{"id":6242,"date":"2022-07-06T11:52:10","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T18:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/?p=6242"},"modified":"2022-12-21T11:25:50","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T11:25:50","slug":"can-a-salvage-car-be-insured-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/can-a-salvage-car-be-insured-in-california\/","title":{"rendered":"Can a Salvage Car Be Insured in California?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The most direct answer is no, you cannot get car insurance<\/a> for a salvage car in the State of California. However, you can get around that with a fair amount of work and planning. Your goal must be to, in effect, bring the totaled vehicle back to new life. You just have to figure out if it\u2019s worth your time and effort to make this attempt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with a basic understanding of what legally constitutes a salvage car. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Salvage Car Has Been Totaled <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A \u201csalvage\u201d vehicle is likely to be in just as bad a condition as the name makes it sound like it would be. A salvage car has been totally disabled as the result of a collision, flooding, or other jarring events. The insurance company has determined that it would be cheaper to give the insured driver a settlement based on the full value of the vehicle rather than attempting to make all of the needed repairs<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of the obviously poor condition of the vehicle, no California insurance company would even think of insuring it in the condition it\u2019s presently in. And it would be against state law to offer coverage even if you could find a car insurer willing to offer it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Why Would Anyone Even Want a Salvage Car? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Good question. The short answer is that most people wouldn\u2019t want one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if you\u2019re a good authorized mechanic or have a brother-in-law or close friend in the business, you might figure that you can pick up a salvage for next to nothing<\/a> (or actual nothing<\/em>) and bring the vehicle back to life for a cheap price. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From that point, perhaps you\u2019re thinking of selling the car for a profit<\/a> or just making it your \u201cbeater\u201d ride. Or you conclude that you have so many new parts in the vehicle that it\u2019s practically off the showroom floor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those are some of the reasons you might consider bringing a salvage car back from the dead, like some mechanical Frankenstein monster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Would I Want Car Insurance on My Salvage Ride Anyway? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you keep the salvage vehicle, it\u2019s probably simply because it\u2019s cheap. So why would you think about investing in car insurance? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if the condition of the vehicle is such that it wouldn\u2019t be much of a financial loss even if it was totaled (again), you still need car insurance on it. That\u2019s simply the law in California and almost everywhere else in the US. Only in the state of New Hampshire<\/a> can you hit the road without car insurance. (That\u2019s not saying it\u2019s a good idea because it\u2019s not.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, the vehicle must be insurable if you put it up for sale. And like we said earlier, it\u2019s not legal to insure a salvage car in the Golden State. That\u2019s because such a vehicle isn\u2019t considered to be safe to drive (big surprise). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately for you, you\u2019ve got such a thing as a revived title to shoot for. <\/p>\n\n\n

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What\u2019s a Revived Title? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a legal document that recognizes that a former salvage car has been properly rebuilt and reconditioned to the point where it is now safe to drive<\/a> and can be licensed and insured. In order to get a revived title on what used to be a salvage car, you have to take the following actions to get the vehicle in roadworthy shape and be able to prove it to the authorities: <\/p>\n\n\n\n