Looking for some info and opinions on this because I'm not all that familiar with the laws and procedures when it comes to salvage ***les and getting the vehicles re-registered in the state of Maryland. I've got an opportunity to buy a nice, solid '64 Fairlane wagon that's been hit in the driver's quarter- took a nice lick, but it's fixable and the rest of the car is so nice that it's worth saving. But- the car has a salvage ***le. The vin's all are there, everything matches- nothing funny going on there. Motor and ****** were recently rebuilt and it runs great. It's just flat out too nice to part out or see go to the boneyard. What problems am I going to encounter with trying to get this thing back on the road? I know before I can get the car inspected by the state police I'm going to have to fix the damage from the accident, which with cost me a couple hundred bucks plus labor to get it back in driveable condition. But is there anything different that needs to be done because it's an antique vehicle? I dont' mind jumping through some hoops to get it done but just want to have an idea exactly what I'm getting myself into before I commit to buying the car. Any info you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated.
It's actually easier with an antique vehicle. Problems you deal with with new cars are they want to see receipts of the parts that you used to put the car back together, or if you used a parts car, they want to know the VIN of it so that they know it wasn't reported stolen. Many times, there are laws prohibiting the use of used air bags if the deployed. I'm not sure about how your maryland laws work, but the car may be subject to a safety inspection to make sure that it is sound after the repair, meaning brakes, frame (or unibody in your case), etc. Once they see that the car is repaired in a workman-like manner, you shouldn't have any issues
I am in Maryland and bought a 73 VW last week with a salvage ***le. I tagged it historic and they didn't say anything about the fact it was salvage. This may have been due to the fact it was over 20 years old and didn't require inspection. I tagged a newer car with a salvage ***le couple years ago and sence it was a 96 I had to take it to the state police on a certain day and they had someone drive it to ensure it was safe to be on the road he signed a paper to take to dmv and I had no problem after that.
Yeah, I know the deal with newer cars and having to go through the headaches of scheduling an appointment for inspection with the state police, etc, etc... The guy who's selling the car is a friend of mine that buys and fixes salvage vehicles, but he only deals with newer stuff- mostly motorcycles. But he'd never dealt with a "Historic" vehicle before so he wasn't sure what all needed to be done. If I can just go and get historic/street rod tags for it that'd be great, but whatever I do I just want to make sure it's done right and everything is legit. I don't think the car would have a problem p***ing a safety inspection once the damage to the body is fixed- it needs an axle and tires which is no big deal, but the brakes and suspension look like it's all been recently gone through- at least it was before the wreck.
Even after you fix it the car will probably still have a branded ***le. In Nebraska it's called a "previous salvage" ***le. Keeps it so that future buyers will know the car was totalled.
Here in WV you can not operate any vehicle on public roads which has a salvage ***le. However if you fix the vehicle then you have to get it inspected and apply for a new ***le. Bottom line is check with your states DMV and keep receipts for everything you buy or pay to have done to fix the car.
I was a Maryland state inspector for 15 years. We never see the ***le. We work off of the vin number. If it p***es Md. inspection, that is all you should need. It's a pretty comprehensive inspection. If you fix it right it should p*** and you have an "experts" opinion to back it up. Historic cars don't need to be inspected but in your case, I'd think it might be a good idea. CYA. When you go to transfer the ***le over in your name you will have the inspection certificate with you. (it's good for 90 days) You could then get regular tags or historic. It all depends on the paper work that you fill out. The only extra cost will be the cost of the inspection. Well worth it if it gets you through with no hang ups. IMHO The most feared words at the DMV... "you can't do that." If it's been inspected at least you have an argument.
Search for "salvage" on the Maryland MVA website and you get the answer in about 30 seconds: Bottom line is that you just need a safety inspection to register the car. For further info, contact the MVA Salvage Unit: MVA Salvage Unit 6601 Ritchie Highway Glen Burnie, MD 21062 For telephone questions: MVA Customer Service Center: 1-800-950-1MVA(1682) TTY/Hearing Impaired: 1-800-492-4575 Out-of-State: 1-301-729-4550
From what I was told when I called the MVA customer service line, is that since my intent is to register the car as a historic vehicle, it does not need a Maryland state safety inspection. However, the rep did say that it would need to be inspected by the State Police just as you would with any other salvaged vehicle- although she didn't sound 100% certain as to the exact procedure. I appreciate the info- I did find this on the site before posting here- but I was looking for some personal experiences with doing this sort of thing and what problems I may encounter before I make a purchase that could potentially become a huge headache. One concern I have is that from what I was told the State Police Inspectors look for 3 VIN numbers on the car- From what I can gather there were only 2 VIN locations on the 63 Fairlanes- one on the lock strike plate of the driver's door and one stamped on the driver's front inner fender in front of the shock tower. Both match, and neither has been messed with or anything like that.
The other place to check would be your insurance company to see what kind of hoops they want you to jump through for them to put insurance on it.
The other number is a "secret" number hidden somewhere on ch***is as a backup in stolen car cases. I found one on my Nova once...I think I discovered it when I had the left rear wheel off. My memory is pretty shaky, but I think it was on the unibody framerail, maybe on the dark side.
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