Best way to deal with car that will be branded salvage?

[Mott]

So I have a 2001 Nissan Altima GXE with 64000km on it that I got from my grandmother 7-8 years ago and it has been the best car I have ever owned. During those 7-8 years of owning it I have only had to do tires, brakes, oil, and battery which is completely amazing. I was really hoping that I would have this car for another 4-6 years and by that time electric would have progressed further and I would buy into it then. Unfortunately I was rear-ended about two months ago and my rear crumple zones got 15~20% compromised and even though I got my insurance company to pay out more than it would cost to fix it they said that they are unwilling to get it fixed no matter what which is a real bummer. Since it has been hit I have been driving it with absolutely no problems (got a free balance and rotation at Costco for the ride home from Victoria where I got hit to Calgary) and it drove just like it always had and continues to do so.

My issue is that once I take the write-off buyout the car will be switched to salvage and I need to either part it out or sell it as a whole before the end of August when I have to return to Victoria for the final year of my masters program. I was wondering if you beyond.ca members have any advice for how I should go about doing this in order to maximise the chances of getting some return on the car as I get to keep it for free and also to get it gone in less than a month. I have put up ads on kijiji, autotrader, and here although I feel like I need some advice from people who know what they are talking about.

My ad on beyond.ca is here (https://forums.beyond.ca/threads/404535-FS-2001-Nissan-Altima-GXE-64000km-2500-OBO-*Mechanics-Special*), my ad on kijiji is here (https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1286923703&uuid=a59599f2-55bd-4b9d-a61a-d65a0a027078), and my ad on auto trader is here (not up yet will revise when it gets posted).

Is there anything you would do differently? Am I asking too much? To little? I saw a 2001 Altima engine with 120000km on it for $3000 on kijiji so I just sort of based my price off of that thinking a good price for a quick sale. Should I shop this ultra low KM engine to someone or somewhere? I feel like most of the car is in excellent condition and I just don't know how to go about dealing with it. Any advice would be extremely helpful.

Here is an album of the vehicle (https://imgur.com/a/7bJ0b) for reference.

Thanks a ton to anyone who answers.

[403civic]

I might be a little too upfront about this, but truth hurts.

Cars like this (branded with a title) usually go for under $500 at the insurance auctions
Yes, you have ultra low KMs for the age of the car, and the rest of the car seems to be in pretty good shape, but Salvage inspection (pretty hard to pass) will require all of that damage to be repaired (not just the outside)
A person would need to spend thousands in order to legally get this car on the road again.

I would assume you are getting ridiculous offers on Kijiji. like under $500
but the truth it, that's the market
and its not like its a super rare or popular car that people really WANT

just my $0.02

[Abeo]

Salvage inspection (pretty hard to pass) will require all of that damage to be repaired (not just the outside)
A person would need to spend thousands in order to legally get this car on the road again.


To add to this... the salvage inspection is not only looking at the repairs, but the entire condition of the vehicle. It essentially reviews the entire operating condition of the car to make sure it's safe for the road again. On a late model car, the inspection is easier to pass. On an older car like yours, it's usually a lot of work and not worth it. I went through it 2 years ago on a low mileage late model truck, and it was no joke. Just FYI.

If I were you with the time constraints you have, I'd sell it as-is and for parts only (and have it priced accordingly).

orrr...... viking funeral
http://www.dpccars.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Fifth-Gear-World-Record-Car-Jump-towing-a-caravan-1-700x325.png

[Mott]

I appreciate both of your candour, and yeah it sucks, but I guess maybe I'll try and sell some of the parts separate and then just sell it to pick your part. I could put the car starter into the car I'm getting to replace this one in the interim and maybe sell the speakers, decks, tires, and some other parts. Would it be worth it to take off the front disc brakes and sell those? I have access to a place that I can get most vehicle work done so taking things apart isn't an issue.

So, it comes down to trying to sell the car all in one for parts or taking it apart and selling things separately... I would be willing to take the extra time to part some things out and let the rest go to pick your part or some other place.

Keep it up for a bit and try to get it sold all in one go or start parting it out right away to get things sold quicker? What do you think?

I'm really hoping some mechanic comes across the ad, has the same car, and wants to use the engine, tires, brakes, and whatever else to make it in much better condition... probably just wishful thinking.

There aren't any places that repair Nissan's that would take it or is it just to old?

[revelations]

Im certainly no expert, but I bought a salvage bike about 5 years ago, that was clearly not repaired properly (knew it when I bought it based on obvious, visual issues). I dont think they can be THAT strict 100% of the time.

Perhaps a shop this could be of assistance; https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-other/calgary/for-all-your-needs-desi-garage/1286595349?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

[jacky4566]

So why not get a quote from a repair place? Here is a list of all the qualified Salvage inspectors. Almost all of them also do repairs.

http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/vis/production/results_postal.asp

[master hec0]

sorry but your probably going to be parting it out piece by piece or selling to to a scrapper or directly to the wrecking yard. bucks auto pays the most in the city at $240.

[zhao]

Its not interesting, not a brand that holds in value, and isn't a common car that people want to swap parts from to their current one, because lets face it, if they're driving a 2001 altima with mechanical problems that needs your parts, they aren't likely rolling in dough, and probably aren't interested enough in cars to know how to do their own mechanical work. With the accident its essentially worthless.

I'd value it at $250 (scrape value) to $500 (selling to someone who wants parts, or some sucker who thinks he can fix it). No one is going to want to fix that thing either because of the savage inspection ($500), plus buying the car off you for $500, plus parts, plus 20 hours of labour = you can buy something else without all the hassle required getting this thing on the road again. Your market is limited to a bodyman who can fix that and wants to drive it himself, which is possible, but if a bodyman likes fixing write offs they're going to buy something a decade newer from auction for similar to what you want for it. Something that will be worth 10g after they fix it, not 2500. something that will pass a salvage inspection easier.

[eglove]

Everything about the car is in good condition except for the back bumper and the rear crumple zones. It was estimated that a maximum of $1000 of parts are needed to fix this car up and if the crumple zones don't need to be replaced (there is a high chance they can just be repaired) then that price falls down to near the $300 mark in parts and just a bit of time put into it and it should be road worthy again.

Lol... none of what you wrote is true. It’s gunna be hard because the car has sentimental value to you. But unfortunately it is really worthless. For all the time and money you spend to part out, it won’t be worth the return on the maybe few hundred you get back. Plus having all your time wasted with kijiji folk. No thanks. Sell it to bucks or donate it to the kidney foundation.

[Mott]

Ok, thanks for all the replies. I'll just take out the stuff I want and send it to pick your part or something and be done with it.

Thanks for being straight up.