XPost: ca.driving   
   From: csr684@NOTyahoo.com   
      
   Arlen Holder wrote:   
   > How does "salvage title" work anyway?   
   >   
   > A neighbor got rear ended such that her five thousand dollar 2000 model   
   > year vehicle was "totaled" and yet still driveable such that she's keeping   
   > it.   
   >   
   > The insurance company gave her two choices:   
   > 1. They pay her five thousand and they keep the car   
   > 2. They pay her four thousand and she keeps the car   
   >   
   > The caveat is she has to switch her title to "salvage".   
   > What does that even mean in terms of practicality?   
   >   
   > She called the DMV and they said she needs to get inspected by the CHP for   
   > brakes and lights and change the title within a few days of cashing the   
   > check so she asked me what she needs to do.   
   >   
   > Heck if I know   
   >   
   > Her own insurance company says it's not their problem.   
   > The insurance company which is paying tells her to talk to the DMV.   
   > The DMV says to talk to CHP.   
   >   
   > Has anyone here experience with this salvage stuff so I can advise her?   
      
   A salvage title means that the car has been deemed a total loss by   
   someone and was written off as scrap.   
      
   However in many states it doesn't mean that the vehicle couldn't be   
   repaired, inspected and put back on the road, with a salvage title.   
   There are states where a salvage title basically means the vehicle is   
   shipped to a yard to be parted out and cannot be repaired, even if the   
   physical damage wasn't that bad.   
      
   In this case I would verify that she can get insurance on it, some   
   companies will not insure a salvage title. Others don't care as long as   
   it passes the inspections needed. Then do repairs as needed and get the   
   inspections required done. Then you can register it as long as it passes.   
      
   In most states they use a table to determine the value of a vehicle, and   
   once it costs over a certain percentage of that amount to repair a   
   vehicle for whatever reason, it is totaled out.   
      
   --   
   Steve W.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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