If you’re in the market for a used car, it’s good to know salvage or junk vehicles are an option. A salvage car might seem like a risky investment, but it can work out really well if you do your research. If you purchased a vehicle that was recently salvaged out by an insurance company or was a junked car the following is a good read on everything you need to know before buying it. The information in this article is also for people who own a car that has been recently salvaged out.
An owner or insurance company can salvage out a vehicle. The process to do this happens prior to everything we will discuss below. If you would like know to why insurance companies salvage out vehicles or how a registered owner can salvage out their vehicle, click on the following link.
(NOTE – SOME INSURANCE CARRIERS LEAVE IT UP TO YOU TO GO THROUGH THE RE-REGISTRATION PROCESS – WITHOUT ISSUING YOU A SALVAGE CERTIFICATE FEE – IF THIS IS YOU, PLEASE READ HERE)
Getting your salvage vehicle on the road requires some very specific steps, and you must follow a particular order. Follow these steps accordingly and you’ll save time, and in some instances, save money:
It is not uncommon for a consumer to buy a vehicle directly from a Repair shop. In fact, from an economics standpoint it is actually smart that a repair shop would sell a vehicle that they purchased from an auction, repair it, and then resell it to a consumer. There is cost savings both on the consumer end and on the repair shop end. However, many times a repair shop will take shortcuts in the process of reviving a salvaged or junked vehicle, and the customer (you) ends up having to deal with the burden of obtaining the necessary paperwork to get this done. When it comes to salvaged or junked vehicles it is not just the job of the repair shop to be restored to operational condition, but they also have to provide receipts of all repairs and parts. Here’s a list of things the repair shop should provide you after the sell of the vehicle:
When it comes to salvage or junked vehicles in many cases the CHP will be involved. Only an authorized DMV employee or CHP officer can perform VIN verifications on salvage or junked vehicles. That means that AAA & private VIN verifiers cannot perform these VIN verifications. For the salvaged car that has to go to the CHP, most of the time any local CHP office will perform the VIN verification, however, for some that own a specific vehicle you must go through a special unit of the CHP for the vehicle verification. The CHP and the DMV has a specific list of vehicles that are to be routed to a special unit in the DMV. Any time that you go to the CHP you must always have your paperwork in order, and your vehicle must be assembled completely. in Other words, BE PREPARED. But let’s specifically talk about the special office located in San Bernardino – California Highway Patrol – Inland Division Investigative Services Unit. These are highly trained and very knowledgeable arm of CHP that is tasked to detect any attempt of fraud. Here is a more detailed write-up from our sister company QVV California HIghway patrol CHP VIN verifications
Also known as non repairable vehicle, or non-revivable, these vehicles cannot be revived – if your intention is to be able to operate this vehicle – do not move forward. Out of state vehicles with “non-repairable” brands are gray areas, so before you buy, you should consult the DMV.
After you’ve paid your fees, done your inspections, and brought in all the necessary paperwork to the California DMV you will get new everything:
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