Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Buying a vehicle with a Salvage Certificate in Hawaii

hawaiihonu · 12-16-2015, 07:38 PM

Just wanted to put this out there for residents of Hawaii thinking of purchasing a salvaged auto at an auction. After you buy the car, you get a "Salvage Certificate". This does NOT let you register and get plates. By law, Hawaii requires that all salvaged vehicles be "rebuilt" by a Registered Salvage Dealer shop before they'll give you a new salvaged title.
So if you see something at an auction that is salvaged and you think "Me and pops can fix that ourselves and then we got a nice cheap rig"- think again.
You've got to pay big bucks to a body shop to fix it. Just the Salvage inspection costs $750 plus the repairs on your vehicle. Only a few body shops are "Registered Salvage Dealer" repair shops.
So think twice before buying something cheap off Copart or auctions unless you just want it for parts.
I just lost a bunch of money, so wanted to prevent others from going through the same thing.

12-16-2015, 07:38 PM	#1 (permalink)
hawaiihonu EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Hawaii Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Buying a vehicle with a Salvage Certificate in Hawaii Just wanted to put this out there for residents of Hawaii thinking of purchasing a salvaged auto at an auction. After you buy the car, you get a "Salvage Certificate". This does NOT let you register and get plates. By law, Hawaii requires that all salvaged vehicles be "rebuilt" by a Registered Salvage Dealer shop before they'll give you a new salvaged title. So if you see something at an auction that is salvaged and you think "Me and pops can fix that ourselves and then we got a nice cheap rig"- think again. You've got to pay big bucks to a body shop to fix it. Just the Salvage inspection costs $750 plus the repairs on your vehicle. Only a few body shops are "Registered Salvage Dealer" repair shops. So think twice before buying something cheap off Copart or auctions unless you just want it for parts. I just lost a bunch of money, so wanted to prevent others from going through the same thing.