I cant say I have seen many Salvaged DMV Certs on 914's but I did come across a 912E with Salvaged paper work recently and I thought, 'Who cares!', I would still buy it. I know for the PCA club member guy/gal this may be a big problem but if you are lucky to find and own one of these car that are 30-40 years old already aren't we all salvaging them to a certain extent anyways? Is it going to be a big deal to the next guy?

There are a great number of 914's being transplanted with 6's, Subaru pwr, or something similar. There are others buying 'Rollers' and building them up to track or as a DD or maybe even show. I know when I was looking for a 911SC a couple years ago you could find a Salvaged car every once in awhile for a 6k-8k difference and it was still a great looking vehicle! The Salvaged 911's where usually purchased by the race or track guys because it did not matter to them.

There are a lot of good deals on Salvaged cars and I am always tempted by their lower cost but hesitant of the Salvaged cert. I am slowly coming around though and if the right car comes up I might go for it.

Depends on why it was salvaged. Make sure it was repaired safely.

1. Salvage titles are always worth less.
2. Some insurance companies won't touch a salvage title.

How much those two things matter are up to you really.

If it's a keeper, then it doesn't matter. I would do a good inspection to see was it wrecked or under water and what it'll take to make me satisfied with the car.. Carfax probably wouldn't have much on older cars due to the vin number not fitting there record keeping. Your insurance agent might help get past information on the car.

Pictures>>>?????

Here's my spin. I owned a collision/resto shop for 18 yrs. let's say the retail on that car was 10k new at it's high point. As car gets older they loose value bringing them to a low point. So let's say the low may have been 2k. A car that was key scratched down both sides needing a complete paint job at early 90's prices would be a total loss. Happened in my shop lots of times. Dented fender, light hail damage, hell, shopping cart got away and bang! totaled!

Now take that same car today worth 3X the retail when new. Even with todays prices for a paint job you couldn't total it. So I think at one point Salvage titles need to be revisited or hold a hell of a lot less weight if you know the history of the car and why it was stamped.

And another thing. We would by salvage cars and rebuild them as fill work in our shop. Repaired to industry standards only with salvaged oem parts not new oem parts. The margins were slim as you were selling the car with a stamped title. But the object was to keep employee's in down times instead of having to lay guys off and try to hire them back when the seasonal increase caused a need. I had 6 full time guys with families. They counted on me to be creative and resourceful. Doesn't mean the car was built cheaply or unsafe. Just means we had work when we needed it and someone got a bargain when the car sold because the state had no means of removing the salvage status.

One of my 914's has a salvaged title. Yet, it's one of the cleanest 914s out there. I have every receipt from day one that the car was purchased, and full documentation of the repairs.

I had no problem insuring it, through American Collector's Insurance.

It always bugs the crap out of me that someone can take a car with a clean title but is a pile of rusted metal, perform a dubious home rebuild, and that car is "clean," yet there is no way to get a clean title for my professionally repaired vehicle.

Lots of guys (even some members of 914World) would prefer to buy the home-repaired scrap heap car over a pristine salvaged title car, so be aware of that.

And another point. How many cars have we seen come through these pages with less than safe rust repairs. I try really hard to coach and mentor guy's who post on here asking advised because rust repair is serious business. Compared to a little fender bender that caused a car to get a salvage stamp that nuts!

I was sent a short video awhile back of a guy in a shop literally removing welds from a structural longitudinal with a pair of side cutters. The car was a rolling freaking death machine.

Think about the liability compared to a doctor. The doctor has one patient in his hands. The guy repairing the structural chassis of a car has everyone that can get in that car at one time and anyone in the path of that death ride in his hands. Scary!

Do you think the states should mandate an inspection process for any car that has rust repairs completed? I think that would kill the hobby but sometimes there are just guys that shouldn't pick up a welder..

Way worse that a classic car with a salvage stamp for a dent.

Salvage might not indicate a wreck but it's worth about 10% of the sale price at any price point.

I have bought a few in the past and it wouldn't stop me if I found a good deal. I would not pay top dollar because of the stigma.

Unless it was going to be a parts car, I don't think that I would buy one unless the reason for the salvage title could be verified. I know how to inspect one of these cars now, so collision repairs wouldn't scare me off. However, I would never want to buy a flood car.

I bought a 912E in 1990 with a salvaged title. The car was a theft recovery. It had the engine and trans mating surface cracked up like it was driven over something. The wheels were stolen. No other damage. The car was Tangerine and gorgeous. Rebuilt the engine with a new case. Trans needed a new case. My wife's daily driver for almost 6 years! Sold it for $13k in 97

I restored an LE creamsicle with a salvages title. It literally had a tear in the front fender. No weird creases or metal problems anywhere from any other wreck. Looked like they cut something to close turning & just tore the metal from the top of the light to midway through the wheel arch. Totalled the car & didn't even screw up any gaps in the torn fender. It definitely affected the value a lot. Still that car was very solid & did not deserve to be marked that way.

I have bought my fair share of salvaged title cars through the years. If repaired correctly easily worth what you can save buying one.

I bought my first 914 this summer with a salv title out of cali but had eyes on it from several folks both from in & out of this site I'm the third owner and I've got all the documentation on it -the original window sticker, regular service records, repair records from the fender smash that got it totaled in the early 90's etc
I looked for about a year and a half & missed out on several I wanted
I feel like I got a good deal on it & it's everything I thought'd be the good and the things that need attention
if my daughter wants to sell it 40+ years from now I'm sure the title status will matter less
bottom line is do your homework get the best car you can regardless of title status & drive the wheels off it!

Bought one with salvage title. Junk yard screwed up on the paperwork so it came out "salvaged". Car was a seizure in a DUI.

Virginia & West Virginia do not issue salvage titles, however Maryland does. When I bought my bike from a junkyard in Md. it was a wreck, but I was amazed the engine still ran fine & the bike only had 7k mi. on it. I had to get a special MD. Police State Salvage Inspection to deem it roadworthy after I'd fixed it, but when I moved back from Md. to Va. my motorcycle title got "washed", so now it has a "clean" title.

Motorcycles are another story... If the fairings on a bike get scratched or cracked the bike is salvaged.... Which is why rice rockets have such high insurance.

They may get totaled (insurance wise) more easily over cars, but Va. & WVa. still do not issue salvage titles- on bikes or cars. So a title can still be "washed" here.

I would closely inspect any newer vehicle with a Salvaged title for sure.

I am a cheap bastard by nature and most of the vehicles I tend to gravitate towards are the older, +30 year, Porsches that you can still find at a reasonable price tag (Of course needing some work). Came across another 912E just this morning with a Salvaged tag. I figure, at this point in my life, I am going to buy these older cars and keep them until I die or give them to my kids eventually. At some point these cars are going to be very difficult to find and, I believe, the Salvaged tag will mean nothing on a well restored/documented vehicle.

Salvage title cars are fine until one goes to sell it. Then it's 100x the justification for .1x the sale price. Anyone you can find that has a hint of interest in the car wants tons of photos, documentation, explanations, etc and all that for a car being sold are bargain basement prices.

Most people don't know what a salvage title really is and they immediately picture a car wrapped around a pole.

An interesting discussion indeed (yes I just posted in the garage instead of the sandbox... shoot me).

I am seriously considering a change in my current stable as I find it is too much keeping three 40+ year old cars running and operational. I have been hunting Lotus Elise's for awhile now and a great number of them that you come across have salvage titles.

Why... because the clam shells are very easily damaged by even the slightest bump and the cost was so incredibly high to replace them (if they were available) that insurance companies totaled them out instead.

Interesting though... the salvage ones go for about 25K and other around 30K or so.

Still have not made a decision.

My 914 that I bought from California was a salvage car. I talked to the seller at length, got lots of photos and was aware of the issues ahead of time. The reason for the salvage is still unclear and it is not included in any of the previous 4 owners paperwork. The guy I got it from wasn't sure either....
Aside from some shoddy bodywork, it is in very good shape with very little rust. My major beef with the salvage title has to do with how Indiana deals with salvage titles. Even though my car was running, driving and in good shape, I was required to take the car to a State Police facility for an inspection and my local BMV did not disclose this until I tried to get plates for the car. At this point, I only had one inspection date left for the year that I could get it taken care of. Once inspected, you are issued a "rebuilt" title; it no longer says salvage on it. I'm sure I would take a hit if I tried to sell it due to the salvage record but of course I have no plans to sell. I don't have any regrets in buying it at all. I know it varies state by state so your mileage will vary....

Texas is similar. There is a salvage title and a rebuilt title. You have to undergo a state inspection to get from salvage to rebuilt. Many people don't differentiate between the two. but I'd feel much more comfortable with a rebuilt than a salvage title (though I'd avoid either if I had a choice).

Gary

But..the issue is here...not just a car....something that we all "hope" appreciates over time.

The question becomes...if the scarcity is significant enough...does it matter or does the opposite matter?

If it was a rare 356 ...would you care?

I would not care at all. How many of these cars are left and those that are probably need some restoration help... I would think.
Take a look around to see how many +30 year old cars are on the road. There are not many in my neighborhood except for the occasional CJ5 or CJ7 maybe an old Ford F150 or Dodge Ram, I usually see a lot of old trucks than cars. You see a nice 911 from time to time but a 356, 914, 912 is a rare sighting.

I guess what I am getting at is that after a certain time frame a Salvage title should be dropped by the DMV if a car is over a certain age. Most of our cars are over 40+ years all ready, haven't we all done our part in salvaging a car that might have otherwise been sent to the car crusher???

We should all be given a Major Award!

Lets all start, PETOC
"People for the Ethical Treatment of Old Cars!"