Re: California Salvage title Question

[SMILLER@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Mark, if you had sent me a private cc, I could have answered this
sooner.

>Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1999 21:32:10 -0500
>From: "Mark Nernberg" <mjn@domain.elided>
>Subject: Subject: Re:  California Salvage title Question
>
>As far as the amount of damage required before an insurance company
>=
>"totals" your car: it depends.  But, here in NJ (and southeast PA), I've =
>known people who've had cars totalled simply because the airbags =
>deployed -- the body damage was minor, but the cost of replacing the =
>airbags (and cleaning up the interior right, I guess) was just too much.
>
>But, in response to Scott Miller's post (that his mechanic eventually =
>converted the 'salvage' title to a regular title), is this possible or =
>legal?
>
>
>Mark J. Nernberg
>arete est epistime

Bill took the paperwork to the DMV, paid his fees, and they licensed the
car.  I'm pretty sure that, if it was not legal, the DMV would not have
done this.

In light of the one Digest post  quoting the CA Motor Vehicle Code
section, the only thing I wonder is if Bill had to disclose to the buyer,
when HE sold the car, that it had once had salvage title.  I was not a
party to that transaction, so I don't know what he disclosed when he
sold the car.

Ironical point:  The person who bought the wrecked-but-repaired 1987
325is from Bill subsequently totalled the car - again.  (Destiny.)

Interesting point:  When I wrecked the car the first time, if the car had
sustained about $400 less damage, the insurance company would have
repaired the car instead of totalling it and paying me off.  If I had
successfully argued that the car was more valuable, or if I had found a
cheaper body shop, they probably would have done this.  However, I
was uncertain about the car's structural integrety and chose not to
pursue it.   Bill, a BMW mechanic by trade, knew enough to know that it
would be structurally sound enough for his intended use, and chose to
buy and fix the car.

Scott Miller
Golden Gate Chapter
BMW CCA #44977

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