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#1 | ||||
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![]() Here’s a question I thought of while reading “Is anyone collecting Saturns?“
http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=223534 How would you go about verifying a prospective vehicle was not exposed to flood water? For example, if a $39.99 CarFax Report reads, TOTAL LOSS VEHICLE Vehicle declared a total loss by an insurance company Non-collision damage reported ![]() ![]() Prized cars can be found in TN and KY. ...and we drive there to get them. Is there any way to get your eyes on a paper-trail to assure yourself that you are not driving to look at a flood ![]() I am referring to a TOTAL LOSS VEHICLE with a “REBUILT” title issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Thank you 8, 9 or 10-hour drive is a long way to travel. ... Competition Clutch 10Lb. Flywheel. 14 stalls to date (and loving it)
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#2 | ||||
Super Member
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![]() There is no 100% paper trail and it is a simple task to completely clean the title.
IF you can actually trace all the various states and locations titled then you can look up floods and go from there.
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#3 | ||||
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![]() Do you mean that I can use the V.I.N. to access something somewhere that will tell me the car was flooded?
You would think the seller would be all over this. How do they expect to sell the car ever? ![]() Do you mean to say I could look up “weather events” that occurred immediately preceding the car being declared a total loss by the insurance company? What if the damage was caused by hail even though there was biblical flooding in the area? Why would a state DMV re-title the vehicle as REPAIRED and not leave a trace for CarFax as to why the vehicle was considered a total loss? ![]() Do I ask too much here? ![]() ... Competition Clutch 10Lb. Flywheel. 14 stalls to date (and loving it) Last edited by bumpdraft; 11-10-2017 at 08:31 PM..
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#4 | ||||
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![]() No, AutoCheck and CarFacts should show every state and county where it was ever licensed and this and the dates will tell you IF there was a flood and a Total Loss insurance claim is a very good clue. Other than that it is visual inspection time. The S Series is more or less flood proof compared to many other cars as long as the water was not too deep. Just pull the outer door panel and look for silt.
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#5 | ||||
Master Member
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![]() Thank you.
The seller said it was hail damage. I asked for pictures of hail damage and the seller said they really don’t show in a picture. Maybe that is also a clue. So, if the DMV will not provide specifics as to why a vehicle was considered a total loss by the insurance company, and what was done to fix the problem and get the vehicle past state-approved inspection so that it could be re-titled for use on public roads, then the whole thing is a bit of a farce ![]() ...and all vehicles with a REBUILT Title should be sold only to the seller’s neighbor. I must be missing something here ![]() ... Competition Clutch 10Lb. Flywheel. 14 stalls to date (and loving it)
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#6 | |||||
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#7 | |||||
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What if the car never left the state. For a car that has had only one owner, what if the insurance company declared the vehicle a TOTAL LOSS VEHICLE and then “sold” it to the policy holder, the owner of the car? The car never crossed state lines. Why would there be no paper-trail detailing why the car was declared a total loss? In issuing a REBUILT title, the state has said the car is road-worthy. ...and yet offers no explanation of what was wrong with the car that caused it to be declared a TOTAL LOSS VEHICLE. For example: ISSUE: Car was submerged 36 hours REMEDY: Car was vacuumed and pine scent air-freshener hung from mirror. Thank you for your time. I guess it’s still buyer beware. ![]() ... Competition Clutch 10Lb. Flywheel. 14 stalls to date (and loving it)
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#8 | ||||
Super Member
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![]() Very few owners will buy it back from insurance company as they want more than it is worth. If they do then they keep the vehicle and do not care what the title says as they run the car to just junk.
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#9 | ||||
Super Member
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![]() All a rebuilt title means is they got some smuck to "inspect" the vehicle and declare it road worthy. DMV usually not directly involved in said inspection process, other than confirming that the "i's have been dotted and "t"s crossed on the proper paperwork.
Carfax & the like only show the end user what repair shops, insurance companies and DMV's have _volunteered_ for car info...if they don't volunteer specific info (or any at all...) then CarFax shows a clean bill of health. In general...if the car's current title is from one of the 6 states listed as "in development" then it instantly should get extra scrutiny for not just flood damage, but any kind of major damage: https://www.vehiclehistory.gov/nmvtis_states.html VT is kinda sketchy (one of the 6 on the list ![]()
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#10 | ||||
Super Member
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![]() Googling 'what do flood cars look like?' or other key words resulted in 49,900,000 returns. Here are a few results;
https://www.carfax.com/press/resources/flooded-cars https://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/h...maged-car.html https://www.npr.org/2017/09/07/54909...er-a-hurricane https://auto.howstuffworks.com/under...amaged-car.htm
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#11 | ||||
Super Member
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![]() All of these various reporting services rely on what is voluntarily reported to them and then maybe entered into some database by some overworked clerk correctly.
Please note recent NCIS data fiasco in Texas... caveat emptor
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#12 | ||||
Master Member
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![]() So, buying any vehicle with a REBUILT title consists of driving 8, 9 or 10 hours and then taking a door apart in someone’s driveway while calling the seller a liar.
Maybe you could give their daughter a slap on the Daisy Dukes at the same time. ![]() ... Competition Clutch 10Lb. Flywheel. 14 stalls to date (and loving it)
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#13 | ||||
Super Member
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![]() If they list a salvage or rebuilt title then ask what was salvaged/rebuilt. In this idiot state(IA) you get a salvage title if you buy a car at auction that was a stolen vehicle. You also get your title revised to SALVAGE if you make an insurance claim over $500.00. The low brow thieves here destroy the steering column and every insurance company totals the car because of this. The car is being auctioned off by the insurance company. It is a relatively easy DIY rebuild and relatively low cost. The threshold for salvage is any repair costing over $500.00
That 500.00 damage is a small door dent...
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#14 | |||||
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![]() NICB has a VIN check, have not had a VIN of a damaged vehicle to see what it shows. My VIN shows
Quote:
... I'm not worthy to grovel in the shadow of Signmaster's wisdom 11/2016 red 2002 5 spd SC2 124k DD 7/2010 Craigslist white 1997 SC2 project 12/2008 eBay silver 1998 SL2 5 spd 102k, now 201k+ miles
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#15 | |||||
Super Member
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If you cannot examine a vehicle in person to look for hints of flood damage then you're not willing to protect yourself from scams. It's that simple. Rust and corrosion cannot be completely wiped away and the few links given are just a hint of how much anyone can learn to determine for themselves what's real and what isn't. As the saying goes, " The more you know........".
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#16 | |||||
Master Member
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![]() fdryer, thank you.
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VIN Check Total Loss Record Date of loss: 201x-0x-xx Cause of loss: Other I wonder if “FLOOD” is something checked by NICB, or if “Other” means “Other than theft” I’m thinking it means, “Other than theft” ... Competition Clutch 10Lb. Flywheel. 14 stalls to date (and loving it)
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#17 | ||||
Super Member
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![]() I know they check flood, but I don't know if they mark them any differently on their vin check. Was hoping someone with a flooded car would check and let us know
I've bought a few sight unseen (the '98 SL2 is one) and sold a few (three, I think). Been lucky, so far; the cars I bought ended up being great. To be fair, the ones I bought were from small dealerships so I knew that there were at least real cars involved. One turned out to have had a new clutch installed within the last few thousand miles, which the dealer did not know about; found the paperwork later. The buyers I sold my cars to never looked at the cars beforehand, but were pleasantly surprised - cars were as described ![]() ... I'm not worthy to grovel in the shadow of Signmaster's wisdom 11/2016 red 2002 5 spd SC2 124k DD 7/2010 Craigslist white 1997 SC2 project 12/2008 eBay silver 1998 SL2 5 spd 102k, now 201k+ miles
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#18 | ||||
Super Member
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![]() alordofchaos, I was anticipating someone countering my reply and glad there are parts of America where honesty still prevails. As a New Yorker living in the Big Apple among 8 million people, more goes on here to reflect honesty and deceit but still makes buyer beware part of being a NYC dweller with all the worlds immigrants coming here before moving on to other parts of America. Unfortunately, dishonest habits are brought into this country and part of NYC's 'ambience'. I've traveled around the US as part of my work and appreciate country honesty not known where 8 million people are living side by side in one of the biggest cities in the US. Being vandalized in my own home area yet remembering seeing a convertible with its top down and a camera in the passenger seat in a mid western city is stark contrast to a city kid growing up in NYC. Keys left in the ignition, house doors unlocked with no one home is not a NYC habit yet still done in many parts of this country because of culture. NYC's high turnover of immigrants and people like me born and raised in NYC are witnesses to how culture from every walk of life affects how children grow up whether immigrant or not.
I've experienced country charm and astonished about strangers treating me as another townie with open arms. Perhaps my business minded presence preceded me when a part of me was still in NY.
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#19 | ||||
Member
![]() Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SW Missouri
Posts: 270
1997 SL
2001 SL1
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![]() You might be able to search copart if the car was sold through there, and find the auction pictures.
... 1994 SC2 Retired 1996 SL "FrankenSaturn" 1998 SL2 FrankenSaturn's Body Donor 2004 Vue "What was I thinking?" 2001 SL1 100k Mile Baby Blue Beauty 1999 SL2 Thank You Tiger!
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#20 | |||||
Super Member
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![]() I don't leave valuables in plain sight, either. Too tempting. Many years ago (late 1980's), a friend of mine had his rear passenger window busted. The tempting haul? About $2 worth of returnable cans and bottles left in the back seat. They missed the far more expensive car stereo in the glove box that I had not yet had a chance to install for him yet. But it cost him a fair amount to replace the glass (this was before I discovered Saturnfans and the joys of junkyard shopping) ... I'm not worthy to grovel in the shadow of Signmaster's wisdom 11/2016 red 2002 5 spd SC2 124k DD 7/2010 Craigslist white 1997 SC2 project 12/2008 eBay silver 1998 SL2 5 spd 102k, now 201k+ miles
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