1968 Rebuilt Title

[mj535]

Greetings. I'm a new member on the site. I am looking at a GT/CS and after doing some research I have found that it has a rebuilt title. It also appears that it has had a repair to the front end that resulted in the hood not having the locks anymore. Otherwise the car looks pretty good and appears to be a real GT/CS by all the other markers. Needs a little work as it has some minor surface rust at the wheel wells. Frame and floors are excellent.

Should I worry about the rebuilt/savage title? What effect does it have on value? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Don]

Tough question to answer but generally, yes, a salvage title will devalue the car (this really only matters for resale). Ultimately the decision will be yours to make and you might be able to use the salvage title as a bargaining chip to get a bargain deal. Also check with your insurance company first to see what their input is on getting insurance on it.

 

[murf104]

The normal "hit" for salvage title is between 20 and 40% of the accepted normal price. you may or may not be able to use this as a bargaining chip since it is a possibility that a salvage title can be" washed" or "cleaned up" as it is termed and turned into a normal title. I have no idea how it is done but it is sometimes possible. Check with your local car thieves. States laws differ widely so your location may change the value as well. So do your homework and no matter what the seller says is true verify the information with your state and/or local authorities so that you are not in for a surprise when the deal is done. Finally, do as the previous poster suggested and check with your insurance company before you make the purchase.

 

[dalorzo_f]

Does that car have any of the factory VINs? That would confirm a real GT/CS by a Marti report.

Me, if it is verified as a real GT/CS and was solid with just a new hood I can't see it taking a 40% hit on value. People rebuild a rusted car, replacing everything but the A pillar on the RH side and no one seem to think that's any devalue... really depend on the details.

If it was, say, a car that was front ended in 1973 and written off by insurance as It was not worth the $485.92 to fix it, well that could result in a salvage title, and again in my view really doesn't do much to the value of the car. If the car was stolen, stripped to a shell and set fire, well that is a differnt story.

The details and documentation set the value... more info needed.

 

[CougarCJ]

Yes, a salvage title hurts the value of a car. It especially hurts the value of investment grade cars.
When I worked in the insurance industry, if the repairs exceeded 75-80% of the ACV (actual cash value) the vehicle was deemed 'totaled'. If the State issued title is marked 'Salvage', 'Rebuilt', 'Branded', 'Reconstructed', etc, it was deemed a TOTAL LOSS, and then, reconstructed by someone.
Generally there is an safety inspection process needed, prior to issuance of a reconstructed title.

 

[Don]

.............since it is a possibility that a salvage title can be" washed" or "cleaned up" as it is termed and turned into a normal title. I have no idea how it is done but it is sometimes possible...........

Title flushing used to be possible but is impossible now. DMV's, state to state, are now interconnected and widely publicized title scams have exposed all the old loopholes that no longer exist.
There are a few cases where salvage titles do not impact value but are limited to exceedingly rare cars only.

 

[clubpro]

Whatever you do don't purchase the car until you have verified that it is a legit GT/CS and the only way to do that is by purchasing Marti Report. It will be the best $15 you have ever spent.

Cheers,

Ron

 

[BigJim]

I would go to your local cop shop and ask them to run the VIN to verify it's not stolen. You can also ask a LEO to check the VIN stamp to make sure it's legit. Better to find out before you spend your money if there's a problem with the car/title.

 

[mj535]

Thanks for all your input. Currently I am comfortable that it's a real GT/CS that has been in an accident at one point where it's hood and radiator support at a minimum were replaced. It's got quite a few issues, functional, rust and cosmetic, that need to be addressed. We'll see where it goes.