Sorry to ask this here..i didnt where else to post or ask....

How badly does the Salvage title affect the value?

a 1997 C36, 12,800 miles...salvage title to a hit on driver passenger side. assuming this car checks out ok with a complete mechanical and diagnostic test, what is it work? book value is about $37,500. Would you ever touch a car that has a salvage title? sometimes i hear that the car isnt really bad but its part of the games insurance companies play to get complete claims...is that true? thanks!

[This message has been edited by whan (edited 08-11-1999).]

Hmmm, I never bought a vehicle with a salvage title, but my '90 Acura Integra was recently totalled in a hit and run crash while it was parked.

$5800 worth of body damage; the car was worth $6500. State Farm insurance had an 80% cut-off so they totalled out the car. I received $6000 from insurance co. (I have a $500 deductible on collision.)

I asked them what it would take to buy the car back; they replied $700 and the car would have a salvage title. I'd need to do the repairs and get an inspection to make it roadworthy.

Not sure what this has to do with MB's, but I do see quite a few late model cars in the local paper for $20-30K, cars that would go for $40-50K without the mentioned "front end damage," etc. For the $700 I could have gotten my Acura back for, if this was a late model Benz, I could stand to make a good bit of money, just for reselling a wreck.

Robert W. Roe
1984 300SD 165K miles




[This message has been edited by Robert W. Roe (edited 08-11-1999).]

A car with a salvage title is worth considerably less than one without.
There was an article about this subject a while ago , in our local paper. It seems that one of the reasons for salvage title is to combat auto theft.
Basically it prevents an unscrupulous party from buying a wreck and then transfering the VIN to another car. When the article was written, Ontario was the only jurisdiction in North America that did not have a salvage law in the books, although one is in the works. It seems that auto auctions in Ontario were very popular with car theft rings from all over North America. What the people would do is buy a wrecked auto and then steal another one and transfer the VIN numbers from the wreck to the stolen vehicle and sell the car for a tidy profit, and no heat because the original VIN from the stolen car has now disappeared. Any other bits from the wrecked car are probably parted out or dumped or shipped overseas, giving them even more money.
With a salvage law in place, it doesn't make economic sense for the thieves to do this as the car isn't worth it.

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Darko Vusir
1994 C220

Another item worth mentioning is with a salvage title, you can go to other states (TN, NJ, etc.) and get it cleared off.

As far as value. Yes, it is worth less, but if you do clear the title, it's worth the same.

I have bought cars with salvage titles, and rebuilt them. I always planned on keeping the car. (You might want to check with your own insurance company as to if they will insure the car with the salvage title. Some don't as they don't want to buy the car again if something happens.)

As far as an investment, it can be worthwhile. Make sure you have a trusted body man check it out with you. The body man (body person) must have frame straightening expirence, as this is usally the reason it was totaled.

Also, in this case I gotta figure that there is some drivetrain/suspension damage. The sum $ of the parts usually cost more than the total (no pun intended).

While rebuilds are not for the weak at heart, it can be worthwhile in my expirenece.

If you are interested in parting out the car that can be an headache in itself.

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Mike Mullins
71 250 Coupe
92 400E Sedan
90 944/S2 Cabriolet

[This message has been edited by MikeM (edited 08-11-1999).]

the 1997 C36 with salvage title only has 12,800. it has been completely repaired according to the seller and he said that he is able to produce to me all the records of what happened. i am going to have a service check the car out completely and see how the integrity holds up. i drove the car and it is fast i have to admit and seems to handle well. Everything seems fine just that i have to check out if the MB warranty still is in effect and if my insurance will cover it. As far as i am concerned now it is the year 2000 already for cars so the value is even lower. I plan to offer him 50% of the market retail value. The market value is about $44,000. I plan to offer 50-55% of this value since in 3-4 year when i sell it, i am going take a BIG hit on it. so, if i get i for about $23-24,000, after 3-4 years i might be able to get like $12-14,000 for the car...what do you think?

thanks in advance for the info....

I believe you are underestimating the value of this car. If you buy it please drop me some mail when you get ready to sell it in 3 or 4 years. I'd love to pick up a 6 or 7 year old c36 for only 12 grand. Especially considering that my late 80's e-class blue-books for $11K. If the owner can prove that the damages were not a salvagable amount you may be able to get it cleared from the record.

Hello...
well on further thought and examining the 1997 C36, i offered the seller $30,000. We'll see what the seller says. there was about $8,000 worth of side body damage and i am going to have a auto check service check the car out from bumper to bumper. so in like 4-5 years i will probably sell it for a lot less than any other 97 C36 since it does have a salvage title. so, Sdangermond, lets keep in touch and you may get a 97 C36 in a few years for a great price!

Whan - Did you ever buy that car? I saw it on Ebay! Drop me an e-mail and let me know.
- abalto@hypmedia.com

Abalto

A car with salvage title reduces its market value by 50%. The book value of a car is not necessary the market valve. In order to find out the market valve of a car locally, you really have to do some homeworks. Check the car ads for asking price/conditions AND how long the car is on the market before it is sold. Most of the MB parts are expensive. Can you justify the big $ in the later days to repair or upgrade a car that is worth 50% of its market value? I have no problem buying a salvaged car if it is in good condition and the price is right and I want to keep it for a long long time.

David

hi abalto and others...
i DID NOT buy that car!! it was a piece of junk. i had an independent specialist who inspects used cars do a complete engine, body, tranny check. a service called AUTOCRITIC in Long Island. i highly recommend this service. only $120+ US dollars and worth every penny saved me so much money!! after the complete check he gave me a 3 page report on the car. first of all, let me warn you! the seller seems like a nice guy. i dont know whether or not he knows the extent of the damage but even after we told him, he was still arguing and defending his position. it turns out the car was in a MAJOR hit on the driver side. completely MESSED UP!!! the AUTOCRITIC took me under the car, showed me all the work done, the imperfections, the dirt, the rust...the messed up paint job. also, this is very important, NO TAGS ON ANY OF THE DOORS, TRUNK or anywhere else that should have tags. the car was literally LOP SIDED! and if you look closely, the lines are off on the trunk and hood! man, the car was messed up. the car isnt worth more $10,000 in my book. i just dont want to mislead anyone...and i hope the seller does the right thing but i told him what is wrong with the car...i hope he isnt still trying to sell it saying that there is MINIMAL damage.

Abalto, i ended up buying a MINT 1995 C36. i mean COMPLETELY mint with 38,000 miles. i am lovin it and i like POLAR WHITE a lot better than black anyways. i can live with the 4 speed trans. from the 500E and i can live with the older style steering wheel. i feel good that i got a great, mint completely serviced by mercedes C36 with ALL THE SERVICE RECORDS!! on top of that, this cars warranty is good until 2/2002, 100,000 miles!

so, the conclusion is NEVER take a chance with the SALVAGE TITLE car and dont worry about year...worry about condition and mileage, and service records.

my opinion..stay away from the ebay car...like i said, the owner seems like a nice guy, but his car is messed up...

take care...

Just a personal opinion, and not the opinion of 'MercedesShop.com'.

Salvage titles? Bah Humbug!!
The damn car should be cut in half and sold for parts only. To many salvage cars get back in circulation causing headaches for both owner and technicians, and a serious money loss for the customer. Many also have serious safety problems and are not 'crashworthy'.
I have seen to many cars poorly repaired, or ones that have been to the submarine races and tried to be restored...
They are no bargain and there ought to be a law...

So much for my thoughts from the peanut gallery.

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