Originally Posted by Mitch45

my 98 has a salvage title . It is closing in 100000 miles I've had it 5 years . Made two trips to Pigeon Forge ( 1200 mile round trip ) . I have only done normal maintenance . It runs like a top , everything works .
My 2008 Impala has a salvage title , has 115000 miles . have had no problems with it either .

Originally Posted by Mr. Black

I certainly don't think anyone would dispute that fact that there are some great running reliable salvage title cars out there.

That's not the debate. The debate is people asking way too much money for Salvage title cars. I agree with the other poster that anything over about 50% of retail is way too much IMO. Like DDaaryl said at the beginning, I don't think a lot of people know how much salvage title cars can be bought back for and are usually put back together as cheeply as possible. Flood and theft being a different can of worms.

Originally Posted by Old School

I don;t think you will find well sorted salvaged titled Z06s for 50% off of a clean title price. I think the number is more like 75% of a clean title price. An '04 with 50k mile is probably worth around $18 - $20k in good condition and a salvaged titled car probably ~$14 - $15k IMO.

Originally Posted by RtStuf

Have to do your homework. Verify the reason for salvage title, where repaired & what was repaired. Talk to original owner if possible. Check with your insurance company that they will insure salvage title vehicle. Would not pay more than 70% average retail. Plan on keeping the car forever - difficult to sell as some banks will not finance salvage title vehicles. If repaired correctly, salvage titled vehicles can be a reliable bargain. Your homework is the key. Good luck.

Originally Posted by apex26

The car was declared a total loss--not worth the cost of fixing it, so pretty extensive damage. Any owner has the right to keep the salvage, most don't because it makes no economic sense. When it's cheaper to buy a running example than to fix a car, typically somebody has to severely cheat on the repairs to make economic sense. Sometimes a desperate shop will agree to a CONTRACT PRICE to repair a vehicle, that means a flat amount. But, often with extensive damage, the adjuster has to come back and write a supplement to the estimate once it's apart and allow for additional previously unseen damage. With a contract price, no more money is coming, forcing cheating on repairs. Some states have outlawed contract price deals due to dangerous repairs. I've seen cars repaired so poorly that the insurer voluntarily paid the insured for the car and sued the offending shop. Keep in mind you're talking about a high performance car! You're walking into a sewer and expecting to come out smelling like a rose--good luck!

Originally Posted by bobs77vet

I am not a fan of a salvage title unless its super cheap and you know what the damage actually was. re sale value will be low no matter what kind of money you put in it

Originally Posted by 3sACROWD

A couple of things to consider...
1) How many miles since the repair? The more miles the better to sort out issues. If the car was fixed then sold and now this owner hasn't driven it much, then there is something going on.
2) A Corvette is a car you want. You don't need it. If your gut doesn't feel right about the deal, it is time to walk. Wait until you find "the one". You'll know when you do An 1.5 HR drive is not a big deal.

Read the stickies on what to look for when buying a Corvette. Salvage title or not the information is the same. Want to know what the current owner thinks of the car? Ask him; if he were to keep the car, what 3 things would he do to it? He won't be expecting the question and will likely be more candid in his response.

Originally Posted by AJ M

To add on to my original question....

Are there any big repairs for the C5Z? "Ticking time bomb" type of repairs (e.g. VANOS on BMW's, dropped valves on LS7's, etc). From what I've read, I've just seen normal maintenance with mixed complaints of the tranny and clutch pedal issues.

Originally Posted by JR-01

I would only buy a salvage title car if it was half the price of one in similar condition. Only then, would it be worth the hassle to me.

Originally Posted by dork

Can you insure a salvage in CA? I didn't think so, but I haven't lived there in many years. It'd be a moot point to me anyway; I'm with some of the others who are of the mind that a salvage is no bargain. The only circumstance I can think of for buying a salvage is to part it out if I couldn't find parts I needed elsewhere. Passing Carfax report or no, my rule on a bargain (any bargain) is "never buy someone else's 'headache' ". "Salvage" means the insurance company marked it as a permanent loser.

Originally Posted by Old School

I bought a flood damaged 44k mile '03 Z06 off ebay, sight unseen, back in April. It was a bit of an impulse buy and was extremely risky and dumb to purchase it this way.
Luckily it has worked out OK, I had to address a couple minor things but now everything works as it should and you could not tell it apart from a clean titled one. My plan is to start doing some track days so it made sense to me to go this route as there is a chance I could wreck the car. It is not my DD I insure the car through Haggerty no problem. I paid $12k and probably overpaid by around $1k
If you're OK the the branded title and the price is right I think it's worth checking out. I would want to see photos of the damage prior to the repair. If this car went through an auction site like Coparts there could be pictures still around is you search the VIN.
Here is a site you can do a free VIN check https://www.vehiclehistory.com/
Realize the car will be worth less when you resell it and also many potential buyers will pass on it so it could take longer to sell.
These cars are fairly robust but a few people have had some electrical issues and they can be difficult to deal with so I would check that everything works. Check the AC blows cold and blows out the proper vents. windows , mirrors, power seat, check everything. You can check if there are any diagnostic fault codes set using the instrument cluster. Here is a how to http://www.stengel.net/diccodes.htm
Clutch replacement is about $1500 - $2000 job. The Balancer pulley should be checked, see that it runs true. Leaks around the side door glass drip rail are not uncommon on FRC (mine leaked here and soaked the interior therefore the flood title) Check the headliner around the A pillar and B pillar by the side window, if it had leaked or is leaking still the headliner could be damaged and they are hard to find a replacement.
Good luck.

Originally Posted by Pdbrains

The thing about Corvettes is that the price to fix in even a minor accident can be excessive. My son has a 01 Z06 and he hit a deer on the driver's side front. The deer wiped out the headlight, since his headlights were up. The impact only made the slightest crack on the fender, a scratch in the paint on the hood and a slight ding on the front bumper cover. Body shop estimated damage at $6800. On the car your looking at, If all of the side body panels needed replacement and paint, the cost to repair could easily have exceeded it's salvage value. You need to get original damage report to see what the insurance companies estimate to repair was for. As long as there was no frame damage the car might be a good deal at at the right price. Also do a google search on the vin number you may be suprised what info comes up.

Originally Posted by Mitch45

my 98 has a salvage title . It is closing in 100000 miles I've had it 5 years . Made two trips to Pigeon Forge ( 1200 mile round trip ) . I have only done normal maintenance . It runs like a top , everything works .
My 2008 Impala has a salvage title , has 115000 miles . have had no problems with it either .

Originally Posted by Old School

I don;t think you will find well sorted salvaged titled Z06s for 50% off of a clean title price. I think the number is more like 75% of a clean title price. An '04 with 50k mile is probably worth around $18 - $20k in good condition and a salvaged titled car probably ~$14 - $15k IMO.

Originally Posted by aj98

Originally Posted by ArmchairArchitect

The only ticking time bomb item is valvesprings, but these are cheap to replace (with the improved design version which won't fail). Other than that, these cars are pretty bulletproof.