Notices
C5 General General C5 Corvette and C5 Z06 Discussion not covered in Tech

Rebuilt Title Vette's?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 04:16 PM
  #1  
Hysteria's Avatar
Hysteria
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 210
Likes: 0
From: Tampa Fl
Default Rebuilt Title Vette's?

I promise that this is the last in the series of ignorant questions in my quest to find my car.

I think I have found a car somewhat near me and it REALLY has me intrigued! It's a 2002 Vette with only 24,000 miles on the odometer selling for $17,000. The story is (according to the dealer), the previous owner took off the doors and took out the seats and some of the interior to file a loss on his insurance claim. Insurance paid it off, the people that bought it state that the car is in pristine condition, no scratches or blemishes, the car drives and looks just as good as it did new, and all they had to do was reinstall the stuff and it has a Carfax that states that it wasn't in an accident.

I know this is stupid, but guys, help me see the light that I'm kinda hazy on.

Also, What is the deal with Rebuilt/Salvage Title Cars? Resale value drops I know, I heard that if you do file a claim with the insurance company, that they only reimburse you for half of what the vehicle is worth should you total it. Is there more to it than that? There's a shop here in Tampa (Corvette Shop) that rebuilds Corvette's and sells them for what I see "unwrecked" cars are going for?

Any input would greatly be appreciated!!
Reply
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 04:23 PM
  #2  
TJB-VETTE's Avatar
TJB-VETTE
Drifting
20 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Liked
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,723
Likes: 51
From: Paducah KY
2024 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2023 C8 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2020 C7 of the Year Finalist -- Modified
2020 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Default

Sounds like a BS story to me! I would shop around. For $17,000 you can get a decent clear title C5!!!
Reply
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 04:25 PM
  #3  
MagRedConv's Avatar
MagRedConv
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 21,915
Likes: 61
From: Miami Beach FL
Default

Does the CF report state the vehicle has a rebuilt or salvage title?
Reply
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 04:38 PM
  #4  
ljthe2nd's Avatar
ljthe2nd
Melting Slicks
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,891
Likes: 4
From: North Port Fl
Default

Are they saying the car was totaled because the interior was missing? That sounds like BS to me. Some insurance companies won't pay to repair a car with a salvage title. You need to check before you buy. If you are going to keep the car for along time, 7, 8 years or more go ahead and buy it, but have a mechanic check the car out first. If you don't plan on keeping the car long term look elsewhere because the resale of a car with a salvage title is very low compared to the same car with a good title.
Reply
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 04:44 PM
  #5  
ljthe2nd's Avatar
ljthe2nd
Melting Slicks
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,891
Likes: 4
From: North Port Fl
Default

Originally Posted by tjb05c6
For $17,000 you can get a decent clear title C5!!!
Car prices in KY, must really be bad, even worse than here in SE Mi, where you can't hardly give a house or car away, because even here you couldn't buy an 02 C5 with 24,000 miles for anywhere near $17K, depending on condition it's closer to $22-$25K
Reply
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 06:17 PM
  #6  
Hysteria's Avatar
Hysteria
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 210
Likes: 0
From: Tampa Fl
Default

Originally Posted by MagRedConv
Does the CF report state the vehicle has a rebuilt or salvage title?
"Allegedly" Rebuilt.

Originally Posted by ljthe2nd
Are they saying the car was totaled because the interior was missing? That sounds like BS to me. Some insurance companies won't pay to repair a car with a salvage title. You need to check before you buy. If you are going to keep the car for along time, 7, 8 years or more go ahead and buy it, but have a mechanic check the car out first. If you don't plan on keeping the car long term look elsewhere because the resale of a car with a salvage title is very low compared to the same car with a good title.
Yes they were saying that it was totalled moreso due to the condition that it was in. I gotta be honest, if the car ran like 20,000 mile car, looked like a 20,000 mile car, I have no issues with it. My main concern is that I want to have a hassle free car. As far as the insurance, I have insurance on my 750 HP '97 Cobra, stated amount of $25,000, $500 deductable, for $450 a year. It's kind of like Show car insurance. I only drive the car no more than 5000 miles per year, it's not my DD, and it's completely garaged.

Originally Posted by ljthe2nd
Car prices in KY, must really be bad, even worse than here in SE Mi, where you can't hardly give a house or car away, because even here you couldn't buy an 02 C5 with 24,000 miles for anywhere near $17K, depending on condition it's closer to $22-$25K
The prices here are the same, $25K for a 25,000 mile car.
Reply
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 06:27 PM
  #7  
jrose7004's Avatar
jrose7004
Team Owner
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 58,500
Likes: 1,825
From: Oklahoma City OK
C6 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
Default

If it has a salvaged title the car has a salvaged title and it will be valued as such!
Reply
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 06:31 PM
  #8  
ZO6 Lee's Avatar
ZO6 Lee
Melting Slicks
Supporting Lifetime
 
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 2,123
Likes: 0
From: Issaquah WA
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10
Default

Originally Posted by jrose7004
If it has a salvaged title the car has a salvaged title and it will be valued as such!
It should also say on the title that it's a salvaged car. Take a look at the title.
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-1

10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-4

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-6

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-9

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 06:48 PM
  #9  
Sabre34's Avatar
Sabre34
Moderator
Supporting Lifetime Gold
Veteran: Army
20 Year Member
St. Jude 20 Year Donor
Liked
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 28,820
Likes: 819
From: Parrish FL
St. Jude Donor '06 thru '26
Default

There are a lot of garage queens out there in the C5 fleet. Given todays pricing, I don't see any big advantage in buying a rebuilt/salvage car unless you get a super deal and plan on keeping it forever. Even then, I don't think I would. Just my $.02. Good luck in your search!
Reply
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 08:32 PM
  #10  
robert123's Avatar
robert123
Drifting
 
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,314
Likes: 1
From: Chicago Illinois
Default

BS. You would need more damage than that to total a car. Try doing your own carfax. Sometime accidents take a while to show up on carfax.
Reply
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 08:56 PM
  #11  
J S Machine's Avatar
J S Machine
Race Director
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 17,336
Likes: 8
From: Maker of Sharp Objects, AL - Roll Tide
St. Jude Donor '10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
St. Jude Knife Maker
Default

I don't know if they will do it but if you can get the VIN and call to get a quote the insurance company surely sees what you see when you do a carfax report or autocheck. They should be able to tell if it has a slavage title. Maybe morso than you can with car fax--just a thought.

I have heard of people being able to buy a slavage title car and somehow sell it at an auction or something somehow in another state and get it a clear title. I don't know if I believe that though. I guess anything is possible though...
Reply
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 09:22 PM
  #12  
SUNNYD 95's Avatar
SUNNYD 95
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 987
Likes: 1
From: Braidwood Il.
Default

If its got a salvage title, I would take a pass. And look for something else. Good luck
Reply
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 09:24 PM
  #13  
dobewillie's Avatar
dobewillie
Race Director
 
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 10,477
Likes: 4
From: lockport n.y
Default

Reply
Old Apr 24, 2008 | 10:03 PM
  #14  
MagRedConv's Avatar
MagRedConv
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 21,915
Likes: 61
From: Miami Beach FL
Default

Originally Posted by dobewillie
Reply
Old Apr 25, 2008 | 12:13 AM
  #15  
jacks996's Avatar
jacks996
Jacks996
Supporting Lifetime
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 8,667
Likes: 12
From: eagle mountain lake tx
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Default

what does the carfax say. Sounds like it was stolen or wrecked. Mostly sounds like BS. You were right to ask questions here first
Reply
Old Apr 25, 2008 | 12:16 AM
  #16  
jacks996's Avatar
jacks996
Jacks996
Supporting Lifetime
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 8,667
Likes: 12
From: eagle mountain lake tx
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Default

just saw the rebuilt post. Sounds shady to me.
Reply
Old Apr 25, 2008 | 01:14 AM
  #17  
DefenderC5's Avatar
DefenderC5
Melting Slicks
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,447
Likes: 6
From: Los Angeles
Default

Originally Posted by jacks996
what does the carfax say. Sounds like it was stolen or wrecked. Mostly sounds like BS. You were right to ask questions here first
He stated there was nothing on the carfax for this vehicle. It proves that carfax, once again, is not reliable.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Rebuilt Title Vette's?





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:27 PM.

story-0
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

Slideshow: These are the quirks, annoyances, and oddly lovable problems that every Corvette owner eventually learns to live with.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-28 09:31:39


VIEW MORE
story-1
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years

Slideshow: 10 reasons why the C6 Z06 is still a performance benchmark after 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 17:20:09


VIEW MORE
story-2
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972

Slideshow: How much horsepower every Corvette engine lost in 1972.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:54:53


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-5
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-6
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-8
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-9
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE