[erichighley]

I am looking for a e92 335i and I have found one but it has a salvage title....what exactly does this mean? Is the warranty void?

here is the car:
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national

on a side note...this doesnt have heated seats. could my BMW dealer add that?

[carve]

Not sure about the warranty. It's probably either void, or void on areas that where repaired/damaged in the crash.

The biggest consequences are that 1) It's worth a lot less, both when you buy & go to sell (there'll also be a lot of buyers who won't consider it at any price) 2) You don't know about the quality of the repair. I used to live in the northwest, and every killer deal I found on a car was some half-assed repair by a Russian. They'd do things like put padding under the dash and glue it back together instead of replacing the airbags. If they're looking to turn a quick buck, they probably cut corners.

That said, my first car was a 2 year old / 50k mile S-10 with a salvage title for only $3000. I had one of the newest cars in school, and it was totally mechanically reliable for 6 years and 55,000 miles until I sold it....for the same amount I paid for it (I'd fixed it up a bit though...canopy, stereo, wheels, tint).

The heaters are built into the seats, so they'd have to replace the seats and re-wire the dash. It'd probably be big bucks, with all the leather, motors, airbags, heaters, etc. You might see if you can find some seats from a wrecked 335 though.

[lucas.kent]

A couple of thoughts on this: 1) if you plan on reselling the car at some point, good luck. Any amount of money that you are saving initially will not be recoupled at resale. 2) be sure to check to see if your insurance company will even insure a salvage title - I know some will not. 3) I'm unsure about the warranty, and as far as I know when you take the car into service they don't run a check on the title - but I imagine that if they found out BMW would be well within their legal rights to refuse or limit warranty work on a car that has been deemed a total loss.

Maybe you could find out exactly what damage occurred before and see if its worth the risk. These cars are highly sophisticated/computerized machines, and you don't want to spend that amount of money on a car that will never be right.

Personally, I'd take a pass.

[erichighley]

Originally Posted by carve

Not sure about the warranty. It's probably either void, or void on areas that where repaired/damaged in the crash.

The biggest consequences are that 1) It's worth a lot less, both when you buy & go to sell (there'll also be a lot of buyers who won't consider it at any price) 2) You don't know about the quality of the repair. I used to live in the northwest, and every killer deal I found on a car was some half-assed repair by a Russian. They'd do things like put padding under the dash and glue it back together instead of replacing the airbags. If they're looking to turn a quick buck, they probably cut corners.

That said, my first car was a 2 year old / 50k mile S-10 with a salvage title for only $3000. I had one of the newest cars in school, and it was totally mechanically reliable for 6 years and 55,000 miles until I sold it....for the same amount I paid for it (I'd fixed it up a bit though...canopy, stereo, wheels, tint).

The heaters are built into the seats, so they'd have to replace the seats and re-wire the dash. It'd probably be big bucks, with all the leather, motors, airbags, heaters, etc. You might see if you can find some seats from a wrecked 335 though.

thanks for the quick reply...thats what i was afraid of with the salvage title. he says he has photos of the car pre-repair so i guess ill just check those out and see what part of the car was damaged. its such a big discount on the car though...not sure if that makes up for it if something major goes wrong (for example: an airbag not going off in an accident). tough call...

[DenverJayhawk]

Salvage title generally means it's been wrecked and the insurance company opted to just pay out the loss to the owner and sell the car as a "Salvage", usually to a chop shop or body shop. When you see Salvage title cars for sale, the bodyshop most likely took delivery of the car from insurance and repaired it to a drive worthy condition.

As noted earlier, most warranty will be void and resale may be tough. If you're looking for a car where you are not worried about resale or just something to tear around the track, Salvage Title may be the way to go. I think a Salvage Title Vette would be a great project track car.

[persian54]

the link didnt work

but here's what the service manager at the dealer told me (I had considered buying a slvg too)
there is absolutely no warranty or maintenance left whatsoever.

Also, slvg means it was in a (relatively) bad car accident that resulted in frame damage
if the damage was not repaired well, that means that in an event of an accident in the future, you're more likely to get hurt

IMHO, if an e92 non-slvg is selling for 30k, than the slvg would be worth no more than 10-15k, significantly less.
and like it was said before, good luck reselling it.
you cant trade it into a dealer in the future
carmax will give you barely anything, if anything
and no one is going to want a slvg 2nd (or 3rd) owner car

[mike-y]

I was in the same situation last year. I have bought salvaged title cars in the past, and they have been just fine, but they were also older hondas and a lot cheaper than a newer model BMW. On a newer, more expensive car, you have to save a LOT of money to make it worth it. You won't be able to ask blue-book value on a resale, so you need to save enough up front so that you won't lose more than you normally would on a regular used car.

Also, technically, the factory warranty IS void on a salvaged vehicle (it will show up on a carfax). I know for a fact that a lot of dealers don't always check this, because I know of a few salvaged E90s that went in for service and warranty repairs after being re-titled, but you are still taking a chance.

you have to find out what the damage was, and how it was repaired. Theft recoveries are usually the best finds, because they normally don't suffer any body damage, and are just missing interior parts and some body panels that can easily be replaced. Any car that has body and/or frame damage needs to be inspected very closely to make sure the repairs were done right. Also, you don't want something that had major damage either. I've seen salvaged BMWs that had what looked like minor front end damage - bumper, headlight, fender, and some suspension bits, and both airbags popped. I actually almost bought one, but decided not to take the chance with the warranty thing, since I drive a lot.

but looking at that link, I'd say that price is way to high for a salvage.

[erichighley]

Originally Posted by mike-y

I was in the same situation last year. I have bought salvaged title cars in the past, and they have been just fine, but they were also older hondas and a lot cheaper than a newer model BMW. On a newer, more expensive car, you have to save a LOT of money to make it worth it. You won't be able to ask blue-book value on a resale, so you need to save enough up front so that you won't lose more than you normally would on a regular used car.

Also, technically, the factory warranty IS void on a salvaged vehicle (it will show up on a carfax). I know for a fact that a lot of dealers don't always check this, because I know of a few salvaged E90s that went in for service and warranty repairs after being re-titled, but you are still taking a chance.

you have to find out what the damage was, and how it was repaired. Theft recoveries are usually the best finds, because they normally don't suffer any body damage, and are just missing interior parts and some body panels that can easily be replaced. Any car that has body and/or frame damage needs to be inspected very closely to make sure the repairs were done right. Also, you don't want something that had major damage either. I've seen salvaged BMWs that had what looked like minor front end damage - bumper, headlight, fender, and some suspension bits, and both airbags popped. I actually almost bought one, but decided not to take the chance with the warranty thing, since I drive a lot.

but looking at that link, I'd say that price is way to high for a salvage.

yeah i think that if the guy could be worked down another 5k or so it would be a great deal (depending on what the initial damage was). i asked the guy for photos of the car pre-repair so we will see after that. If the damage involved airbags/frame damage i dont think ill be interested because my saftey and my passangers safety is not worth a ~$5,000 discount, but if it is something more like a theft recovery, like you mentioned, i would more easily be able to justify it.

thanks for your help

[Bobble]

Also some insurance companies will not write paper on salvage title cars factor that in and check with your insurance company first as it might be expensive to insure if you don;t have many choices.

[tys90]

I'm in the process of buying a rebuilt 335i. I worked with a professional shop that took care of everything for me as far as repairs and re-registration. Just do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions. You have to get a salvaged car re-registered to be allowed to drive it (in most cases) which at that point it becomes a rebuilt car. I had the car independently inspected after repairs were finished plus all state inspections that are required for salvaged vehicles. If you have questions you can PM me, I could fill up a post with the stuff I learned. Overall it saved me a little less than $10,000 over kbb values after shipping/inspection costs.

Before you decide to do anything, just ask yourself if you are in a position to accept the risk. If so, there is money to be saved if you plan to own the car for a long time. Also, there's a lot of misinformation about salvaged cars, a lot do not actually have frame damage. You just need to do your homework.

[erichighley]

Originally Posted by tys90

I'm in the process of buying a rebuilt 335i. I worked with a professional shop that took care of everything for me as far as repairs and re-registration. Just do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions. You have to get a salvaged car re-registered to be allowed to drive it (in most cases) which at that point it becomes a rebuilt car. I had the car independently inspected after repairs were finished plus all state inspections that are required for salvaged vehicles. If you have questions you can PM me, I could fill up a post with the stuff I learned. Overall it saved me a little less than $10,000 over kbb values after shipping/inspection costs.

Before you decide to do anything, just ask yourself if you are in a position to accept the risk. If so, there is money to be saved if you plan to own the car for a long time. Also, there's a lot of misinformation about salvaged cars, a lot do not actually have frame damage. You just need to do your homework.

ok thanks...i may be contacting you later after i get some more information about the vehicle. what kind of independent company does inspections like this? is it a bad idea to have a BMW dealer look at it, in other words, am I better off trying to keep BMW out of the loop as much as possible?

[NewSong]

Hit or miss. You're taking a chance.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by erichighley

I am looking for a e92 335i and I have found one but it has a salvage title....what exactly does this mean? Is the warranty void?

here is the car:
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national

on a side note...this doesnt have heated seats. could my BMW dealer add that?

I would run away from this deal. You're only asking for problems. BTW..Go have a beer on me at Nicks.

I know this is OT, but how are the renovations going at the FB stadium?

[erichighley]

Originally Posted by Socom

I would run away from this deal. You're only asking for problems. BTW..Go have a beer on me at Nicks.

I know this is OT, but how are the renovations going at the FB stadium?

Wish i could...im only 20...you can buy me some beer though

the stadium is looking really good...almost has a notre dame flair to it though and now the rest of the stadium looks like it needs a major renovation. i take it you're an IU grad?

[reprod]

Is it me or did they cut the stock rear bumper to fit the quads in the back?

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by erichighley

Wish i could...im only 20...you can buy me some beer though

the stadium is looking really good...almost has a notre dame flair to it though and now the rest of the stadium looks like it needs a major renovation. i take it you're an IU grad?

Yep 91'-95'