Re:"salve" title

["Doyt W. Echelberger" <Doyt@nwonline.net>]

I'm gonna be honest about how I feel about salvage titles that insurance
companies force on to owners of fine old cars that get into minor accidents.

The "salvage" annotation grossly exaggerates the damage when applied to
good old cars that sustain almost any minor accident. There was no serious
damage to my 84 Rabbit. There was $700 in parts and body work, and that was
the book value of the car..... $700 damage on a new car doesn't total it.
The same $700 on a nice old car in exceptional shape DOES total it, and the
resulting salvage title doesn't make any distinctions. It just says the car
was seriously damaged....which in the case of my $700 old car was not true,
any more than it would be true in the case of $700 damage to a new car.

So, Doug, I don't disagree with you about the annotation protecting SOME
people from buying a seriously damaged car (a new or fairly new car that
took an enormous hit.) But it sure doesn't serve that purpose in the case
of small accidents to fine old cars.

I know that a salvage title on an old car destroys the resale value,
doesn't define the seriousness of the damage, and is something to be avoided.

I think I need to rant about this a little bit more. Rant mode on........

If you buy a new car, do $700 in damage a year later, get it fixed and
drive it 10 years and sell it, that's no big deal and you probably won't
mention the replaced bumper or whatever it was. If you buy the same car,
keep it _perfect_ for 10 years, bend the same bumper, and fix it the same
way, you end up with a salvage title that makes your car something of a
pariah on the market. It ain't right :-[]  (Rant mode off.)

So that's why I suggested that Chris might reasonably try to negotiate a
way out of ending up with a salvage title on his nice old car :-) (Sanity
returns.)

Doyt

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
At 11:39 AM 1/31/1999 -0800, you wrote:
>Doyt,
>
>The annotation on the title is to protect people from owners who would not
>disclose that heir vehicle had been seriously damaged.  Sound like anyone
>you know?  *hint, hint*
>
>Take care....and be honest...
>
> - Doug
>
>
>