Hi all,

Does anyone have experience with shipping cars? I am looking at a front end wrecked Crossfire and Uship is saying $509 from SC to VA. Is this a good rate? Its more than I'd like to pay but it would cost me about the same to drive my diesel down there with a rented trailer (including the time and food).

Also, in looking at Virginia salvage laws, looks like I have to apply for a salvage certificate and then apply for a repair inspection. Damage looks like it is confined to:
headlights, front crossmember, radiator and supports, grill, and anything behind the grill but before the fenders. This should let is fall under repair instead of rebuild.

Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles

Other option of course is to part it out. I would be fine with either. In the rebuild scenario I would not feel bad about modifications or racing since it would always have a blemished title.

Thanks!

 

My experience is to figure on about $1 per mile on an open transporter.
Stan

 

I'd expect a surcharge when a vehicle cannot be driven or rolled onto the carrier. It may very well be repairable, but if the insurance company calculated the cost versus value they may have elected to total it. Cheap bastiche.

 

In some states, if repairs are more than 75% of Blue book, by statute it is a total loss. Florida comes o mind.

 

Thanks, it does have a Florida destruction title but looks like the repairs will be around $2000 so I am trying to do a Virginia Repair title (less drastic than rebuild). Shipping ended up being $225 for 420 miles (enclosed).

 

Good price on shipping.

Suggest you do lots of homework on rebuilt, salvage and destruction titles in general and in particular with the vehicle you are considering. Without before and after pictures, verifiable no water damage and a solid verifiable knowledge of actual mileage there is not much worth beyond that of nonwear parts.

I congratulate you on factoring in costs of fuel and lodging. While it does not lower the value to the seller it does increase the costs to the purchaser.

 

The cost of the car is about the same as the value of the running 80k mile motor and transmission so I'm not worried there. It can always be parted out. I also am not worried about the "value" of the car on a rebuild title as it would be my "beater" so to speak so the 30k one stays stock.There's a low mile SRT Roadster near me that can't sell at $11k on a salvage title.

More or less wondering if people have had any experience retitling something like this. I know it also varies state by state.

 

I drove a salvage title 1996 Cherokee for years. Got me around as good as anything and only I knew it was a salvage. Two weeks ago a friend blew the engine.
Boy am I glad I had so little in the car.

 

Well, my experience with sight unseen totals.....is you never know, until you tear it down what the cost is going to be...what may look like minor damage can end up going sideways, and in some cases, that is exactly what the car would have done....lol. Good luck on your venture, but once considered totaled or salvage, it will never be anything else....It will be titled that way. Reciprocity with just about every state now, because there were problems with cars showing up all around the Midwest from flooded states east and south. Cars are tracked pretty well now...

 

This might help:

https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/vehicle...q/contacts.asp

https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/vehicle...req/index.html

I have also owned a number of cars that were rebuilt. If you are buying to keep long term as a beater it could be a good way to go (or not).