Sorry to say, but your best bet IS getting lucky and finding someone
with a wrecked truck to sell. Even if you find one in a junkyard,
theres 3 problems youre going to run into:
1. When a wrecked vehicle is sold to a salvage yard, a salvage title is
issued. So if you fix it up you won't be able to title it, get plates,
or insurance. BUT if your going to just use it for off-roading, this
may not be a problem.
2. If you look at whats in a salvage yard, you'll notice theyre stripped
of the engine, trans or any electronics. First thing they do is strip
those parts and warehouse them. And if you don't already know, most
dismantlers dont really take care of the other parts, so whatever parts
are left are usually damaged by prybars, sawzalls, cutting torches, etc..
3. You'll probably find out the prices for a chasis or a body sky high.
Theres 2 reasons.... First is there's not alot in usable condition, so
the prices are going to be high. And second, late-models are higher
than a giraffe's ass because the insurance companies need to compensate
the loss somehow, and the salvage yards know they can make more money
off just parts. (I know this for fact from when I tried to buy stuff for
my 05, it actually was cheaper on some items buying new!)
But if you get lucky and buy a wrecked one from a private party, you've
got to be carefull. Run the vin through carfax AND ask the person if
there was an accident report. If there is none, just transfer the title
***Not sure how legal this is*** If nothing pops up you might get lucky.
If I were you, and I just wanted something for the ponds, I'ld find 4
jackstands and start looking for a frame. :) Just use the Johnny Cash
method and build it a piece at a time! :)
Gary Hedlin
05 SLT 4.7 2WD
Terrible Tom wrote:
>
> Short of getting really lucky and having a customer walk into the store
> tomorrow and tell me he has a totaled Dodge Dakota to sell to me, how
> can one go about locating an entire truck thats been wrecked and someone
> willing to sell it?
>
> I had a few ideas - some obvious - like simply calling up every salvage
> yard in the phone book and asking them if they have any... to trying to
> contact insurance companies (state farm, allstate, etc) and seeing if I
> can buy them from them? Don't know if they do that or not.
>
> I was talking to a couple guys at work and they said good luck trying to
> buy a whole salvaged truck - due to red tape and possible greed. (red
> tape meaning the legality of selling a car/truck thats branded salvage -
> and greed in that I would figure a salvage yard would not want to sell a
> whole truck because they can make more off it as parts.
>
> Anyone with any experience or insight that could lend a few tips?
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Dec 01 2005 - 10:10:44 EST