No kidding. Might not win Pebble Beach, but then that car isn’t gonna win anyway. 
Looks really great, actually.
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I found the gentleman who repaired the car from an ad he placed in Craigslist. He told me the rigors of running his autobody business and the physical exertion required for some of the bodywork “encouraged” him to retire. Not wanting to totally sit on the bench, he takes on painting and less complicated body repairs (he said his shoulders aren’t what they used to be), so he limits jobs that don’t require too much overhead work if that makes sense. I sent him photos of the damage, and we interviewed each other to see if my expectations matched the repairs he was proposing. He’s definitely got a strong work ethic and is conscientious about providing good value to his clients. As soon as he got the car, I immediately started getting photos from him showing the progress he was making, and explaining what I was seeing in the photos and what he was doing. I like the fact that he only works on one vehicle at a time. He said he likes keeping busy and would welcome any recommendations I sent his way. So yes, I am going to pass his name along.
As for the salvage title, I wonder if that applies to me. Here is an excerpt from the Wisconsin DOT website.
Salvage vehicle - A vehicle less than seven years old that is not considered junk and damaged by collision or other occurrence (other than from hail damage) to the extent that the cost of repairing the vehicle is more than 70% of the fair market value. Or, a vehicle of any model year last titled in another jurisdiction with a salvage brand.
This car is well over seven years old - it seems that exempts my car. Am I reading that correctly?
I believe this means if you keep the car and take the $3500, you’ll have to retitle as salvage
But you may want to talk to your insurance company . . . they should be able to answer any of your questions
In my state, if you’d taken the money and kept the car, it definitely would have become salvage title
It may be different in your state
Ask quesions now, versus encountering a nasty surprise when it comes time to register or insure the car next time
Thanks. I will definitely research this.
Thanks for all the information and advice everyone. The insurance company said the car will not have a salvage title.
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Glad to hear it. Your happy ending just got better.
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Maybe I already said it but when mine was totaled and I bought it back and repaired it, it was not a salvage title and had full coverage on it. The only provision was that the agent needed to check it to see if the repair was done. That’s Minnesota.
After I thought about it, my daughter will probably keep the car for two or three more years. By then it will be 18 or 19 years old with around 220,000 miles on it. A salvage title probably would not have much effect on value or salability at that point.
A 19 year old car with 220,000 miles and a salvage title will be worth the same as one with a clear title, namely… scrap value.
Oh I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that. I mean, it should be true, but used car prices are nuts right now. You can easily sell a 200+k car for a lot more than scrap value. I just did it this year. Twice.
I think you’re right that the salvage title wouldn’t impact the value much, but it would make it slower to sell because some people automatically walk when they see that on the title.
From my experience, the value is in the length of time for the plates to expire rather than the car itself. In Minnesota anyway folks will buy an old car with 9 months left on the plates and drive it without needing to transfer the title or prove insurance.
Years ago I sold an old Mercury to a private party and a year and a half later I got a notice that it was in an impound lot in Illinois. The woman who bought it had never transferred the title. I let them keep it because I’d already sold it once.