OK, so I have been corresponding through email with the owner of the Datsun 510 Wagon in the CL ad listed HERE. I have been anxious to get a 510 wagon for awhile and this one seemed like a pretty good candidate. So, I read the most recent email from the guy this morning and his closing line is: "Also, The title says rebuilt, I was told it was from a dented hood. car drive straight."
What do you guys think? Is it worth it? I suddenly feel like the guy is being a bit shady since he failed to mention this in the ad itself or the previous email where we were negotiating a possible trade. I know there are a lot of negatives that come with buying branded-title cars and I don't think it would be a "rebuilt" title for something as insignificant as a dented hood. What do you think?
Speaking as a seller who has forgotten important details until the paperwork reminded me...it could be an honest mistake and not a "shady" practice.
I'd give it even odds, give or take 25%.
It's a mixed bag with cars that old. It could have been wrecked when nearly new or when it was 20 years old (at which point a bent hood would absolutely total a car). It could have been wrecked HARD...best bet is to have it looked over before any money changes hands (best even without this title issue).
Clem
FYI - Some states won't allow collector plates on branded titles, and some collector and regular insurance companies will not insure it. YMMV.
You don't see these cars every day. I'd go look at it or get it inspected and base it on that.
Rebuilt title = salvage title = totalled car at one time.
That could be somewhat misleading. On a car like that, a cracked windsheild could total it according to some insurance companies. They probably do not value the car very high, and it would not take much to exceed their "total" figure. So it could be something as a simple sheet metal incident. If you are serious, take it somewhere and put it on a rack. A good inspection should reveal if it had been mangled and repaired.
My DD has a rebuilt title. Didn't have any issues registering it, or insuring it. The back half (where the damage was taken that totaled it) is the best half of the car.
It really depends how well it was repaired, and as for insuring/registering? Will depend on your state, mostly. I got quotes from 5+ insurance companies that didn't bat an eye when i told them it had a rebuilt title.
This was even an out of state vehicle.
BIG difference between insuring a 20-year old MX-6 and an actual classic car. 
ClemSparks wrote:
It could have been wrecked when nearly new or when it was 20 years old (at which point a bent hood would absolutely total a car). It could have been wrecked HARD...best bet is to have it looked over before any money changes hands (best even without this title issue).
^^^ This is exactly right. I'd try to find out when it was totalled. At my work, we declare cars total losses all the time for little more than some cosmetic damage. Why? Because it's a 26 year old car with 183,000 miles and a "book value" of $850. So $600 in damage will total it. However, if it was totalled 20 years ago, it was probably hit harder. Get eyes on it and see for yourself what condition it's in. Signs of repair? Were they done right? To me, the fact that a car has been hit is nowhere near as concerning as making sure the repairs were done right.
also consider that "Rebuilt" means the repairs were inspected and deemed OK by some authority within the state in which the "Rebuilt" title was issued. so a "Rebuilt" title is better than a "Salvage" title and IMO is just there as a CYA for the DMV.
Javelin wrote:
BIG difference between insuring a 20-year old MX-6 and an actual classic car.
If i were being facetious, i would say that most restored classics have been rebuilt for all intents and purposes.
The classic part slipped my mind though, so my apologies.
Well eveyrone, thanks for the advice. I think I will go and check it out this week sometime. I'll report on it later.
