Holy Old Thread, Batman...

 

 

My quick answer as an appraiser: anything with a salvage title has a diminished value, professionally I use 50% of the average of 2 comparable vehicles as the ACV of a vehicle with a salvage title

 

Nothing wrong with a salvage title bike if you get a salvage title price...$12,500 is only $450 off retail for that bike...run away from that "deal".

 

How much the salvage title reduces the value of the bike depends in large part on the way a buyer feels about it. If it were me buying, I'd want to see at least 30 to 40 percent in price reduction versus the going market value. More if the bike is rough in basic ways, maybe a LITTLE less if the bike was pristine after the rebuild. I'd also want to know exactly what was repaired, assuming you can get an accurate report.

I've heard that liability insurance is ordinarily not a problem with a Salvage title. But Comp and Collision can be problematic. The latter would affect you particularly if you are financing (provided you can find someone to finance a salvage title). But if you're paying this off with saved-cash or a personal loan, then carrying liability only is not a functional issue, i.e., you can still get it on the road likely. (In Cali at least, that's all you need--liability--to be legal on-road). As others have said, shop around.

The $12.5K figure for a salvaged '07 Ultra Classic (in 2014) sounds high to me. So…a 30% reduction from the $14K KBB retail value is: $9.8K, and a 40% reduction is $8.4K sale price.

Keep in mind that the next guy who buys it--if/when you sell it--is going to need the same inducement you do, so don't plan on making much money on the deal. Still, you should be able to buy a bike like this, at a fair price, and not totally lose your *** when you sell it down the road...

As for purchasing salvage, I've considered it myself, but never too seriously, and I've never seen what I considered a 'good deal' on a salvage bike of the type I was interested in at the moment. The prices are usually high, like the one you're looking at. That price is up there in the neighborhood of the low-end of prices for a bike that hasn't been wrecked. As referenced earlier, maybe that price is a good one for some buyers…it might even be a fair price. But for me, coupled with the term 'salvage', it's too much.

Alan

 

Bikes not worth that much money in my area with a clean never been hit title. Max $7500 but I'd pay $5000 to $6000.


Edit... Just saw that this is an old thread

 

To high. I paid $9500 for a 08 ultra with less than 10k miles.

 

This is funny The post is over 2 years old. For all that commented. How many really have owned salvage stuff. Lol

 

I rebuilt a car I totaled does that count?

I sold at least 100 cars/trucks with salvage titles and jumped through the hoops the state of MA makes you go through to get one.

I am in the middle of finishing an appraisal to total a car.. just taking a break before I do the CCC Valuation call and move it to the auction

does that count?