Does a rebuilt title stop you from buying a car?

I'm looking at trading for a 63 fairlane 2dr sedan with a friend. Running and driving car but needs a little work. The car has a rebuilt title but I'm pretty sure the car has never been wrecked.Wondering if this ever stopped you from buying a vintage car? I've heard stories of people trying to get a title for an old car that has been out of the system and wound up getting a rebuilt title instead of a clean title. Just asking incase I decide to sell the car sometime down the road. JJ

 

A recent vehicle as a driver? Yes, certainly.

An old project? Not unless it impedes my ability to register or insure it.

 

What is a *rebuilt title*? Is it issued by the state? If so, why wouldn't the next person who bought it be able to title it?

 

Wouldn't you want to know if a car you were buying had previous issues? Most of these old cars are rebuilds today. In Idaho a title is stamped reconstructed if the auto has know damage of a certain dollar amount (totaled) or bought out of a salvage pool.

 

I have bought several. no problems.

 

"Most" rebuild titles come from cars that were "totals" by insurance companies. That could be the result of accident, theft, or even flood. There will be another influx of flood damaged cars/trucks making their way back due to what's going on with the Mississippi River Valley situation. If it was an older vehicle I might go for it, anything late model I would stay away from. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

You mean a Salvage title? Like a rebuilt wreck would have? Maybe there's different terminology regionally.

 

I would have no problem with a hamb appropriate car. Newer stuff how ever I would shy away from.

 

The older the vehicle, the less I would be concerned about resale issues. Especially for a project vehicle that I am going to modify extensively anyway. A late model car that I want to drive, or as a dealer, trade for and have to resell, I want to know a great deal about the specifics of it's status as "rebuilt" . The thing is, in many States, anytime a car is paid for by an issurance company and they receive the title, it has to be sold subsequently on a Salvage Certificate. Thereafter, returning it to a titled status results in the issuance of a "branded" title, usually "rebuilt", or "flood".

Obviously, some vehicles escape these designations, but fewer and fewer as States become more strict. Also, the older a vehicle, the less damage it takes to total" one. The term "total" isn't very definitive. All it means is that the cost of repairs exceeded what the insurance company wanted to pay.......that they thought it cheaper to pay for the car, take the salvage and sell it, than it was to fix it. The other considerations in that equation are how much additional liability they may have for temporary transportation, etc.

I have bought "totals" with very light damage, because they were 6 to 10 years old. Not much value in the used market, but cost as much to fix as newer vehicles, so they were declared "totals".

I have found there are two kinds of people when it comes to buying vehicles with branded titles, those who will not under any circumstances.....and those who will consider it if the history is known and verified.

Ray

 

It isnt the white one with torque thrust in the local autoworldmag trader is it?
That one is sharp lookin, from lookin at the pic, I would like to have it.

 

Hnstray pretty well filled in all the blanks.

On a car of that age I wouldn't be afraid of it especially If I could get it on a hoist and check it over for repair work. More for bad repair work rather than just repair work.

If you take time to think about it, every one of our hot rods and customs is a "rebuilt" car even if it has a clear unblemished title. It's the quality of the work that counts. That holds true for cars that were rebuilt from being wrecked too.

 

I agree, never buy a salvage new car, but on the old stuff salvage title means a cheaper price when I buy them. I usually remove and rebuild or replace everything except the frame and body anyway.

 

Usually with a salvage title the price is CHEAP. I have bought them to drive, the only problem I've had is reselling them again. Every one is afaid of them. It depends on the car and the builder - just like everything else.

 

Dont expect top dollar when reselling.

 

A newer car yes. But a vehicle built pre-1965, I would expect a fair number of them to have been resurrected form a pile of scrap atleast once in its life.

 

I agree with most everyone here. The older the car, the less I worry. Just look it over real well, and really it only matters to you. If you like how it looks and drives shouldn't be a problem. One consideration. In California insurers are not allowed to sell full coverage insurance on cars with a branded title. Specialty insurers might do it, but I know just run of the mill insurers, I.E. Farmes, AAA, Esurance, flat wont do it. Thats my $.02 good luck.

 

I would not in mass. I don`t know in your state check with rmv for any glitches. I can be a problem.

 

I wouldn't care but I'd certainly use it as a negotiating point?

 

This is just my humble opinion nothing more. The answer is YES. Two reasons, first resale value, second is possible issues with insurance. You wouldn't be asking unless you found something you really like, that said I wish you the very best on your decision. TR

 

i had a 66 bronco that had a salvage title on it. it had a smashed fender and grille so the insurance totaled it.... newer cars always scare me unless i know what the damage was.

 

the only thing i would be worried about is if it was totaled from flood damage recently, as in before any major overhaul etc that might give you problems. different states differ in laws. in NY it would not be an issue unless flood. most insurance carriers will not insure a flood vehicle in newer cars due to safety problems in electronics.

 

in nevada, a salvage title is issued to a totaled vehicle. after the vehicle is repaired and certified by a state safety official it is issued a rebuilt title.

 

PROBABLY not, but don't be too sure...

Let's face it, most old cars have had enough work done to them that were they new would have deemed them total losses. What if the car was recently flooded? There's probably moisture in or that got into the electrical system, fuel system, etc.

What if the car was wrecked and the frame was bent? I'm probably being a sissy but I'd wanna look closer into it...

Bill

 

You can have a very serious wreck at some point in the vehicle's history - enough to affect the structure - and not have it show up as 'salvage' or 'rebuilt' - even on newish vehicles. My wife's 540i has had a couple doors and a trunklid replaced, and the right rear quarter cut off and replaced, though structurally and aesthetically I'm quite happy with the work done and at the rate things are going it's going to turn over 200K before we part with it.

If you've got a 2006 Camry and it's flooded out, the troubleshooting of the electricals alone is probably more than the car's worth. If you've got a 1963 Fairlane, a flood means you need to change all your fluids, you've got stanky upholstery and you need a new gauge cluster.

 

No. Looked at it a little today and its a 62. Going back another day to look at it some more in detail when its not raining and cold. The vehicle I'm trading is a late model truck that gets pretty good fuel mileage.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

 

ditto on what he said... late model cars I couldn't run away fast enough.
I have seen some really bad rebuilds people have bought and we did safety inspections on scary(sub-standard , short cut repairs) for sure. Thats why it's total, if the insurance company thought it could be fixed and repaired they would.

 

States have different titles - regular, rebuilt, salvage, street rod, and so on. And all 50 States define each differently, to an extent. You need to see EXACTLY how your state defines these, and see if your state is one where a title can be "washed"; i.e. changed from a "salvage" title to a normal title. These, you have to be extremely careful with, because that car you just bought from Nebraska (I'm throwing out a THEORETICAL example here!) might have been a flood car from Louisiana, or an insurance salvage from Tennessee.

 

There's the "it's not realistically repairable" and there's the "it's not economically repairable".

Almost anything can be repaired if you have the right people and enough money. That isn't to say it's worth doing.

And yes, there's a lot of bad work out there, too.

 

I'm a car dealer, I've seenmodern cars that have been in HUGE wrecks with perfectly clean carfaxes, let alone titles. I had an OT 00 Volvo S80 T6, leased it new. Mom was driving it when it was 6 months old, 17 year old girl, licensed for two weeks (Fire chief's daughter so that was fun to deal with) blew a stop sign, hit RF fender, knocked car head on into an SUV. long story short, $30K+ to fix the thing, since it had an MSRP of well over $45k, Ins co refused to total it.

I Carfaxed and AutoChecked it about a year ago, still not even a mention of an accident report. It's since had 3 owners.

That 540i could have been smacked up when it was young, $10-20k in damage on a $50-60k car? Not even close. Meanwhile friend of mine's old 528e was totalled when it got rear ended, taillight was cracked, bumper support damaged and rear quarter had a small dent.

I suppose with a flood it really depends what car... if I had a suicide door 60s Lincoln that got high water I wouldn't even wanna go near it, but my Vauxhall got soaked, and, umm, it needs carpets....

 

Older cars are not the problem. As mentioned, newer cars and their electronics are reason enough to stay away from a newer flood damaged vehicle. I might be worried on an older car if it was spliced together (sectioned) in an unnatural way. I have seen that and the repairs were scary. So to answer, in my opinion, it depends.