Should I care? Looking at a project Jeep for SWMBO, needs an engine, the price is right, has most of the features she wants, but it has a rebuilt title. Seller bought it that way, doesn't know why or what happened. I haven't seen it in person yet, but allegedly, "you can't tell what if anything happened." Well something obviously happened.
I paid $5 to VinAudit,com thinking I might find out what exactly, but no dice. Damage type tells me nothing, anyone know what, "Disposition: NA" means?
It's rebuilt so it would have had to of had some sort of scrutinizing to make sure it was road safe, air bags replaced if they deployed, etc. correct?
Any thoughts?
1J4FF58S81L616650
Hal
SuperDork
6/19/14 9:38 p.m.
Looks to me like it was wrecked/junked/given salvage title in MS and then purchased by someone in AR who rebuilt it and had it inspected and got a rebuilt title. I don't know what type of inspection it needed to pass in AR to get the rebuilt title.
I've been doing some reading.
AR Department of Finance & Administration said:
When any motor vehicle for which a Salvage title has been issued (or for which a
similarly branded or designated title has been issued by another state) is rebuilt
or reconstructed, the repairer or rebuilder shall complete and deliver to the owner
a signed Affidavit of Reconstruction for a Salvage Vehicle form which is prescribed by the Commissioner and incorporated into this Rule that fully discloses the repairs made to the vehicle and lists all parts and components that were repaired or replaced. The owner or repairer or rebuilder, if that person is the owner, shall acknowledge receipt of the Affidavit of Reconstruction form by signing it in the space provided for the owner's signature.
AR Department of Finance & Administration said:
The owner or repairer or rebuilder of a salvage vehicle, if that person is the
owner, shall, within ten (10) working days, make application to receive a new
certificate of title bearing the notation "REBUILT" in the remarks section on the face of the title by surrendering the existing Salvage title to the repaired or reconstructed motor vehicle accompanied by: (i) The completed Affidavit of Reconstruction form; (ii) An application for registration and issuance of a certificate of title to the vehicle signed by the vehicle owner; (iii) Any additional documentation otherwise necessary to comply with specific statutory requirements for registration and issuance of a certificate of title; and (iv) Payment of all requisite fees and taxes.
So there should be an "Affidavit of Reconstruction" on file with the DMV. I'm going to try and hunt that down tomorrow. Over/under on actually getting anywhere over the phone with the DMV on a Friday?
Could have been stolen and recovered later, or donated, sold at auction to a salvage yard then sold complete to a new owner, or that type of thing too. In California as far as I know a undamaged car can get a salvage title like that, not sire about other states though.
In some cases they are flood cars, as well.
Datsun1500 wrote:
Severe damage accident reported 4/29/2009 front and side airbags deployed.
Sent you the details.
Sounds like one to stay away from then.
Doesn't air bag deployment automatically total out a lot of cars?
Not Necessarily because the damage to the body and structure is severe, but because the air bags are that expensive. That's what I've heard anyway.
Hopefully some of the insurance & body repair people here can comment on that.
In reply to Datsun1500:
Thank you!!!
1J4FF58S81L616650
So, it needs an engine, intake/exhaust manifold, fuel rail are all off of the engine. I can't start it to check for SRS light. I don't know if my scan tool would tell me anything with just the key on?
Seller said there's some minor damage from where the passenger front fender an door have made contact, haven't seen it yet, but the damage report lists right front impact. This makes me think the fender and door damage is either from the wreck, or a poorly done repair.
Even with all of the negative, this is the first example I've found since February that has most of the features we're looking for.
I have some further research and pondering to do.
RossD
PowerDork
6/20/14 7:19 a.m.
My Miata has a rebuilt title. No problems for me or my full coverage from two different insurance companies.
In reply to Datsun1500:
It's a rare bird, features wise, and not features that could cost effectively/realistically be swapped to another one that wasn't so equipped.
We tend to be, "life time" vehicle owners, we use them until they're scrap, we've only sold 1 of our fleet off, and that was ~6 years ago.
I know to call the insurance, I can't imagine them saying no, but I'm going to check anyway.
It's 1/3 the price of what others, running, with clean titles, and similarly equipped have sold for in our area.
I've not made up my mind yet. It's about 2 hours away, so I have to factor trailer there and back, finding parts, rebuild, etc., etc.
Related question about titles: I bought my Miata last year from a guy who claimed it had a clean title, I looked and it looked perfectly normal. I sent off the title to the state DMV once everything was signed and legit. When I get it back it's a bad/rebuilt/salvage title 
I called the DMV to check and they tell me it went through an accident in 2008 that totaled it but couldn't tell me why the title hadn't shown that when I bought it. The car seems fine but it was a bit annoying and I'm sure would affect any potential resale.
In reply to KyAllroad:
This is how it works in Arkansas:
AR Attorney General said:
If the seller does not disclose that the car is a salvage vehicle and provide all of the information required by law, the buyer can cancel the purchase and obtain a full refund. A violation of the salvage title law is also a criminal violation and a violation of Arkansas consumer protection laws. Any buyer who thinks he or she may have been sold a salvage title without the required disclosures should file a consumer complaint with the Attorney General’s office
There is this caveat though:
AR Attorney General said:
This law does not apply to motor vehicles more than seven model years old prior to the calendar year of the occurrence which resulted in the damage.
My insurance said there wouldn't be any issue insuring it. They said if I was getting full coverage (I won't) they'd want to see it first.
What super rare feature is there on a Cherokee? (Not picking, genuinely curious.)
KyAllroad wrote:
Related question about titles: I bought my Miata last year from a guy who claimed it had a clean title, I looked and it looked perfectly normal. I sent off the title to the state DMV once everything was signed and legit. When I get it back it's a bad/rebuilt/salvage title
I called the DMV to check and they tell me it went through an accident in 2008 that totaled it but couldn't tell me why the title hadn't shown that when I bought it. The car seems fine but it was a bit annoying and I'm sure would affect any potential resale.
That's what we call a washed title. I saw British cars that were Sandy victims showing up in NYC with "good" titles.
In reply to dculberson:
1J4FF58S81L616650
Limited (loaded), 4x4, with ABS. Most got a tow package and no ABS. Most that got ABS were 2wd.
I'm leaning more toward letting this one go.
I can't get the affidavit of repair because I'm not the title holder. The affidavit of repair is the document that gets the title changed from salvage to rebuilt. I called the Revenue Office/DMV, no one actually scrutinizes the repair process for individuals doing their own repairs. Even if I got the affidavit of repair, it wouldn't mean that everything, if anything was repaired, only that someone listed a bunch of parts on a form, signed their name, and claimed they were repaired/replaced.
Since the seller mentioned the issue with the passenger door and fender making contact, and the Carfax specifies right front damage, that screams to me that it was either never repaired, or poorly repaired. With the fender and door making contact, chances are that the unibody is tweaked.
If I was looking for a trail rig, it wouldn't be an issue, I would have bought one of the countless <$2K Sports on the market, but for something that SWMBO is going to drive on the highway, I'm struggling to be okay with it. I've been looking steadily since Feb, and this is the 1st '97+ Limited/Country/Classic 4x4 with ABS I've found that wasn't some absurd price or "just sold."
I told the seller thanks but no thanks. Long talk with SWMBO at lunch. Approached it as a pile of parts, after finding out its history, and couldn't justify the time investment, or the gamble that would be involved to get what we want. The search continues. Thanks for steering me straight everyone!
Big thanks to Datsun1500, hit me up if your in AR, drinks on me!
