Latest salvage vehicle purchase from Auction (IAAI not Copart)

[joekingcorvette]

Hopefully someone didn't already try to start it and hydro-lock the engine and blow it up. That has happened many times with flood vehicles. I admire you for your guts of buying something sight unseen. Definitely not for the weak at heart. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[GON]

Potato potato. A salvage title is a regular title, just branded SALVAGE somewhere on it. A salvage certificate is an ownership document same as a title but may be a different color and have other details of the car listed. Good luck if you can get a tag with either one of those documents before having passed a salvage inspection. One reason it was given a salvage title or certificate is because the state deemed it unroadworthy. No way are they going to let you drive it on public roads without an inspection.

Some of this you have erroneous thoughts on. I sense you are posting based on your personal knowledge and experience, and not on the many different DMV rules across the 50 United States.

 

[Nick1994]

The big concern is you not being able to get to the car to dry it out before it sits before your move.

It might look like a green swamp inside by the time you get to it.

 

[GON]

You can send it to me in Eastern NC and I'll start drying it out for you!

Wish I knew of your offer yesterday!! I pre-paid a driver to go get it, if I could of had it at your place that would of been awesome.

 

[FordMan59]

Good luck with your project. I've bought a few vehicles with rebuilt titles over the years but never one that's been flooded. I've always been afraid of the flooded variety. I'm currently looking for another nice one at a good price for my wife to use as a daily driver. My last rebuilt one was a '16 Nissan Versa SV with 10K miles. I bought it in Feb. 2019 for $5300. and was on the road with tax and tag for under $5700.

 

[GON]

The big concern is you not being able to get to the car to dry it out before it sits before your move.

It might look like a green swamp inside by the time you get to it.

Yes, wish it was in Arizona. When I lived in Arizona I remember RV owners that went north for the summer paying people to fill five gallon buckets of water to place in the RVs weekly during the summer to keep a minimum amount of humidity in their RVs.

 

[GON]

You have the WIS and EPC right?

I usually like to poke through the brochure and some of the list prices of various options.

https://www.auto-brochures.com/mercedes_benz.html

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/mercedes-benz/s-class/2011/

For fun, you should spend the $8 and get the sticker although the Motor trend numbers are pretty close, I was just off by the delivery charge.

https://monroneylabels.com/

Yes, and I also have the MB factory computer diagnoses system (SDS).

 

[RooflessVW]

Wish I knew of your offer yesterday!! I pre-paid a driver to go get it, if I could of had it at your place that would of been awesome.

Keep me in mind for your next auction piece. I'm near Fayetteville NC - I think there's a Copart yard just up 95.

 

[atikovi]

Some of this you have erroneous thoughts on. I sense you are posting based on your personal knowledge and experience, and not on the many different DMV rules across the 50 United States.

Maybe you know of a state that will give you permanent tags on salvage car before it's rebuilt?

 

[GON]

Maybe you know of a state that will give you permanent tags on salvage car before it's rebuilt?

I am not sure you know the difference between a salvage car, salvage certificate for title, and a salvage title. Think if you research that, and then the individual state DMV regulations, it will broaden your understanding of how it works. An example is the state of Pennsylvania, it requires an inspection of any out of state registered and title salvage vehicle before it will issue a Pennsylvania title. But that is a rare state. Most states will accept a salvage title for registration without question, as my state does.

You appear to be hooked on registering a vehicle that has been determined salvage, but the does not matter. What matters is what comes with the car one is purchasing, a salvage certificate for title or a salvage title. salvage certificate likely will require an inspection before issuing a salvage title, a car coming with a salvage title in most states needs nothing to get the title in one's name and registration. Of course a few states have their own rules on salvage vehicles, but most follow what is discussed in this paragraph.

 

[atikovi]

Yes, you might be right. Having been a dealer 30 years and having bought a dozen salvage cars, my understanding might be lacking. What state is yours so I may research this more in my NADA Title and Registration Guide?

 

[Egg_Head]

GON-
I admire your sense of adventure and following your passion. Best of luck with your project and keep us posted. Columbia is (seemingly) one of the hottest places on this earth. It sits in a sand bowl of sorts and the humidity is also subtropical in mid-late summer. Spring does come early down there so hopefully you'll find a spot and start getting it dried out.

 

[GON]

GON-
I admire your sense of adventure and following your passion. Best of luck with your project and keep us posted. Columbia is (seemingly) one of the hottest places on this earth. It sits in a sand bowl of sorts and the humidity is also subtropical in mid-late summer. Spring does come early down there so hopefully you'll find a spot and start getting it dried out.

EH,

Thanks.... we are a bit worried about the summer heat in Columbia. My Wife especially, as she will have issues with the humidity the accompanies the heat.

The driver picked up the S550 yesterday. I may be a month or two before I get to see it. The auction house charges $25 per day for storage, so it pays to get it off their facility ASAP.

 

[RhondaHonda]

What are you doing to get it opened up and dried out immediately?

 

[twouvakind]

I do not want performance with a sedan, I want comfort and reliability. I would never buy a high performance S-class, not a match for what I want, I want to drive like Grandpa, not Kyle Busch.

Sounds like you were seeking another "S", an S60 or 70 Volvo.

 

[wbwanzer]

EH,

Thanks.... we are a bit worried about the summer heat in Columbia. My Wife especially, as she will have issues with the humidity the accompanies the heat.

The driver picked up the S550 yesterday. I may be a month or two before I get to see it. The auction house charges $25 per day for storage, so it pays to get it off their facility ASAP.

Nice looking vehicle. Hope it works out for you.

 

[Wolf359]

I think the hood star will look better on that grill than the flat badge.

 

[GON]

Sounds like you were seeking another "S", an S60 or 70 Volvo.

Don't know anything about Volvos except a story from my best friend in high school in 1981. He was a super nerd and super STEM smart. A very honest and honorable teenager. His Dad was a engineer at IH (Navistar). They grew up riding motorcycles and racing VWs in parking lots.

My Buddy goes out on a first date with a girl two years younger than him. He takes his Dad's Volvo station wagon, I think a four cylinder. He is going down Main street and going over the speed limit. The police try to pull him over and what does he do in his Dad's 4 cylinder Volvo- tries to run from the cop. Did not end well. He was a real good person, just had something weird happen to him where he thought he should run from the Cop. He was not a drinker, no drugs, nothing.

It was a bad night, and a bad year after that for him.

 

[pezzy84]

Seems they were possibly able to get it to power up to pop it into neutral to get it on the trailer - either that or they dragged it up there with the rear wheels dragging.

Like others above said I think the leaving it stored for 2 months with the water still sloshing around in the floor boards is a big concern. Could you fly out for a few days to do some initial remediation? I know its still winter now but mid-70's in SC/NC won't be out of the question come the next month or so.

Good luck with this though - beautiful car. I was not a huge fan of this body style when it first came out but it grew on me over the years, my favorite S is still the W220.

 

[wdn]

You may be providing awesome advice. I have purchased two W220 flooded s-classes. Neither of them ran or drove, but they do now and they are both on the road today. But I also understand I was lucky and not smart/ good.

Above is the link to my engine fire S500 rebuild. Thought on the street was to never by a car with a engine fire. That car purrs like a kitten, but I only paid $350 for it at auction, not $6,000.... so your post is well noted.

How much less than $6,000 is a new engine for an S500 including battery, radiator and all that other major, burnt up stuff that never comes with a new long block? Then at the end of the day it’s still just a fire casualty with a new motor put in it.