Hello to all. This is my first post here, and I'm soliciting input about a purchase that I made this week. I bought a bright red '94 940 Turbo with 116,600 mi on it. It is very clean. Prior to purchase I took it to the local Volvo shop (independent) where my wife's Cross Country gets serviced, and they gave it a clean bill of health, with the exception of the fuel gauge not working. When I agreed to purchase the vehicle for $3500 (owner asking $3800) the owner signed over the title, and it had "rebuilt" on it. When I asked him about that he said that the vehicle had been rear ended and that the rear bumper, lights and trunk lid had been damaged, but repaired. There was no indication that there was damage. My questions are these: Did I make a mistake in purchasing this vehicle? Could that amount of damage total a vehicle, and put it in the rebuilt category? It drives well, and doesn't give any sign of tracking problems etc. It has been through a heavy thunderstorm with no leaks in the trunk or rear window/passenger compartment. I called the mechanic who checked it out and he was surprised that it had "rebuilt "on the title, as he didn't see any indicators of crash damage during his inspection. I guess my question is, did I screw myself in buying this vehicle? Thanks for any inputs.

Where you made a mistake is in not doing a Carfax on it, and in not negotiating a lower price due to the salvaged title. A salvaged title will drop the price by roughly half, thus the car is only "worth" ~ $2,000. It's not a big deal if you plan to drive it 'till the wheels fall off, but just remember this if you ever try to sell it again, trade it in, etc.

And check with your insurance agent, I believe that he will tell you that the value of the car is ~ half due to the salvaged title. The point here being that you don't need to carry comprehensive or collision insurance on it (maybe comp, depending on where you live, I guess).

By the way, my car is a '93 945T, also with a salvaged title. It was t-boned in '94 (passenger side), and was rebuilt. My brother-in-law then bought it, drove it until this past spring, then sold it to me for $1,800 (~ 135,000 miles at the time). It runs great, there are no after-affects of being totaled, and rebuilt.

There may or may not be anything wrong with the car. The issues I see here are that:
The seller did not disclose during the negotiations phase that the car had a salvage title.
You saw the title when you finalized the deal but went on to close the sale.

You now want to know whether you got screwed or not?

AS I see it, shame on the seller for not disclosing the fault on the title.
Shame on you for not doing your homework (carfax) which would have identified the problem. You could have stopped at the point you saw the title. Most states allow for 3 days to back out of a deal. You could possibly get out of this deal, but you may still have a very good car in which case, you can chalk this all up to experience. If the car is running fine and the mechanic cant find anything wrong, then I would just let it go.
--
97 S90 with 177K miles still going strong

Well the wife's 760 was totaled because of hail damage...so sometimes it does not take much...
I bought it at an auction and did nothing more than a tune up...she's been driving it for about 7 or 8 months..."salvage title" will hurt resale a little but if you bought it to drive you most likely did fine.
Bret
--
rust free in west Texas

sounds like a salvage title...no problem IF you have some one competent check out the car...salvaged cars are out there more than anyone would think...

I was rear-ended in my '93 945t almost 4 years ago, just 1 month after I had bought it for $8,000 (low mileage, immaculate car)

The frame had to be straightened, and extensive repainting redone. The rear bumper shock absorbers cost $250 each alone, not to mention the cost of all the other parts needed and labor. The car looked like its old showroom-new self after the work - in fact, the repainting covered up a couple of minor blemishes that were there pre-accident!

Long story short, the bill the insurance company paid for this was $3500. Since the book value of the car at the time was around $7,000, the car was not totalled. But it I'd bought it today for it's book value of $3,000, you can bet that the insurance company would total it. Does the car still drive and handle great with 70,000 more miles on it than at the time of the accident? You betcha! For $3,500 you're getting a great car that's rock-solid, and maybe in even better-looking shape than before the accident. It's obvious that high quality body work was done on this vehicle. Relax and enjoy!

Thanks for all the answers and input. I'll do some more research as was suggested, but I'm comforted that others have had similar experiences and have been satisfied with the results. Thanks again.

I think I might ask the mechanic who checked it to look it over again, with the news of the title in mind. I think you'll get a fair appraisal of the repair work from that person, given it escaped his notice. Likely, as the other responders say, it was done well.

if what you say is true about the over all condition and handeling, the only way you can be screwed on this deal will be when you trade it in. course dealers know 10 ways from sunday how to do that but the rebuilt title makes it that much easier for them.
--
mike, 1988 Volvo 240DL 114k , , previous 79 & 81 Volvo 244s

Dear Mike,

Good p.m. and hope this finds you well. To set your mind at ease - if the posts below have not done so - get from the previous owner, the name of the shop that did the repair. Get from them a detailed list of everything they did: a complete set of invoices. Reading those, will tell you what they did and how they did it.

For example, if they simply used a frame machine to pull the back out, that's fine. If, on the other hand, they cut away the back of the car, and welded on sections from another vehicle, that's likely to lead to problems. Where they welded, they cut through the layer of galvanizing, that makes 940s very rust resistant. Once the galvanizing has been compromised, it cannot be restored.

Equally, the impact could have trigged both airbags. Those cost $1K each. The sensor unit is another $1,200, for a total of $3,200. Thus even minimal metal damage might have been enough to move the insurance company to declare the car a total loss.

If the former owner won't tell you, who did the work, see if the State Department of Motor Vehicles will tell you, who applied for the "rebuilt" title.

In sum, you're probably fine. But to be sure, do some research, as outlined above. Report back on your findings, or if more questions arise.

Yours faithfully,

spook

p.s. The fact that the seller did not disclose the non-standard title, may - if your State's laws so provide - give you a basis for cancelling the sale. You might use that as leverage, to get from the seller, information as to who repaired the car, and any records that the seller may have.

Come on! Your a lot more screwed with new car payments and expenses. What is at risk here anyway, if you get a few good years (and you are likely to get far more!) out of a $3000 car?

I bought my 940 with a salvage title. It had been rear ended. But I defy
you to notice it. I got it for a great price. You won't have any problem if it was done right.

JJ

The car was 'totaled' by the insurance compamy then purchased and repaired, hence the rebuilt title. The question is what value had the insurance company consider to be too high, requiring the 'totaling' of the vehicle - not whether the average Joe would think the repair was merited. You'll probably have a good experience but that wouldn't even guaranteed with new cars!

Probably not, one of our wagons was victim of HARD rearender (buckled roof) before we bought it. Knew this before purchase. It was fixed right and the car drives perfect. To ease your mind do two things, have the alignment checked and have a good rustpfoofing done. I found that a couple of seams did not completely close back up after body was pulled back straight.
Then just forget about the "rebuilt" on the title. good luck,rcs

There could but should not be an issue with a salvage title. A few people on the board familiar with salvaged 700/900s touted the fact that if done properly, there should not be an issue. You got the car a real good price.
--
Tom F. Couple of Volvos Mods, RainX & cup holders.

Be completely at ease with your purchase. You had it checked out and the mechanic thought it was just fine. In your case, with $3500 out of pocket, the "salvage" title is an interesting side note. It is a lesson without pain. Having looked at a 2000 XC for $17,000 that's a different story. The "salvage" title can come into play if you want to sell it or finance it. By the time you want to sell it there will be so many miles on it that it won't matter. It sounds like you have a great vehicle. You're now on a forum that is excellent for it's information and assistance. Enjoy the ownership of a unique and exciting vehicle and welcome to the brickboard.