to fix and sell fixing it RIGHT (they're going to do it as cheaply as possible). I probably wouldn't want a crashed Taco either if I lived in any high-rust area since the frames are known to be a problem from rust alone... if they've been crashed too IDK if I could trust the frame again.

Other vehicles are salvaged because of floods or fire, I would absolutely stay the heck away from those. I think you'd be chasing wiring problems forever in a flood vehicle.

I wouldn't want a theft-recovery salvage, because you know it was beat to heck while the thieves had it.




All of that said, if you can verify it was a light hit (with pictures and such) it's not a horrible idea for an Overland vehicle. There are still the insurance and reg issues others have mentioned to overcome, but those aside I could see it working out. Going back to a WJ, they probably book for < $5k in nearly ALL cases now, so I guess it could be a pretty minor hit to cause it to be salvaged. If the unibody "frame rails" hadn't been tweaked and it was mostly just cosmetic stuff I guess I'd consider it... then again most clean title WJs are < $5k so why bother?

-TJ

 

[m_lars]

All, curious if some of you have taken to picking up used ‘starter’ project Jeeps, Tacoma’s and 4Runners off salvage/auction sites and what experience has been. Logic tells me that since we’re all going to replace bumpers, cut fenders and then proceed to pinstripe the hell out of them, why not start with a lower priced point of entry if low mileage, light crashes are available?

I grew up with a dad that bought totaled vehicles and refurbished them. He did several for my uncle who used them in his business. I even did one with a friend (even though I did all the work) as a summer job in high school. Assuming it's repaired correctly (or know it will be) I'd be all in. Really the only downside is resale. Assuming you drive the wheels off it, or lovingly beat it to shreds, it doesn't matter

 

[Anak]

A lot has to do with WHY it was salvaged, and what particular vehicle you're talking about. I probably wouldn't mess with a XJ, ZJ or WJ that's been crashed bad enough to salvage it, since they're unibody and it's hard to imagine the "flipper" that bought it as a wrecked car to fix and sell fixing it RIGHT (they're going to do it as cheaply as possible). I probably wouldn't want a crashed Taco either if I lived in any high-rust area since the frames are known to be a problem from rust alone... if they've been crashed too IDK if I could trust the frame again.

Other vehicles are salvaged because of floods or fire, I would absolutely stay the heck away from those. I think you'd be chasing wiring problems forever in a flood vehicle.

I wouldn't want a theft-recovery salvage, because you know it was beat to heck while the thieves had it.




All of that said, if you can verify it was a light hit (with pictures and such) it's not a horrible idea for an Overland vehicle. There are still the insurance and reg issues others have mentioned to overcome, but those aside I could see it working out. Going back to a WJ, they probably book for < $5k in nearly ALL cases now, so I guess it could be a pretty minor hit to cause it to be salvaged. If the unibody "frame rails" hadn't been tweaked and it was mostly just cosmetic stuff I guess I'd consider it... then again most clean title WJs are < $5k so why bother?

-TJ

The other thing you have to consider is what does it take to turn that vehicle into a salvage title? IOW, how much damage does it take.

Not much on an XJ.

I own two that are salvage titles. As far as I can tell what made them salvage was minor sheet metal damage to a rear quarter panel. It is just that the cost to replace that panel (cut out old, weld in new, re-paint quarter) exceeds the value of the vehicle. Both are in excellent shape underneath.

 

[tjZ06]

The other thing you have to consider is what does it take to turn that vehicle into a salvage title? IOW, how much damage does it take.

Not much on an XJ.

I own two that are salvage titles. As far as I can tell what made them salvage was minor sheet metal damage to a rear quarter panel. It is just that the cost to replace that panel (cut out old, weld in new, re-paint quarter) exceeds the value of the vehicle. Both are in excellent shape underneath.

Right, re-read my post you quoted and you'll see I covered that at the end. I pointed out most WJs don't even book for $5k, so it doesn't take much to make it a salvage at this point... but then again, when they don't book or sell for more than $5k is it worth getting a salvage for $500-1000 less than a clean title?

-TJ

 

[KonzaLander]

@tjZ06 - Be careful of blanket statements about salvage rigs. My flood damage salvage TJ Rubi hasn't given me one electrical problem since 2003. In fact, it has been the most electrically reliable Chrysler product I've ever owned. My old YJ was a theft recovery salvage rig and was a great rig for several years until I bought the Rubi. My old man also had a 2000 TJ for a few years that was a salvage (I don't remember what the reason was) and was way more reliable than the Hummer it was traded in on...but that is another story.