brian_ndms

I am interested in buying a C5 in the near future. I am currently searching and reviewing as much as I can about this generation of the Corvette. I see that most C5's with salvaged titles are a little cheaper. What should I be looking for when previewing a Corvette with a salvage title? What are the general drawbacks to owning a car with a salvage title, besides that it has been wrecked? Any help on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

Simonmcnasty

Unless you plan to own the car for a very long time I would bypass a salvage title car. Trying to sell it at a later date will be a nightmare.

However if you do want to go that route, I would try to find a theft recovery salvaged car. Typically they will be in better shape than a wrecked salvage. Avoid a flood damage car at all cost.

warren s

A salvage title car should be MUCH cheaper. Not a little cheaper.

C5 4 ME

Plus it will be almost, if not impossible, to get a loan to buy it.

Pizzano

I would check with your Insurance carrier to make sure they will even insure a salvaged vehicle, many of the well known companies will not even insure salvaged vehicles , Just a thought.

kcs02ta

out of curiosity what is the value difference of a salvage title car compared to non

RetiredSFC 97

I agree with others.

Insurance can be an issue, if you finance it's almost impossible to find someone who will finance it, and they should be way less than a clean titled car. check this with your carriers before you buy, if you decide to.

I was looking at something the other day and it had a list of cars to avoid. Like cars that came from the south and went through Katrina, cars that were in NY when 911 occurred. It basically listed events in the last ten years, and the locations of those events, that a person should stay clear of.

So do your homework and carfax it to see where it came from. A lot of people do salvage washing. That is they take a car with a salvaged title and move the car to another state and get a clean title on it.

A theft recovery with no damage is the only one I would ever personally consider. You can find some Z06's that fit that bill, because they seem to have been a popular theft vehicle.

But again, you'll be stuck with this car and if you ever tried to trade it, a lot of dealers would say no, no and no.

But that's not to say there aren't some good cars that the insurance company just totaled because it was cost effective to do so.

Phanni

Keep in mind that with C-5 pricing plummeting, the amount of damage incurred on a vehicle is much less now than it was a couple of years ago. I'm not sure what the percentage cut off insurance sompanies use for determining salvage V. repair is, however a $15,000 car having similar damage as a $30,000 would reach that percentage much faster.

Say two C-5's have exactly the same damage, one is a 99 FRC and the other is a 2003 Z06. the damage is $8000. The 99 would get totaled, the Z06 would get repaired.

Procrastination Racing

Let's say that you are looking at a $15,000 C5, typical with 50,000 miles, most options, etc. Now you look at the same car with a salvage title. I have seen those priced anywhere from $8000 to $14,000.

Naturally, the $14,000 guy is out of his mind. The $8000 guy is a rarity. Figure the $10,000 guys are the norm.

That being the case, the salvage title is a 33-1/3% hit to your wallet.


Strange when you think what these salvage titles have done to the value of current cars. I bet that 25% at least of the C2s have sustained enough damage in their lifetime that they would have had a salvage title if done today, and yet look at their values.



The big problem is the unknown. If all work is done professionally and with care, and corners weren't cut, then it is as good as new. However, you just don't know if it was or wasn't.

And that is why most won't pay anywhere close to market on a salvage title car.

Sad part is some get a salvage title for things that are no where near a total, depending on the state.