I am in CA and I bought a car at an auction in TN that was marked as a total loss, yet it had a clean title due to damages not exceeding 75% (not enough to brand it as salvage in that state). If I attempt to register it in CA it gets salvaged.
My primary goal now is to try to keep this car’s title as clean if possible and sell it while losing the least amount of money in process.
I currently have Certificate of Title from TN (clean) which doesn’t have any names on the front side, and bill of sale to my name from the auction.
The most straightforward way now is to register it in CA as salvage (total loss automatically is converted to salvage from what I was told by multiple car registries), pay sales tax and try to sell it like that. The downside is salvage branding, registration fees, sales tax (which probably cant be avoided anyway)
Are there any better options? What I can’t figure out is:
Can I sell the car with the paperwork I currently have without registering or titling it in CA, perhaps to someone who is buying it for the state where it would remain clean? Some sources say I can, some say it’s “title jumping” and a big no no. If what I have currently is not enough to resell it, what do I need to obtain from DMV?
If I register it as salvage in CA does it have any negative impact on the future car history (it already was listed as total loss before), lets say if it gets transferred again to a state where the damages are not enough for salvage, could it become clean again? Because it doesn’t work the other way around - clean title from another state has no impact on CA, they mark it as salvage regardless of its former title history. So maybe CA title branding also has no impact on other states?
It is really hard to find any knowledgeable specialist that knows interstate laws. So maybe someone from here can give me any advice.
Thanks.
I can’t hide total loss even if I wanted as it will always be visible on any sort of report (carfax, dmv, etc). The car is currently total loss but it has a clean title (it is not a trick or a mistake, total loss is not the same as salvage, each state has their own laws according to how total loss translates to title branding, that’s the tricky part).
All I want is keep the car in the same status as it is now, without making it worse (by registering it in CA and turning the title salvage for example). Car that’s total loss+clean title is more desirable and valuable than total loss+salvage title I assume…
What part in all this is the crime exactly? Please explain your comment if you understand the subject and not just trolling.
I am not trying to convert salvage title to clean title, or to hide anything. I am trying to resell it in the same status as it is now, not better not worse. Is it a crime?
You can’t what, read? If you can, please read your own article maybe fist.
Again, I am not trying to turn salvage title into clean title, maybe read my initial comment again or something.
The only option I see to accomplish your goal is to change your domicile to TN (move) within 30 days of when you bought it. Register the car in TN when you get your license.
I don’t see how a sentient person would think that a CA salvage title is worse than a car that’s disclosed as a total loss (taking you at your word) and shipped into CA from ~2,000 miles away and has a blank owner name on the title.
Now that I typed that, the second scenario would look much more perilous to me.
Aside from consumers, your other potential buyers would likely be limited to the sketchiest decile of used car dealers, who would have no compunction about selling a potentially dangerous and unroadworthy car to your unsuspecting sister, neighbor, co-worker or friend.
