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April 24, 2009 2:43 p.m. abumason New Reader

Anybody here bought a car off of Copart? What exactly does the run and drive verification equate to? If the ACV is $7,253 USD and the Repair Cost: $6,622 USD how much would this car usually sell for?

Also anyone here smart on Maryland Title procedures. (I researched the MVA site, but really couldn't make heads or tails of it.) The car I'm looking at has a MD BRANDED SALVAGE CERT 1. I'll need to get it road worthy and able to get registered for rally use.

http://www.copart.com/c2/homeSearch.html?_eventId=getLot&execution=e3s1&lo...

I'm looking at this car right now. From what it looks like to me, should be an easy fix to straighten the body. New windshield - need to remove it for cage work anyway - and pound out the fender and put a GRM sticker on it and be good to go right?
April 24, 2009 3:09 p.m. John Brown SuperDork

Copart, like any other salvage auction is need driven. If "Joes Salvage" needs an engine for a 2010 Mushimoto ZX280i R Type. The value of the parts he needs is $2500.00 on the market, so you know Joes will spend that much on the car even if the reduced value of the car is much less than that cost. Remaining parts drive the profitibility of the unit and any extra monies made will offset the purchase price. That being said MOST salvagers don't like to pay a lot for their cars. If you start bidding up a car they need they will dog out the price on you just to make YOU pay.

Shop wisely.
April 24, 2009 3:24 p.m. belteshazzar Dork

and remember, a better deal is only a couple days of waiting away.

Runs and drives means (in my experience with copart) anything from; you can get it on your transport without a lot of work, to; drive it home and never fix anything.
April 24, 2009 4:34 p.m. abumason New Reader

belteshazzar wrote:

and remember, a better deal is only a couple days of waiting away.

I've been watching for about a week now. The thing with this one is the minimal (from the pictures) damage and the fact that it's a manual with the 2.3.

What concerns me is the title process and subsequent inspections. Specifically the airbags. In PA (I'm a PA resident on active duty in MD) the car has to be as it came from the factory. In MD, it has to pass an inspection, but the list doesn't include the airbag system. I defintiely don't need airbags on a rally car, but if I need to replace them just for an inspection, just to remove them again, I'll pass on the PITA factor and keep looking for a clean title model off of CL.
April 24, 2009 4:49 p.m. cwh Dork

Futzing around on the Copart site, I came across an old mini, I think 1962, for 1650.00. Huh? Mechanical problems.
April 24, 2009 9:05 p.m. Hal HalfDork

abumason wrote: I've been watching for about a week now. The thing with this one is the minimal (from the pictures) damage and the fact that it's a manual with the 2.3.

What concerns me is the title process and subsequent inspections. Specifically the airbags. In PA (I'm a PA resident on active duty in MD) the car has to be as it came from the factory. In MD, it has to pass an inspection, but the list doesn't include the airbag system. I defintiely don't need airbags on a rally car, but if I need to replace them just for an inspection, just to remove them again, I'll pass on the PITA factor and keep looking for a clean title model off of CL.

I think you and I are looking for the same car and even looking AT THE same car at one point.

I stopped by the DMV a couple weeks ago and picked up some info on the safety inspection for MD. "Safety Equipment" was on the list but there was no specfic info as to what that included. I haven't had time to stop by an actual inspection station and get more specfic info yet.

One point to consider: In MD the car only has to pass the safety inspection once, when the ownership changes hands. In PA you have to go thru a safety inspection periodically used to be every 6 months when I lived in PA.
April 24, 2009 9:20 p.m. jrw1621 HalfDork

I do not know the answers on MD but I find this website to be helpful.
http://www.dmv.org/
The site has DMV rules listed by state.

I quickly found this info on MD.
http://www.dmv.org/md-maryland/salvaged-vehicles.php
April 24, 2009 11:07 p.m. ddavidv SuperDork

Is MD different? Because in PA, you can't buy there unless you have a salvage license. Not open to the public.
April 24, 2009 11:17 p.m. DILYSI Dave SuperDork

I BS'd my way into a copart auction once. Never was able to again.
April 25, 2009 10:07 a.m. abumason New Reader

ddavidv wrote:

Is MD different? Because in PA, you can't buy there unless you have a salvage license. Not open to the public.

My coworker's brother is a dealer in York, PA and buys cars from MD, DE, and NJ as well. He'd be the one doing the bidding, but he said it was up to me to square away all the paperwork. He doesn't like to deal with salvage titles, says they're more trouble than it's worth in the long run.

I looked on the MD website again last night and tried to find more details about the airbags, but still no joy.

Also I just found out that the 2.3 isn't legal for Rally Spec Focus. The 2.0 duratec is but not the 2.3. Something else I need to consider as the only Rally America event I would do would be STPR, and I'm not sure the extra .3 woudl help me out in Grp 2 anyway.
April 25, 2009 10:11 a.m. abumason New Reader

Hal wrote:

I think you and I are looking for the same car and even looking AT THE same car at one point.

Oh yeah? Where you at? With the number of cars I look at, it wouldn't surprise me...

Want to go in together on it? I could use a co-driver
April 25, 2009 2:18 p.m. Hal HalfDork

abumason wrote:

Hal wrote:

I think you and I are looking for the same car and even looking AT THE same car at one point.

Oh yeah? Where you at? With the number of cars I look at, it wouldn't surprise me...

Want to go in together on it? I could use a co-driver

Based on your post on FJ I think you and I were both considering Matt's Spec Focus. I'm just looking (not too seriously) for something I could run Rally-X PF with so a 2.3 would be just fine. Too old to go all out with stage rally.
April 25, 2009 3:33 p.m. mel_horn HalfDork
Hal wrote:

In PA you have to go thru a safety inspection periodically used to be every 6 months when I lived in PA.

It's now annually or once a year, whichever comes first.

Except for school buses; which also includes vans used to transport students (twice a year)*. Hasn't been twice annually for regular cars since late '80s(?)
- Which can be a good thing if you're attempting to purchase one (3500 series) because they've been inspected twice as often.
April 25, 2009 9:29 p.m. foxtrapper SuperDork

abumason wrote:

I looked on the MD website again last night and tried to find more details about the airbags, but still no joy.

Lexis/nexis, look up the Annotated Code of Maryland. Airbag is required to pass a safety inspection, they will not disassemble the steering wheel to check and see if it's there. Pre OBD will usually pass, most OBD will frequently throw a code.

A Maryland inspection is required for the initial issuance of tags for each owner. It is not required at title transfer time. Maryland will let you sit on a car for years without getting around to tagging it. If you pull the tags and then later get another set, another inspection is not required.