Licensing and Registering a Vehicle with a Salvage Title

[Lusty]

Does anybody know the rules about registering a limousine with a salvage title for use commercially (i.e. rental). Do the regulations vary state by state? or is it national based? What it comes down to is I'd like to purchase a limo to kick my biz off, but the one I'm interested in (and thats in my price range) has a salvage title. My area of business will be in the Kansas City Area (MO & KS). Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Limo Insurance King]

As far as registering the vehicle, it is going to have to pass inspection for the respective state that it is going to be registered in after being rebuilt.

In regards to the insurance, you will have a problem placing physical damage coverage on the vehicle. Not to say that it can't be placed, but if you are not upfront with the ins co, and something occurs, some companies will decline coverage.

What are you calling a salvaged vehicle? Is the title tattooed? (Have salvaged vehicle on the title?). I have a client that called in on Monday to say that he was buying a "salvaged" vehicle. Come to find out, he bought a car that was wrecked but it was not a salvage; this is important. Just because it is wrecked does not mean that it is a salvaged vehicle.

[Lusty]

http://i10.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/b5/96/0b16_12.JPG
http://i14.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/b5/96/0c47_12.JPG
This is the exerpt from the ad:

"SALVAGE TITLE BECAUSE IT WAS IN AN AREA DESIGNATED BY FEMA TO HAVE BEEN A FLOOD ZONE. Had I not pulled the carfax of this limo, there were no signs of this. I'm not sure if it was flooded or was just in a flood area. Carfax says that it was in a general zipcode designated as a flood zone and it recommends to independently get it it checked. Everything works on it and it runs and looks great. It has no indication of any sort of flood or electrical problems or of the such. I've used it for personal use and still use and enjoy it. Because of the salvage title I will be offering it for sale at a fraction of the cost of other limo's. About a year and a half ago it was broken into through the back window and all the electronics were stolen from it."

[Salicete]

Pull the carpets in the driver’s area, passenger cabin and trunk. Look for the (Ford, Chrysler etc) factory part numbers on the carpet backs. If they are original, the numbers will be there, and it is possible that the car was not flooded out, since the carpets would likely have been replaced with aftermarket ones if it had.

Also closely inspect the floor boards for indications of there ever having been water pooling there. Lift the carpet on the front passenger side. On many limos the hoses for the HVAC come in through the firewall there. Lift the hoses and look under them for dirt and sediment there. This would indicate a flood car.

Best of all, take a big sniff when the car is first opened. If it was full of water, you will get a mildew or sour odor to some degree. If the car is running with the AC blasting, or if it is full of air freshener when you arrive to inspect it, be suspicious.

Or then again, if mud shoots out of the CD player when you hit eject.... http://limos.infopop.cc/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

I would never buy a flood car, no matter how cheap, it won't be worth it in the long run, IMHO.

You never can tell from just a photo, but that is a very nice looking unit.

Good Luck.

[SignatureLimousine]

I may be a traffic cop, but my detective skills found the car on ebay. If your buying that car with flood damage and salvage title you're in for tough times with it.

Flood damage cars are great cars...until that one day your electronics goes to $hit because the corrosion and rust has eaten at your electrical connections and wiring, and you give it that beautiful wash job and your hand runs right through a body panel after the rust eats through. Salicete is damn straight, people dont use air fresheners to make a good smell more intense, you do it to hide a bad odor. I use no air fresheners in my car period. You might smell the leather conditioner and maybe the glass cleaner.

25000 for that? - CAVEAT EMPTOR

[Limo Insurance King]

That eBay add just spells disaster. Flood, theft....who knows what else has happened to or in that car. That thing is cursed.