slantflat

Hi everyone.

Yes I'm trying to get away with something here. I'm considering buying a car that has a rebuilt title. Not a terrific idea, but it's a 96 and at this point I wonder if it matters much.

My question is, will the rebuilt status follow the car? It is in Alabama and I'm in Georgia. Not sure how long Alabama titles are maintained but in Georgia a car doesn't need one after 25 years. If I register the car with a Bill of Sale only, can I bypass the physical title with the stamp on it, or is the status recorded somewhere and will show up when running the VIN? If I can escape the title, will the insurance industry maintain this information across state lines?

Thanks everyone.

BangScreech4-4-2

Why do you ask?

Subsequent buyers are entitled to know the title status of the vehicle they're purchasing.

no1oldsfan

It really depends on the state. I would look up the information in your state. State's that don't use titles just seem odd to me.

Olds64

^^^THIS^^^

I've heard that classic car owners can title a car easily through Vermont. That being said, I think if a potential buyer does a check they can find out that the car has a rebuilt or lost title.

442Harv

Not sure what a rebuilt title is, is that the same as a salvage title? If it is, I bought one , and I live in Cal, and I would not do it again, it was a PITB. Dealing with the DMV, insurance co, and then selling it, has a limit number of people interested. Not sure about all states, but in Cal, any claim that had a complete loss pay out,gets a salvage title, like a stolen car, not just a wreck.

Vintage Chief

Mike - Here's where you're going to run into an issue in Georgia:
Titles for Rebuilt or Restored Vehicles

joe_padavano

For most cars, a rebuilt or salvage title usually means that the car was totaled at one point, bought back from the insurance company, and repaired. Most insurance companies won't cover full value of the car under these conditions, since they've already paid for it once. How each company evaluates the quality of the repair work is up to that company, but don't expect an insurance company to do you any favors.

slantflat

Hm thanks guys. The point is moot now because the car I was considering has sold.

Apparently the car in question had already gone through the rebuild process because it already had a rebuilt title. My concern was mainly with some insurance company having a problem with it being wrecked and then put back on the street. I would have no problem telling a subsequent buyer what I knew about it, I just didn't want to pay out a bunch of extra money due to terminology. My insurance company gets too much of my money as it is.

Jamesbo

Mike, I think Montana is where all the Superperformance guys title their new GT 40 and Super Snakes

Olds64

What car were you considering buying with a rebuilt title? Was it an Oldsmobile? The only car from 96 I might consider buying with a questionable title would be a Chevy Impala SS. Or a parts car if it was cheap enough.

Koda

It's a lot of hassle to not buy things with clear titles, and I consider salvage titles to not be clear.

slantflat

It was indeed an Impala SS. I want to buy one and plan on keeping it long term, but I labored over the title thing too long and it sold.

no1oldsfan

Probably a good call in my opinion. One thing if it is a 500 dollar beater.

Tri-Carb

Yes, the insurance industry maintains an interstate database containing this type of information.

For future reference, status designations on titles such as flood, salvage, rebuilt, etc. are called placards.

slantflat

Really, I've always heard of it as a branded title. As in, red hot ornament on the end of a stick you jam onto a cow's ***. That kind of brand.

Tri-Carb

Yes—it is a branded title. It is branded with placards. Branded is the technical term used to notify others that a title is not clean. Placards define the particular reason a title is not clean. I suppose the terminology could vary somewhat among states.

This discussion is more important than just noodling semantics. The header for the thread is "Rebuilt Title". I started out thinking it was about reconstructed paperwork involving an auto title. In fact, it is about a reconstructed vehicle with a branded title containing the placard of "rebuilt".

Olds64

Was the Impala black? Dark Cherry Metallic or Dark Gray Green would be the bee's knees. I've never seen a Dark Gray Green Impala SS in person.

I think it was fortuitous it sold before you could get a chance to buy it. The search continues.👍

slantflat

It was black. I had a green 96 in late 96, but I had to sell it when I moved. I guess I should have kept it. It's tough finding a decent car, tougher than I thought it would be. They either have big hooptie wheels or the interior has been hacked up, or beat to death. At least this rebuilt car the guy said he drove it every day.

no1oldsfan

Of course he drove it everyday. You dodged a silver bullet not buying that car. There is absolutely no telling why that car was a scrub title. Could have been so many things. Could have been feet under water. Could have been hit by a train. Could have been who knows what. You can buy it cheap for a reason. Then you go to sell it and you are screwed. I have heard that many insurance companies won't even insure them.
Be patient for a legit car.

slantflat

Oh I know why it was a rebuilt title. It was wrecked. Had a Caprice hood, both drivers side Caprice doors, most likely a fender and bumper cover. Had to have happened awhile ago, all the paint faded and looked the same. Had a different motor and trans as well. I doubt that was part of the wreck the car had 318K miles on it.

otto72

Looks like it's still for sale Mike

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/c...593143934.html

BangScreech4-4-2

Nope, that one says it has a clean title.

Olds64

The one Otto posted has over 150k miles on it. I guess that's better than over 300k. If you found an impala SS with less than 100k miles it'd be a Mecum show stopper and wouldn't be listed on CL.

slantflat

Keith I'd rather have a green one over a black one, but I wouldn't throw a black one out of bed for eating crackers. That one is pretty but those cars just aren't worth 20K to me. How much fun would it be to buy a car out west and drive home to Georgia.

otto72

I know Mike! driving back with a permanent smile plastered on your face. I have dreamed of doing something like that. I know its a bunch of money but... It looks like it has had some nice new goodies addressed, replaced, sharp, and it does have the no rust basically 1 owner factor.
You would still have a vehicle you should be able to fetch a pretty good chunk of your money back after enjoying it for as long as you want to. Maybe the person will bite on an offer you are comfortable with since it has been posted for sometime now.
Either way, fun to consider
Take good carehttps://www.jdpower.com/cars/1995/ch...s/4-door-sedan

Keith