markdtn

Title was "washed" by either a state with no salvage titles or one that didn't require titles that far back. Alabama is both. Georgia wouldn't require a title that far back. There are others.

PRNDL

Get advice from CnV. I hear they know how to wash titles. Sarcasm aside, seriously, it wouldn't hurt to ask them if they had any ideas on how to handle your situation.

LIQUIDDRAGON

WOW after reading this all my problems seem minute compared to yours. i wish you the best of luck with getting this settled and hopefully they have to honor and replace the original VIN and hopefully they made a mistake and have to fix it. sorry to hear about your misfortune and i wish you the best of luck.

ddecart

What he has is:
A car that no longer has the original VIN, indicating it's been salvaged and thus is worth a fraction of what it would be with a real VIN


A car that he can legally sell to others at a greatly reduced price

A car that no longer has the VIN it was sold with. There's no way in hell I'd buy back a car I sold to someone if it was going to be returned with a different VIN

I'd want to get to the bottom of it. Find out what happened and why that makes them think it warrants a salvage title.

dfseidel

I'd almost think your florida seller figured out that it had a bad title -- since the database that AZ uses with the DOJ is also used by Florida.

Side note: cars are required to be TITLED in many states -- Louisiana is one for sure. Somes states allow old cars to be sold on a bill of sale only. Registration (so that a car can be used on the road) is different from titles and is most likely not required.

82Vette'ster

Arizona Gov sucks, I know I live here.

If you're going to keep the car (in AZ) I would spend the $100 to talk to an attorney for his advise. They have damaged your vechile without your permission. If you're lucky you may even be able to collect some from the insurance company. If nothing else write a letter to your congressman explaining the violation that has occured, it could help the next one of us.

If it happened to me I wouldn't throw out the idea of a small claims suit either.

87bob

So how far back can they now go in AZ doing title searches?

fauxrs

If I read this right.. he doesnt have a VIN to wash anymore.. though I wouldnt do that anyway .. as all you would be doing is hosing the next owner in line making you no better than the ****** who washed it in the first place.

If the Vin is destroyed...i see little chance in getting it repaired or restored, unless someone knows somebody who stamps new Vin plates and can rivet it back in place...and you would still need to explain it I guess.

If it were me, unless it were my dream Vette then I would return it to the seller and get my money back, however as somebody else has already pointed out, it now has a different VIN which significantly reduces the cars value to that seller...

Bit of a sticky wicket it seems to me....

Good luck...hopefully it will work out in the end for you.

markdtn

Wonder why AZ didn't re-VIN it when it was salvaged the first time?

gliot1

Everyone beware........Someone up furhter said this was common in the 70s. It still happens. Consumer Reports did an investigation on this last year. They followed a new Mercedes which was totaled with less than 2500 miles on it. This car went through five states and laudered the title and was resold as an almost new Mercedes. This laundering was done by a major insurance company and was not illegal to do. They typically run it through any number of states which don't issue salvage titles. I understand that there is a federal movement afoot to make salvage titles mandatory in all states, but as of right now it still can happen. I wouldn't worry too much if the car appears to be entirely rebuilt and everything looks in order and it drives fine. The problem is the lost value next time around. Most insurance companies total cars when the damages exceed 60% of the value. The car may have been totaled with just a smashed back or side when the cars value was low, maybe 10 years after it was new. It doens't take much especially nowadays to total cars, as the repair costs are high. It would be nice to knwo what the damage was though.....

LouAZ

I had an expert look at it yesterday and it looks great. Frame is fine. I'd like to keep it but I am trying to work out some cash back. I paid 13K and offered him 50% to make me whole. Not sure I could ever re-sell it or recoup any future money I put in it. I bought through ebay who has fraud protection- it actually gives me a lot of leverage.

As they implement this new federal database a lot more of this could happen-- clean titles getting retagged as salvage when they are transferred.

Lou

bobs77vet

there are guys like the NCRS types (not knocking ) that would never touch this....me on the other hand would not care less....i have a HP 350, 700r4 and steeroids in my 77 and as soon as i get xtra cash will put in a removable rear window...and as far as recouping money forget about it....the next guy always wins the "buy it for a bargain deal".... ...hold fast on the 50%....it will cost him something to come pick it up and to retitle it.....and make sure on the title you put his name down so he has to go through the retitling aspect....good luck!

LouAZ

Thanks-

Actually the AZ MVD told me not to title it in my name and just sent it back to him with the AZ inspection paperwork and let him work it out with AZ MVD. Now that sounds like a lot of fun!

Slick McFavorite

I live in Texas and I spoke with my insurance company who told me that I can have my car inspected to remove a salvage status on its title. I would try attempting this with the state of AZ.

I also work with the AZ DMV all the time for the titling of Mobile Homes(they are issued vehicle titles) and they are a PITA. Extremely a-retentive and meticulous. Call around and see if you can get the salvage status removed pending an inspection of the vehicle by a certified vehicle inspector. Ask around at different AZ dmv's in different cities and try to get a hold of some managers and not the phone peons. They'll just try and get you off the phone.

In my case if I never drop the "salvage" from my title, I won't really care that much because I never plan on selling it, but it is important to a lot of people and I wish you the best of luck.

87bob

AZ is not the only state that requires a inspection on a vechicle comming in from out of state. When we bought the wifes 79 from AZ and brought it into Indiana we had to have a police officer come out to the house and sign the inspection form.

73jst4fun

Sound advise, this will haunt you in the future and will be questioned by others, jmo it's not worth the aggravation....

Double_0_7

I don't think i'd try and screw the guy if he didn't know. I bought a salvaged bike a year ago, from some guy in tennessee, and when they retitled it here in MI, the new title didn't say salvage. They eventually sent me a corrected one, but it was months later. if i wasn't payin attention, i might not have noticed anyway...

Tom454

On the "salvage" part of the equation....

It's real easy for a car to get a salvage title these days. The cost of repairing an older car can EASILY exceed its book value.

This is particularly true of older cars.... even if the "enthusiast value" of the car is high.

For example... a 1990 Mustang 5.0 may be worth $4000 book value. You'll see some advertised for sale at $10,000 all modded out.. You'll find some good survivors for sale at $5500.

But... if the car gets hit requiring a frame pull, new bumper, radiator, condensor etc, the damages will quickly exceed the book value. So although the car is repairable, it will be totalled.

Point is... it doesn't take much to total a car and cause a salvage title.
So you may have a Vette that was really messed up, of you may have a Vette that was simply tapped in the rear.

A good bodyman can look at your car and tell you what happened. There are always small, seemingly insignificant signs that tell the story.

In the absence of evidence- don't assume the car was demolished.

I have two "totalled" cars and have no issues with the salvage titles. I'm enjoying them "as is". It will depend on the mind-set of the buyer if/when you decide to sell. However, if you paid a premium price for the Vette.... better to get the price adjusted now. You might not find a compassionate buyer later.

markdtn

Good advice. I have also had 2 salvaged cars. Had an 89 5sp IROC that was the best all around car I ever owned. It ran under a fence and got totalled. I bought it for $1550, put about $300 in it, drove it 40K miles and 4 years and sold it for $1800. Never aligned, cold a/c, bose stereo, everything worked, etc. Just figure out what you got.

LouAZ

Thats a good point. Its hards to prove what the guy knew. The fact the he skipped the title (never told me), and turned around and sold it within 6 months of buying for a loss is a red flag.