I Live in Canada and was viewing cars at a wreck yard that are for auction
its not a J Body but a 2007 Cobalt SS but they listed it as water damage and non repairable
i have looked at teh car and is in great cond. looks like was written off because they went into a ditch and just took insurance on it
*********** Is there any way to get this registered and insured if i was to buy it, i have been told i cant because it was written off
help please?
**1999 cavfire**
You will have to check with your local laws.
It varies from state to state, I know for a fact Michigan does allow it.
Also becareful buying a car with water damage, they dont write off new 2007s for no reason
- 2004 Cavalier - 124k, owned since new
well its at the auction so it got towed there, no previous knowledge, its depressing the car only has 745 km on it
ill look into it then, if anyody knows anything about Canada gimme a shout, thanks guys
check to see if you can get a salvage title
I wouldn't mess with anything thats been damaged by water....just screams electrical problems.
Yeah, Water damage is a recipe for problems.
If you want to buy it, be prepared to strip it to the bone, and re-wire it by hand with a painless kit.
umm, why a painless kit? go get a good harness from a wrecker.
a painless kit is @!#$ simple compared to wiring on a modern car.
Built, bottled, ready for 11s. 14.446@93.74mph, 1.848 60' N/A.
If it's already branded as non-repairable, it's not going to be street legal ever.
And for the engine harness, yes, get a good one from a wrecker, I'm talking the rest of the lines.
If you apply for a car loan, most banks will reject the application because it's a flood car.
ASE Certified Techician
DaimlerChrysler Certified Techician
Va Safety Inspector
Member Option D Racing
so basically i shouldnt buy the car?
unless i dont plan on it being a street legal car
or i want to get another wreck and transfer whats good to it?
I wouldn't buy it strictly because it's been in a flood.
Use Carfax or whatever to find out what's happened to it. If it's been in a flood and it's branded as non-repairable, you should keep looking, especially if the car went into the water while running: Water is a bitch to compress.
im not sure which auction your looking at but i work at a Copart yard in Ontario.
if the car is branded irreparable it is the same as a U.S. junk title or parts only title. the car can never be put back on the road, at least in Ontario. the title brand is totally in the hands of the adjuster that declared it a total loss. almost all of the flood/water damage cars we get are branded irreparable. we have a 2006 BMW branded irreparable but it is mint. the water only went about half way up the doors. it still runs and drives, but will end its life chopped up for parts.
our state farm adjuster told us flood cars are irreparable because there too easy to fix, people can half ass fix them or even just clean them and you would never know they where water damaged. then they get resold and turn in to a huge problem for the buyer.
flood cars usually go pretty cheap because they can't be put back on the road. the dealers don't want them so the auto wreckers get them and that keeps the price down.
IMO the only thing a flood car would be good for is body panels, depending on how high the water was you could use other parts. but if your buying a flood car assume the only good parts will be body panels.
Quote:
well its at the auction so it got towed there, no previous knowledge, its depressing the car only has 745 km on it ill look into it then, if anyody knows anything about Canada gimme a shout, thanks guys
all total loss cars are towed to the auctions, after it arrives we see if it runs and drives. i would check out the auction listing and check if it runs and drives. if it does thats a good sigh that the water was not over the dash.
if you have any other questions let me know, i should be able to help you out.
http://registry.gmenthusiast.com/images/my2005cav/my%20car%20the%20bash.jpg
^^^^^ total loss and irreparable are 2 different things.
any car an insurance company deems too expensive to fix is declared a "total loss" it can have a clean title but it is still a total loss. every single car any insurance company writes off is a total loss no matter what the damage.
Brand
None (clear)
Has not been branded in this jurisdiction. May be a vehicle which has not been in an accident or has been in an accident minor enough that the cost of repair was less than the cost to write off the vehicle. May also be a vehicle which sustained severe damage in some other jurisdiction (if laws between the two differ significantly) or which was damaged and repaired before the introduction of vehicle branding.
Rebuilt
Rebuilt Salvage A vehicle that has been previously branded as salvage but has been rebuilt/repaired and reinspected. These vehicles are driveable but the rebuilt brand remains on the vehicle's title/registration documents permanently. Some jurisdictions require that rebuilt vehicles imported across provincial or state lines be reinspected before being allowed to retain the rebuilt title.
Salvage,
total loss A vehicle that can be repaired but which would cost more than some predefined amount (often 75-100% of the car's value) to repair. Subject to structural safety inspection before it can be driven; documentation of repairs and sources of repair parts may also be required, depending on jurisdiction.
Irreparable
Junk, Fire, Flood damaged A vehicle that can be used for parts or scrap only.
In Alberta only, "salvage" is used to mean irreparable - in most other jurisdictions, "salvage" means that the vehicle can indeed be repaired but that the cost of doing so is most likely prohibitive.
it seems Alberta is the only province where irreparable is not a brand. salvage is the Alberta equivalent of irreparable .
i found the above info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_title_branding
http://registry.gmenthusiast.com/images/my2005cav/my%20car%20the%20bash.jpg
