BIG insurance problem

[projectRDM]

Why does it matter if it has a salvage title? If you're keeping the car it makes no difference to you, the driver. You can pocket the money they're offering, total it, and keep driving like nothing ever happened. The only drawback is if you tried to sell the car, but at that point you're not going to get what you want out of it anyway, so having a salvage title makes no difference again. Some states don't even require an inspection before transferring a salvage title, those that do would take 10 seconds to look at your car and clear it if the damage really isn't anything bad. The only other possible drawback is if you get hit again, but then most states also will still register cars with duplicate salvage titles, so you're still in the clear to keep it and drive it.
You may feel like you're fucked, but you are the one throwing money at nearly a 20 year old car. Insurance companies don't care what you think it's worth, nor what the market reflects. You can submit recent sale ads for cars similar to yours to bring the value up but you're still wasting time and only getting a small portion of what you want back. By totaling it you're golden and can walk away.

[derek_s13]

Originally Posted by projectRDM

Some states don't even require an inspection before transferring a salvage title, those that do would take 10 seconds to look at your car and clear it if the damage really isn't anything bad.

rdm, i wouldn't usually argue with you, because you're pretty much always right. but not this time.

i would absolutely absolutely not accept a salvage title for any modded car in massachusetts.
when a MA car has a salvage title, before it becomes eligible for state inspection (hard and expensive enough already for any 240. we're second strictest, right after cali) it has to be visually inspected by a mass. state trooper. THIS MEANS: no swapped motors. no aftermarket exhaust. no emissions removal. no window tint. no height alteration >2" no modified lighting. no visible rust. no bad ball joints. no visible damage in engine bay including firewall, strut towers, and radiator support.

basically, i have an easier time bribing my way through inspections every year than getting ONE inspection by a goddamn state trooper. it'd just never happen.

sooooooo, be careful before you let your car get a salvage title, even if you're expecting to keep the car. check your local laws, cuz in MA, modded vehicles get you raped.

[projectRDM]

Originally Posted by derek_s13

rdm, i wouldn't usually argue with you, because you're pretty much always right. but not this time.

i would absolutely absolutely not accept a salvage title for any modded car in massachusetts.
when a MA car has a salvage title, before it becomes eligible for state inspection (hard and expensive enough already for any 240. we're second strictest, right after cali) it has to be visually inspected by a mass. state trooper. THIS MEANS: no swapped motors. no aftermarket exhaust. no emissions removal. no window tint. no height alteration >2" no modified lighting. no visible rust. no bad ball joints. no visible damage in engine bay including firewall, strut towers, and radiator support.

basically, i have an easier time bribing my way through inspections every year than getting ONE inspection by a goddamn state trooper. it'd just never happen.

sooooooo, be careful before you let your car get a salvage title, even if you're expecting to keep the car. check your local laws, cuz in MA, modded vehicles get you raped.

Good point. As I said all states are different and in the case you make you're completely right. Here in GA the standards are far lower. I've seen cars put back on the road that were clearly a deathtrap because the inspection here involves basically a guy with a checklist making sure it has seats, wheels, and glass. Back in 1999 I installed a cellphone handsfree kit in an Explorer that had a new front clip and roof welded on, had four mismatched doors, and had the frame sectioned and welded back together in six places. I drove it a distance of maybe 30ft and nearly wrecked it because the steering wheel was fighting me so bad. There was no way a car like that should ever have been fixed or cleared.