Quigley Transit with a salvage title

[vwvoodoo]

I have just bought my ideal camper van base - a 2018 3.5 Ecoboost Quigley 4x4 medium roof 148 with 35000 miles. The downside is that it has had a front end impact and subsequently a salvage title (it has not yet been repaired - I am going to do that myself). Has anyone gone down the road of building an expedition-worthy vehicle with a salvage title? Have you run into hurdles down the road with insurance or titles or crossing boarders?

 

[tdferrero]

Every state has different guidelines towards getting a rebuilt title. For South Carolina, it's pretty simple, as we don't have annual vehicle inspections, so our list is much shorter and I did it pretty easily with an old E30. First thing is to get the frame and whatever else straight, go through the rebuilt title safety inspection, then proceed as you would with any other build. Good luck!

 

[Christian P.]

I do not have first hand experience with cross border rebuild title but I highly doubt you will have any issue. I cross the border several time every year into Canada and they never checked my title. And for Mexico and other countries, I really would be surprised that if they even see or care about the difference.

Enjoy your new van - that's a great find. I am looking for something similar. May I ask you where you found it?

Any picture?

 

[vwvoodoo]

I snagged it on Copart in South Denver. Photo is from their listing since it isn't at my house yet...

I haven't completely decided that I want to take on the project right now even though it's my ideal base to build from. If anyone is interested it may be fore sale but I'm floating my options before I decide.

 

[SDDiver5]

You sure do have some balls under taking this project! Best of luck to you I hope you dont come across any issues. Would be an awesome back to life story.

 

[Christian P.]

I snagged it on Copart in South Denver. Photo is from their listing since it isn't at my house yet...

I haven't completely decided that I want to take on the project right now even though it's my ideal base to build from. If anyone is interested it may be fore sale but I'm floating my options before I decide.

Thanks - it does not seem too bad but it's really hard to tell until you get the van at your place.

Keep me posted if you decide to sell it back. I have been known to take over crazy project in the past..

 

[nyyankees588]

Yeah, definitely keep us posted. I've been eyeing a few vans on copart that seem to have easily repairable damage with salvaged titles... curious how things end up for you.

I'm sure that you're already aware that there will be a hit on long term resell value. Take lots of photos of the rebuild process to be able to show a future buyer what was wrong with it and how you fixed it.

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[vintageracer]

Ya it's got a "Dirty Bird" title.

So What?

Build it, drive it, use it and enjoy it!

Yes it will be worth less when time comes to sell it.

So What?

You paid Salvage Price for it when you bought therefore No harm No foul when it comes to resale value!

Repair the van properly and you will get just as many miles and years of service as if you bought one new or used with a good title. I have owned numerous "Floaters" or other salvage title vehicles over the years that have been properly repaired and provided years of great service.

Still have one that we have owned for over 15 years.

My 94 year old mothers 2000 Honda Accord was a "Floater" at 84K miles. Never have found any evidence of water damage. Kinda wondering if maybe the sunroof got left open in the rain??? The car just rolled 195,000 miles with only regular maintenance and 1 transmission rebuild at 165K which is the Achilles Heal in this era of Honda Accord. We probably got an extra 40K miles more out of the automatic transmission than the average owner.

 

[vwvoodoo]

Van has arrived - it has more engine damage than anticipated but hopefully it's not too ugly as I get deeper. I'm in the process of pulling all of the front end off to fully evaluate the engine damage.
The van has a bunch of nice drawers and storage for an HVAC contractor - I may have to incorporate some of these deep aluminum drawers into my under bed storage!
I was hoping I could find one of these in a wrecking yard or via car-part.com near me to pull the whole front end but they seem to be uncommon here (near Boulder/Denver). Does anyone have a better resource for pick-n-pulls that might have Transits available within a few hundred miles?

 

[nyyankees588]

That's rad. And yes - i agree. Get it for a good deal, make it work, and walk away with a great deal. I have to say, I have never seen a transit at the pic n pulls around seattle. You might have to try some of the junkyards that buy cars from the insurance companies and resell the bits and pieces. I've had luck at a place called Gundie's in seattle. They have a searchable inventory online and everything. Pircier, but they have some of the newer vehicles.

 

[PhillySMB]

It’s kinda rare for pick and pulls to have late model vehicles like this. You’ll likely have to pay up from a mainstream dismantler unless you get lucky finding a private one for part out. Front clips and good, full engines are always the first things to go.


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[Christian P.]

I think car-parts.com is your best bet. They will ship to you no problem, it does not have to be close.

It looks like at the very least you need an engine valve cover and some other parts for the engine (water pump? - I see something broken in the front but not sure what it is). For these you may be better just ordering new from Ford or Ebay.

 

[vintageracer]

Also try LKQ.

 

[Stevemo]

Having a salvage title is probably good for crossing borders. Back when I toured part of Central America in 2001 you had to have one of the passports stamped with the vehicle import & export. If the vehicle was not exported the passport owner had to pay some heavy tariffs. One would think that the tariffs or Carnet would be cheaper for a lower value vehicle.

 

[vwvoodoo]

As I've gotten deeper I've found that multiple parts of the passenger side head are broken, along with the thermostat housing, intake plenum, and timing cover. I'll be taking the timing cover and valve covers off this weekend.
I'm finding lots of pieces on car-part, and I'll likely get some there and lots new. My hopes of pulling an entire front clip from a local wrecking yard are fading...
I'm still digging it, though. The lack of any damage past the front of the frame rail is amazing, and whatever it hit just snagged the middle and top of the engine.
I'll keep documenting as I go along...