Looking for value of a 2003 TJ.

[vlucdog]

Here's the skinny.
Just a TJ wrangler
Hard top.
Probably a rough country short arm lift, at least 3".
4.0l w/auto.
No rims or tires.
Dash half apart at heater/radio
Warn rear bumper.

Now for the really bad part.

Front end damage, will need 2 front fenders, hood and grill. And the front drivers frame horn was bent in the accident. I don't know if the control arms are bent in the front.

Any ideas on value.
Edit, 85,000 mi. on the drive train, interior in good condition. Hard doors in good shape, all glass intact.
Bill

[vlucdog]

More info. Except for being bent, the frame is good, body mounts also good. No bondo in the tub. I'm also thinking all the dash parts that have been removed are in the jeep.

This TJ was bought back from the Ins. Co. By the current owner. I forgot to ask about the title, I do know the Jeep was paid for before the accident.

I didn't slide under the Jeep to look for the TC being cracked or broken.

The front drivers axle is pushed back where the front tire bent the fender (33" tire)

[2000TJ]

Insurance company should have wrote an est on it when it was wrecked. If they totalled it then it must have exceeded the value of the vehicle by 60% so really it just up to you as to the value. A nice use TJ with a lift and the same miles is about $9000.00 on craigslist right now.

[alkat]

Bill if the ins. company totaled it then the only title you'll be able to get on it would be a salvage title. And that reduces the value significantly.

[alkat]

Bill I just googled Illinois salvage titles, you might want to do the same before buying. Getting a totaled vehicle legally back on the road in Illinois is quite a process.

[vlucdog]

Thanks guys.
This Jeep has been sitting for 2 years. I'll fire off a text tomorrow and ask about the title. I'll get the vin # as well.

Bill

[vlucdog]

From my search I've found prices from $2k to 3.9k, depending on damage.

The owner has put Rubicon stickers on the hood, they know it isn't a Rubicon.

I have a feeling they won't like the price I give them. The owners wife told me they have all the receipts for what they put on it.

After market rear fender flares.(the fronts are MIA)
Harbor Freight winch.
Cold air intake.
And the lift kit. From what I saw, the lift kit used OEM upper arms with kit lowers that are factory bent to match the lift. This is no doubt a cheap lift.

[alkat]

Bill, just out of curiosity, what are your plans if you buy it. Trail jeep, daily driver or resale?

[W_A_Watson_II]

Bill, with no Rims/Tires and the salvage Title and dis assembly, the 3-4K sounds about right from what I've seen, but always try to get it on the cheep.

[alkat]

Will, I was thinking 1to 2k depending on title

[vlucdog]

The owner has the clear title, not a salvage title.

[alkat]

Big plus, Will's price would be about right then.

[wdln]

When my Cavalier got rear-ended, I bought it from the insurance company because they wanted to total it. The car still drove perfectly, and the accident missed the rear bumper and smashed the trunk instead. So it was structurally sound. But it was old, so it didn't take much for them to decide to total it. Anyway, I asked if I could keep it, and they said I would have to pay them the salvage value, which was about $200. So basically they cut me a check for $3000+ to keep the vehicle. I then had a body shop pull out the rear crossmember and put a used deck lid on it for a few hundred bucks. The car was already paid for at the time of the accident, so I already had the title and nothing changed. I sold it around 2008 and the buyers didn't have any issues either.

So maybe it just depends on the situation... is a salvage title maybe when you buy something back from a junkyard?

[vlucdog]

That's what I think Dave, or someplace like this.
http://www.daveysjeeps.com/repairables.html

[alkat]

If you search salvage titles at dmv.org you won't have to speculate about the laws, you can read and know for sure.

[Matt Brown]

Put the vin into the following link and see what the true actual status is with the state. As others have said, good title 3-4K bad title then 1-2K.

http://www.ilsos.gov/regstatus/

[wdln]

As with so many other government agencies, the rules are vague. Here's a direct link to the DMV.org site's summary of Illinois salvage laws (dmv.org is not a government-run site, BTW):

http://www.dmv.org/il-illinois/salvaged-vehicles.php

Among other things, it says:

When a vehicle has suffered damage that would cost more to repair than the vehicle's market value, it may be declared salvage. It will be issued a salvage certificate of title ($4) and removed from the road―a salvage vehicle cannot be registered.

The key word is MAY. I followed Matt's link and put in my old car's VIN. There's nothing on there that indicates it was a salvaged vehicle, even though I would say that it should be. So why sometimes and not others?

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[CLBJeep]

Not sure what the rules are in Illinois but in Tennessee any vehicle that is 10 years or older you do not have to report accidents even when its totaled out so you will always have a clean title